The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Revelation 22:17 ESV)

I have alway wondered about this verse. Why, for example, doesn’t it say, “Jesus and his Bride say, `Come’?” Or, why doesn’t it say, “The Spirit and Jesus say, `Come’?”

This morning I began reading the Bible at some obscure place in Jeremiah. I was not planning to read from Jeremiah in today’s reading of the Word, but I just happened to turn to a certain page, read the verse at the top of the left page, and then turned back to the previous page for some reason. I ended up reading the following passage:

Thus says the Lord:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
    and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
    and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I set watchmen over you, saying,
    ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’ (Jeremiah 6:16-17)

And then I asked my wife, “What is the sound of the trumpet?”

She said, “You know. I have told you before.”

I answered, “The sound of the trumpet is the word of the prophets.”

Then she said, “But what are the ancient paths?” And that question led to today’s teaching.

Immediately when my wife asked that question I knew that “the ancient paths” spoke of something even more than the ways in which Israel had walked during those rare times of obedience to the Law. I said something like, “The ancient paths refer to the truths contained within the Word, within Jesus Christ himself who lived before the Law was revealed to Israel through Moses. The ancient paths existed before God created man and define God’s perfect way which he expresses in his Law.” When I looked up the Hebrew word translated as “ancient” in Jeremiah 6:16 I found that it is the word o-lawm’ and means “concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practically) eternity.” (Strong’s Concordance) Then I checked several translations of the Scriptures and found this:

Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it! (Jeremiah 6:16 Amplified Bible)

This shows us that eternal truths exist which we would do well to obey. In this way we find rest for our souls. But today, just like in the days of Jeremiah just before God destroyed Jerusalem, men “will not walk in” God’s ways. Instead many people pretend to walk in his ways by claiming they are “led of the Spirit.” By claiming to be led of the Spirit they claim to be spiritual people and then lead God’s people astray from a pure obedience to God’s Word. Many others speak little of being led by God’s Spirit and simply replace God’s laws with their own. Thus we find our churches today filled with fornication, abortion, and no discernment of good and evil. The end result is that God’s own people call evil “good” and good “evil.”

When a person reaches the point of calling evil good and good evil that person commits the unforgivable sin. The sin is unforgivable because such a person can no longer repent. Jesus calls this sin “blaspheming the Holy Spirit.”

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you spea k good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:22-37 ESV)

Contrary to what some false prophets now teach, a Pharisee is not someone who walks according to the revealed will of God. A Pharisee is one who substitutes his own law for God’s Law and demands that others obey it in order to continue in right standing with God. Another type of Pharisee says that since he is “led by the Spirit” he now has freedom to break God’s laws with impunity. This one despises God’s Word as much as the one who substitutes his own law for that Word. Instead, so that we will not be condemned with the Pharisees, let us “stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and [we] will find rest for [our] souls.”

… to be continued.