Thank you all for being here this evening. Tonight I'd like to examine a rather interesting concept in the Scriptures. As many of you probably know, the word "Ruah," for "Breath" in Hebrew is the same as the word for spirit. For example: "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." (Gen 1:2)

And then there is this: "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Gen 1:26)

And so it goes on to record that our Creator gathered together the dust of the planet, and then shaped it into a man. The picture was not complete at this point, however... Not until there was breath. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen 2:7)

Notice, until then man was just a body, a shape. It wasn't until he had received this "breath," this vital force from the Father, that he became a soul - a living, sentient being capable of thought and emotion. As I was praying a few nights ago, it came to me that this was an extremely important concept for Christians to understand, and even at this point I do not fully understand the "meat" of the matter - but I will continue to research it and to flesh it out into a larger work - perhaps even another book. For now, though, this study will share some of what I have discovered so far.

So what is it about the "breath" of a creature that is a fitting representation of his spirit? What is it about breath in general that gives man a picture of the spiritual world? Well, for one thing, the nature of gasses like air are that they are invisible. In a certain sense, God is very like air. Of all the vital substances our bodies require, such as food, water, exercise - the one we need most of all is air. We can go hours without water, and days without food. But in mere minutes, we'll be extinguished if our oxygen is removed. So, here we have this invisible, practically intangible substance that we depend on continually for life. Sound familiar?

"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." (Romans 1:20)

I think I used that verse in a previous study, but it fits quite well into this one also. Here, Paul is speaking of the Godhead, and explaining that those who persist in unrighteousness are without excuse. "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.' For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standeth out of the water and in the water." (2 Peter 3:3-5)

Notice that this is one of the signs of the last days, that men will be wholly ignorant of what we are, who we are, and even how we came to be at the creation of the world. But this is not only a rebuke to those who teach fraudulent doctrines about our origins, but any who simply WILL not examine intelligently the evidence our Father has provided for us.

Look at verse 5 again... "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standeth out of the water and in the water." (2 Peter 3:5) Those who know not the things of God are willingly ignorant. It is not that they cannot believe. No man will be able to use this as an excuse in the last days, that our Creator made him in such a way that he could not receive the Gospel, or made the situations so difficult for him that he was in a harder position to accept the words of salvation than you, me or any other.

As Paul says in Romans, we are without excuse if we do not grasp the things of God, because "the invisible things... are clearly seen." And how is this? By the evidence they generate. Are angels real? Yes. Are they invisible? Yes. Then how is it they are real if we cannot see them? Because of the evidence. We have the record in the Word; and some of us may even have personal experiences with them. It is the same thing with wind, with air.

We cannot see the breeze, but if you're in North America right now, chances are great that you're here because your ancestors came to this continent in a ship. Until very recently, these were moved great distances using currents of air. The hills and the mountains, we see even these mighty, solid structures eroded by the constant, patient influence of the invisible wind.

We used the example of angels above. Of these, the book of Hebrews records: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb 1:14) The things of the spirit world are gentle. Even the evil ones: "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" (Gen 3:1)

Even from the creation of the world, we see here the serpent, motivated by the archdemon, triumphing over our first parents because of his subtlety, his gentleness. Today, he is much the same. Rarely will the demons seek to gain souls from among God's children and potential children by direct means. No, rather they will affect whosoever they can gradually, gently, as the air erodes the mountains. Satan will get to us, if we let him, by the things we watch, the things we listen to... the things we participate in. Perhaps we won't see the effects right away, but oh, how they can add up!

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall decieve the very elect." (Mat 24:24)

Notice that near the end, Satan will be so deceptive, so near-Christlike in outward appearance, that if we are not wholly familiar with the Spirit of truth, it will be wholly possible to be led into error by false prophets. And in many cases, it will be because the groundwork was being laid all along. Gently, gently, Satan works in the lives of many - even professed believers - so that many who think they are secure will find themselves among strange company.

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor 10:12) We are encouraged to constantly examine our faith, to test the fruits of our walk with Christ. Many still declare boldly that if we are truly converted, it need not even affect a person's outward character. But what is conversion, then, if not a change in the heart and spirit of a man, that he should be suited for eternal life?

