Seven: Mirror Image

SEVEN

Mirror Image

So, when we see, we know, if we take it upon ourselves to inquire. We can look through the looking glass into that other realm. Some, no doubt, will look right at it and say, Ah! I don’t see a thing! But, we see through a glass, darkly. I was once instructed on how to see things in the dark, when you look right at them but can’t see them. The trick is to look a little to the right or left; slightly above it, or slightly below it. I employ that technique in my studies; the Holy Spirit may drop truth in my lap, but I still need a means to focus on it.

We study the great reflection; the mirror, an interface not unlike the rule of thumb for equations: ‘both sides must be equal'. And, as in patterns that must yet be built, not all reflections are immediate. Proverbs 27:19 speaks of reflections both corporeal and spiritual, “As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.”

Think ‘communication’.

The image and glory of God in the corporeal world is that part of man that may be communicated with. Communication is essential. Even in such a lengthy process as a seed growing from the ground to become like the tree it fell from, communication is key. Matthew 5:48 is a beautiful expression of that process, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” There are three ways in which the equality may be seen on both sides of the mirror. There are the immediate reflection, the future result, and the equality of a scale (the fulcrum theory) which demonstrates the rule of ‘equal but opposite’.

This latter will be developed more fully in due course, but for now Matthew 6:2-6 will give an indication, “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

Bonus verse: 2 Corinthians 12:10 is also an example of the fulcrum theory, “When I am weak, then am I strong.”

1 Peter 5:6 is an example of the future result, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” Remembering the process of the seed becoming like the tree it fell from, 2 Corinthians 3:18 is another example of the future result. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by (communication from) the Spirit of the Lord.”

Many examples of immediate reflection press the inquirer. Why they are immediate is due to the ingredient of ‘choice’. We may choose to turn our backs on the spiritual half of our existence; we may employ all the worldly excuses, thinking that the Bible was written by primitive men, or thinking that those who assail us with spiritual urgings are all whacked, but once we really investigate through reason we see that the spirit is not on the sidelines, but in the game.

After reasonably assessing the value of communications that others discard, we may look into the mirror and choose the brighter appearance. We, as a people, cannot deny that we constantly adopt what we like in others: postures, attire, pithy expressions, catchy one-liners, etc. If we look through the mirror, but see ourselves rather than God, we may attire ourselves as God: the more we choose to put on, the more we look like Him, as in Luke 6:36, “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”

There was a time when God’s words from the Old Testament made no sense. Like most other people, my eyes glazed briefly, then I moved on - without understanding. It was like playing poker without the face cards. Now, however, I understand that both halves of existence are in a state of flux, striving for equilibrium. Both halves of the equation must be equal. That is why we see God saying, in Leviticus 11:44, such things as, “For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy.”

I submit this paraphrased version for clarity, speaking to His image and glory, God said, “You will be holy if you dedicate yourselves; you can be like Me.”

We see in Leviticus 11:45 that it was God’s express purpose that His image and glory be a true reflection, “For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for (the reason that) I am holy.” That leads us to the divine nature we have mistakenly set at a distance: Leviticus 20:7, “Sanctify (hallow) yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for (the reason that) I am the Lord your God.”

When we continue to read ‘I am the Lord your God’ in this context, it begins to mean substantially more than just ‘I am your superior’. Leviticus 21:8 reminds us that the reflection reenacts reality’s every posture: “Thou shalt sanctify (hallow) him therefore; for (the reason that) he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy (absolute) unto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctify (absolve) you, am holy (absolute).”

I know, I parenthesize a lot, but these thesaurus words that I insert add to our vantage a broader scope. We need to remind ourselves, at this point, that we are the image and glory of an invisible, spiritual God. That part of us that can be communicated with looks like Him. Some of us want to look more Like Him; this is a place we have come to because of His communications. If He is righteous, we look more like Him when we put on righteousness.

