Contents
Introduction: The Unwelcome Question
Chapter 1: Squaring the Question
Chapter 2: Compassing the Answer
Chapter 3: But YHWH’s Glory Filled the Temple
Chapter 4: David the Developer
Chapter 5: The Lost Resting Place
Chapter 6: YHWH Sees to the Sacrifice on Moriah
Chapter 7: Fighting Over the Wrong Question
Chapter 8: The Tabernacle the Temple and the Mirror
Chapter 9: The Keys to the Kingdom
Chapter 10: The Ezekiel Problem & Two Temple Visions
Chapter 11: The Last Chapter in History
Epilogue: Who Said What
Introduction
The Unwelcome Question
Any inquisitive child will eventually learn there is such a thing as an unwelcome question. While many people in power-positions will proudly proclaim “there is no such thing as a stupid question”, you won’t find most teachers and leaders knowing how to appropriately react to the more intuitive questions. The nonconforming self-thinking student sometimes wields the power of the “mouth of a babe stilling an enemy” (1), while other times inspiring animated displays from a senior person in the room. This truth becomes especially obvious if the one in the seat of authority hasn’t considered that line of reasoning yet. So herein sits an excellent way of measuring the master’s knowledge and testing the level of pride; though it may not be wise do this in front of other people unless you have a strategy in play.
Sometimes the one that heralds the no-stupid-question cliché suddenly puts down the unsuspecting enquirer with a subtle off-putting response like “why does it matter”, or some other classic method of deflection and misdirection that the untrained student cannot readily detect. Depending on the environment and aggression level of the challenged party, you might even get blatant self-contradiction, with scoffing, even rudely stating: “now that’s a stupid question”! Most likely though, a proverbial eye roll comes forth, or some other revealing body-language emanates from the teacher. This leader then ignores the question, and moves on without a complete engagement, using the simple method of switching the subject to avoid dealing with the issue.
These are common human observations. When someone in a position of power is asked a question they can’t answer, some form of criticism is often immediately on the horizon, subtle as it may be, usually crafted in a glancing response aimed at never really answering. If it’s personal, then you should expect highly defensive behavior. Anyone that negatively overreacts to a good question has been found wanting, and if they are a leader, then their function at that moment immediately manifests into false authority waving like a flag in the open. Therefore, while it is smart in many situations to at least pretend to obey when you notice the wolf rising, it is also wise to make note that the inquisitive child within was onto something, making it easier to shake the dust off your feet upon your departure (2). Then, and only then, you may perhaps be as wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove (3).
This idea of the inner-questioning child can be in every human being, no matter the age. There can always be a new beginning of some sort, especially if one is willing to cast off the bombardment of the world’s common repetitions. This is an ultimate expression of faith, to question things anew, like a toddler, not limited in thought or answer, nor bound to anything but the right spirit and love to know the truth. The child within needs to be humble at the center, living for something that’s great enough to die for, or the youth becomes suppressed, or tainted with a prideful snare that kills the faithful mindset with the regurgitated knowledge of rote learning. This is a key difference between knowledge and wisdom. When the newborn human of any age finds that sacred place, then there will be something quantifiable to die for, truthfully living out the birth of purity in a given area of life. We sometimes call this enlightenment while unfortunately getting this mixed up with untruths. Properly though, you can bet that in the midst of what is grand to you, there will be this looming unwelcome question not always well received by others, as it is negatively interpreted by the masses who want to follow the paved path of indoctrination cycles, scurrying on wheels like hamsters of humanity on the train ride to virtual internment camp.
Of course there is always going to be someone that only asks questions just to pester. Surely this is fine for literal children of young age to be this way. Even their constant inquiring about the most mundane things to an adult is a perfect necessity to the infant and juvenile’s learning process, whatever their intent. Usually children are not incessant on purpose. However, if you have an adult that seeks to be a limitless contrarian-like nagging child, then they may be just trying to get attention for all the wrong reasons. A safe and loving response is still to explore and see if they need our help and support. Only then may we possibly discover pure-genius, before we write them off. Certainly we will discover our own ability to love, or not to love. What’s behind their question becomes the question, for within the motivation resides much truth, and in this way you can know how to love them too, in the right spirit, whether they are a natural objector, or a potential mastermind of the heart of the only wise eternal spirit. So we should seek to understand the child within others as well as ourselves that we might hear the true voice that draws us, even to the point of what it really means to be born again.
In the middle of all this is the concept of asking good questions in balance, because a simple question is usually the beginning solution to all mysteries worth solving. Yet it seems these days we are a people filled with the notion that we know everything. Welcome to the information age and the human race where tolerance is the mantra, unless you happen to believe something that would otherwise make the so-called tolerant manifest into a hater. If you want to see someone demonstrate what is meant by “manifest”, then just ask them a real good, simple, and purpose-filled question that gets to the heart of the matter. Watch very carefully. Listen intently to what they “don’t” say. Stand back. They may even swing at you! This is all to be expected, and may not be news at this point, but the idea of questioning is a great lead-in to where this introduction and revelation is going. What if you didn’t even know the answer to what should be the simplest of questions? What if you really do live in a Neo-Matrix constantly Morpheus-ing with updated Artificial Intelligence? Really, in his famous opening statement in the Matrix movie, following the introduction by Trinity, Morpheus tells Neo plainly they are even “inside the church” (4). Could it be that we have a prophetic truth being uttered from the bowels of fiction? What if it is provable beyond a reasonable doubt that there is any enemy within? As humans we do much Magic in our rebellion against God, and in this truth more wisdom is revealed than any other one thing Man can devise. What if we are faithless in our questions, whether we ask them or not?
Before we go too far revealing much Word Magic(k), let’s close out this starter by moving into our main material. We need to lay a foundation first, and to do this properly, we need to hone in on a chosen target audience, define the subject matter, and determine what the right spirit of truth and love is. No greater example should there be than that of a Christian—right? If we apply this to the target audience of authority in Christianity, we get the Shepherds (aka Pastors, Priests, Teachers, Bishops, etc.), and the most easily identifiable common subject matter of the group would be the Scripture (Bible, Old and New Testaments, or Pentateuch, Torah, or Tanakh). Whatever you choose to call it, we will simply liken this to the main furniture of the temple, and so this should be for all of the Abrahamic religions of the world (excluding the New Testament for Judaism only).
Whether