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezek 36:26) And then it shall come to pass that: "None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done what which is lawful and right; he shall surely live." (Ezek 33:16)

Note again the condition right below that: "But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby." (Ezek 33:19)

IF a man turns to godliness, and in such a way that it affects his behavior in a positive way - that it is SEEN that Christ lives in him, then it is known that he has salvation. This is the only way we will be as living stones, not dead cliffs that are eaten away by the wind. He has given us examples in both the visible things and the invisible: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to decieve." (Eph 4:14)

The temptations of our adversary are like a constant breeze against our souls, eating away, seeking any entrance to tear at the smooth surface of Christ's perfection. Though we are made perfect in spirit when we accept our Savior, we yet reside in flesh, and for that cause: "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord." (2 Cor 5:6)

If we are too comfortable with the things of the flesh, if we pay heed only to those things of this earth, and let not our mind rest in Heavenly circles with our coming Redeemer, we will find it difficult, even impossible to do those things which please Him. "For we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may recieve the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor 5:10)

Now, we who are Christ's know this advice, and take it also to heart: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Pet 5:8)

And we have the evidence in both things that are seen, and things that are not seen to enable us to avoid his ever increasingly clever and subtle deceptions. We may hide in the Rock that is Christ, and so avoid the storms, the winds of deception and error.

The good news, of course, is this, that our Heavenly Father is also Spirit, in fact, He is called the "Father of Spirits," in this verse: "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits, and live?" (Heb 12:9)

Just as the air, the breath, is a picture of the invisible messenger of the spirits of evil, so was it originally a sign of Him who first loved us. The "breath of life," was His first gift to us, and this is maintained all the way from Genesis to Revelation. We already examined the creation of man, and that it was not until he received this breath that he became a living soul. So also, in the flood: "And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die." (Gen 6:17) "All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died." (Gen 7:22)

I've heard people make fun of the record of Noah's flood, since the catastrophe was designed to destroy all life on earth, yet how can a flood have been sent to destroy fish, for example? Well, the answer is simply this - the animals that lived on land with man, that breathed air, these seem to have been the most corrupted by the sin that was introduced at the fall in Eden. The flood seems to have been concerned primarily with those animals "in whom was the breath of life."

This seems to have been a rather important issue, as it was mentioned twice, and quite strongly emphasized in Gen 7:23 there. It's such an important issue, in fact - that the spirit is like breath, that we see this rather interesting passage, our key one for this evening: "Then said Jesus to them again, 'Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, 'Recieve ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.'" (John 20:21-23)

The resurrected Messiah "breathed" on His disciples and told them to receive the Holy Ghost? We don't hear this taught much from the pulpits, do we? It's so poorly understood. The breath of God IS His Spirit. Christ's actions there were recorded to call to mind these very things in those who would later hear of these events.

Our Father is Spirit, and just as the demons are invisible, subtle, and persistent, how much more is our Father's influence ever with us to lead us closer to His Throne, His Cross and His Kingdom? This is good news for we who accept, and bad news for those who willfully reject our Savior's sacrifice.

"By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of His nostrils are they consumed." (Job 4:9) The "breath" of God consumes the wicked? That reminds me of this passage: "Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." (Mark 3:28-29)

Is it that the Holy Spirit, a part of God, would be unwilling to forgive? How can that be? Rather, if our spirits are wrong, then the problem is with US, and WE cannot then receive the blessings of His Spirit, the first of which is that very salvation. Do you see this? If we consistently resist the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit He is trying to get to live in us in order to guide our steps and get us to turn from unrighteousness, then we are quite unable to accept His grace. We have no life in us, no breath.

Revelation's "2 witnesses" show us the kind of people we will be (that we ARE, when we realize it) in these last days: "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hudred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed." (Rev 11:3-5)

Now, does this mean these people (or principles, or concepts) will be able to breathe fire? Well, we know they will have a certain measure of authority over the last plagues: "These shall have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth witha ll plagues as often as they will." (Rev 11:6)

But that "fire" in verse 5 seems to correspond specifically to the "rain" in verse six. Consider that the falling of the Holy Spirit on a person is likened unto rain: "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month." (Joel 2:23) "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." (Joel 2:28)

That last verse is quoted by Peter at Pentecost: "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 'And it shall come to pass in the last days,' Saith God, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.'" (Acts 2:16-18)

Now, it is important to understand what those terms mean. In that part of the world, the annual rain comes in two parts, I believe. The "former rain," comes at the time when the seeds are sown. It moistens the soil to allow a proper time of planting. Now, near the very end, just before the harvest, there is another burst of rain. This rain re-energizes the crops, reviving those which are drying, and making sure that the harvest is as green as possible.

"Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? OR can the heavens give showers? Art thou not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things." (Jer 14:22) At Pentecost, after about 40 days of this waiting, that was the "former rain," in terms of Christ's church. The beginning, when the Gospel began to go forth to the Jew and Gentile alike... a seeding time. And now, in these last days, we have a "latter rain," a final outpouring of God's breath upon his children.