If He takes time to be refreshed, we also look refreshed when we take the time. God made the

Sabbath, being a time for joy, a marker of His relationship to His own. It was a point in the contract

that God made with His peculiar treasure that they take time to be refreshed (to unwind) with Him.

Exodus 31:12-17 points to that covenant, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify (hallow) you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy (spiritual) unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul (the part of us that exists on the other side) shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest (balance), holy (special) to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed (renewed).”

There is a little something going on when we look into the mirror, and God looks back. It is like a spiritual step-up converter. The next verse works like this: J is the reflection of G; J is elevated with a concomitant elevation in G: G is the elevation in J, and J is the elevation in G. When one becomes greater with the greatness of the other in himself, the other makes the one greater within himself and by doing so, may increase greatness.

John 13:31-32 puts it like this, “Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified (magnified), and God is glorified (magnified) in Him. If God be glorified (made greater) in Him, God shall also glorify (magnify) Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify (make) Him (greater).”

The same mechanics may be seen to work between Christ and His disciples. When they become more than they are, Christ is magnified, then God is magnified (with the infusion indicated in the verse above). Now, God is more like Christ, who is more like God, whose infusion is turned to the disciples, who are more like Christ.

Galatians 4:6 says it well, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts (minds), crying, Abba, Father.”

The investigator wishes to investigate invisibilities. Where does he begin? Is there a methodology for such an investigation? How close is the first clue? Here is a really wild concept: everyone knows the truth, even the nonbelievers, and believers in whatever else. They twist the truth; misuse and abuse it, but they know it.

They demand that God be proven to them, and some will set barbed wire around their challenge: ‘prove that God exists using only non-Biblical sources.’ I say to them, ‘prove that God does not exist using only the Bible.’

One may only prove the existence of God in the existence of the challenger. The truth is there, inside them. There is no good excuse not to believe. Romans 1:19-20 says, “That which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” They do not see God because they wish not to; they have turned away from the mirror.

While we are involved in a study of shadows and indications, in a study of symbols and clues and representations, we are not merely concerned with hypotheses. We are sleuthing out reality. We sniff tracks like a seasoned hound hot on the heels of truth. We know the tricks of our prey; we have some tricks of our own. We will keep our nose to the ground. Our quarry is yet to be seen, ah, but the tracks - they are real.

Notice that when something occurs in the spiritual realm, something occurs in the corporeal. Realizing that both sides of the equation must be equal, we know that the reverse is also true. This is not new to our pallet, but we will discover new recipes. We will sample and sample until our taste is quite refined.

Matt. 16:19 offers new cuisine: a dish with meat, “I will give unto thee the keys of (what opens and closes) the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

I can do that?

Let me point out that this verse indicates things that are ‘bound’ in heaven. They are bound there because of our actions here. Our actions here may also loose them from their bonds. In other words, it is possible to lock and unlock certain spiritual doors.

There is a place in the book of Revelation where an angel flies by and shouts about the fall of Babylon. Its inhabitants are replaced with devils and spirits and birds: things of the air. Here it is,

Revelation 18:2, “He cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is

fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of

every unclean and hateful bird.” Note that two words are particularly prison-like: ‘hold’ and

‘cage’.

Also, note that the message ‘is fallen’ is twice said. What I ask is this: is there a heavenly, or spiritual Babylon? Was the fall of ours just one of two? Will the Babylon of the other half of our existence be ‘bound’ or ‘locked’?

If we think at all, we don’t often think of God being in the thick of it - where He is affected by mortal affairs; we don’t often think that our spiritual counterparts might cause Him pain. This is what Ezekiel 6:9 says, “I am broken with their whorish heart (mind).”

Is it so hard to imagine that the part of us that can be communicated with can answer back? Can we imagine that our communications to God are hurtful? Ezekiel 14:5, quite frankly, says yes, “That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart (mind), because they are all estranged from Me through their idols.” We must face God, else our backs are to Him. Ezekiel 20:16 shows His pain, “Because they despised My judgments and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.” Our divided heart is God’s broken heart.