The prophet Jeremiah describes the message our Father gave him thus: "'Is not my word like as a fire?' saith the Lord; 'And like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?'" (Jer 23:29) "Then I said, 'I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name.' But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary for forbearing, and I could not stay." (Jer 20:9)

And notice that the 2 witnesses will have the authority to open or shut this rain from heaven, as Revelation indicates. That seems to be a parallel to this key passage I mentioned before: "Then said Jesus to them again, 'Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, 'Recieve ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.'" (John 20:21-23)

What I want to emphasize this time is the last part. Those who have the Holy Spirit have the power to "remit," or deal with sins. Both in ourselves, and in others, we have this command: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16) "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Mat 18:18)

Of course, our Catholic friends have taken this a bit too far with the sacrament of Penance - in that all sins MUST be confessed to a human priest. These verses to not tell us we have the authority in ourselves to forgive anything - but like Moses standing between Yahweh and the Israelites, we have the ability to intercede on behalf of others. In its true form, in it's right spirit, this goes right back to a verse I used in a study on witnessing: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be wtinesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

It is this Holy Spirit, the part of God that is His "breath of life," that makes us witnesses and gives us the authority to do these things, to be His representative on earth. When we receive the Holy Spirit, when the latter rain falls on us, then we are breathing the atmosphere of Heaven, "And [God] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Eph 2:6) Notice, that is NOT past tense! For the true believer, we ARE now sitting in Heavenly places with our Lord.

Having said all that about the actions of the Christlike, however, this was the character of our Redeemer: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delightesth; I have put my spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth." (Isa 42:1-3)

Yes, there were times He needed to cast the money-changers out of His temple. Yes, there were times He needed to stand up and command the storms, and the diseases, and the demons, and He did it with all the authority of Creation. At the same time, in dealing with those who were willing to listen... Gentle as a summer breeze, His words, His teachings and His example have consistently proven to have the power to wear down the mightiest of barriers, the most stony of hearts. Racial, ethnic, social lines - these have crumbled at the influence of true Christianity. This was the evidence of the Father's Spirit.

"Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also." (Rom 3:29) Is it not written that the rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous alike? So it is also with the air, for this "invisible thing" is provided by the grace of our Lord to the godly and evil alike. But neither should we take this to mean that He will not judge those who do not know him! "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2Th 1:8)

Though the breeze may be gentle, it WILL wear away the strongest surface in time. His gentleness, His graciousness and longsuffering, these are always for a reason. With man, that reason is to lead us to repentance. He will bear long with even the most wicked man, but not in order to delay justice; rather that the evil should see the end of their ways and have a chance to be saved. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

And so the invisible things are clearly seen - not in themselves, but in what they do. We cannot see the wind, but we may see the leaves waving in the breeze, the stoned etched out by the gusts and the grass bowing low before the air currents. We may not see the Father directly, but we know His Son: "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:14-15)

In fact, we can take all of the rest if this study from that chapter: 1 John chapter 4. Looking again at our key verse, Christ breathed on His disciples to make them His witnesses, to give them that real, personal experience, that the would have something to SAY before men. This breath gave us the authority to speak in His name, and He (Christ) was the visible evidence of Him (the Father) who sent Him. Through the Messiah, the invisible things are clearly seen.

That is yet another application to this verse: "If a man say, 'I love God,' and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom He hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20) If we do not love the least of our fellow men as ourselves, and treat them as we would Christ Himself, who is the physical evidence of the spiritual Godhead, then we do not know Him.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8) If we have true life in us, we will therefore have the breath of God in us, the Holy Spirit. "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." (1 John 4:2-3)

We spoke earlier of deception, of how Satan, also a spirit and like air (in fact, isn't he called, "The prince of the powers of the air?") Yes: "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Eph 2:2)

So he acts like a spirit, gently, subtly, to bring about his ends. The "winds of doctrine" carried by his false prophets do indeed decieve those who would become the elect of Christ. But that need not be us. To we who DO have the breath of life, He says: "Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." (Rev 3:11)

And what is it we have from Him? Why, the two great commandments, again found right there in 1 John 4: "We love Him, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) "And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." (1 John 4:21)

And it is the life in us, Christ's life in us which is the Holy Spirit, the breath that was given to Adam at Creation, lost at the fall, and restored at the cross... it is this "ruah," that makes us sons and heirs and witnesses.

The Spirit is needed in every one of our lives - and just as much as we need physical air, on a minute-by-minute basis. Let Christ come and breathe again on His disciples that they may understand more the nature of our Father in Heaven. Not by force, never by force will He move to squeeze anyone through the pearly gates. Rather, we must be refined in fire... fires fanned by the very breath of God, and then only will our imperfections be filed down, eroded away and polished until we are a smooth, shiny surface - easily reflecting the character of our Lord and Savior.

The Father is invisible, but: "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." (1 John 4:9) And: "Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:13)

By His Spirit, by the breath of life, we know we are in Him, and as we cling to the Cross, so shall we ALWAYS have the breath of life in us - eternal, endless, everlasting life.

David.