I originally posted this yesterday, but I think it got lost between the post on bin Laden and the LDS post I put up right after it:
I heard something this past weekend I’d never noticed before, about how the wound on Christ’s side ties in with the rib taken from Adam. To put it into some context, yesterday was Divine Mercy Sunday, which celebrates Christ’s incredible forgiveness. The Gospel reading was from John 20:19-31, describing two separate Resurrection appearances of Christ:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the Disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side.
The Disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other Disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see My hands, and bring your hand and put it into My side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His Disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in His name.
When folks ask where the sacrament of Confession comes from, you can point to this passage. It’s absolutely clear — He’s giving individual men the ability to decide if someone should be forgiven their sins, and the judgment on Earth mirrors the judgment in Heaven. Jesus is commissioning the Apostles to stand in the place of God Himself in judgment (Luke 22:29-30 has another very clear example of Him doing the same thing). And this really is a Divine power. Remember the Pharisees’ shock at Jesus forgiving sin, calling it blasphemy, and asking, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). And here Jesus is giving the Apostles the ability to forgive sins.
The second half recounts the next week (which is why it’s read the Sunday after Easter Sunday), and describes “Doubting Thomas” and his refusal to believe in the Resurrection. “Doubting” is a polite term here: Thomas, who had been with the Lord (and the other Apostles) for three years, had declared his intention to die with Christ (John 11:16), but then fled when push came to shove (Matthew 26:56), now refuses to believe that this same Lord rose from the dead, even on the account of the other Apostles. Thomas’ denial of Christ here is as bitter as Peter’s or even Judas’. Jesus could, in total justice, have simply damned Thomas. Who could possibly ask for more evidence that what Thomas had already received? He knew the other Apostles well enough to know that they weren’t lying. But Christ doesn’t simply damn him. Rather, He pours out an embarrassment of riches upon him, by personally revealing Himself to Thomas. At this point, Thomas goes from being the worst of deniers to the most fervent of believers, having the honor of being the first to unambiguously declare Jesus as God (John 20:28). Not “Rabbi,” or even just “Lord,” but explicitly, “my LORD and my GOD.”
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, He took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When He brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
So the rib taken from the side of the first man, Adam, is used to create the first woman, Eve. When Adam sees her, he’s joyful and relieved, since she’s bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. In other words, she’s pleasing to Adam because he sees a reflection of himself in her, such that their union is like the union of two halves of a single body.
Compare that to the side of Christ (John 19:31-34),
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
So just as the rib taken from Adam created his bride Eve, the Blood and Water flowing from Christ create His Bride, the Church. The Blood on the Cross is the same Blood offered in the Eucharist, as Christ Himself makes clear (Matthew 26:27-28):
Then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My Blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for Her to make Her holy, cleansing Her by the washing with water through the word, and to present Her to Himself as a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
So just as the rib from the side of Adam forms his bride, Baptism and the Eucharist form the Bride of Christ, the Church. And just as Adam was pleased with his bride, since he saw in her himself, Christ looks as the Church and sees Himself. That’s why Paul says that Christ’s Sacrifice and the “washing with water through the word” create the radiant and perfect Bride of Christ. Christ sees His Breath, the Holy Spirit, in the Church. And through the waters of Baptism, the Blood of the Covenant, and the Holy Spirit, the Church is formed, and Christ and the Church become One.
Nowhere is this made clearer than 1 John 5:5-8,
Who (indeed) is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the One who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and Blood. The Spirit is the One that testifies, and the Spirit is Truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood, and the three are of one accord.
Let this be a call to Baptism, the “washing with water through the word”; to Confession, the forgiveness of sins through the Holy Spirit, the Breath of God; and to the Eucharist, the Blood of the Covenant. Bring your hand and put it into the Side of Christ, with Blood and Water flowing forth freely, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.
I’m glad that you pointed out the tender mercy of Christ granting Thomas the opportunity to believe. Because no He didn’t have to, Thomas had been given more than enough opportunity. But Christ knew he needed a little just a little more and gave it to him freely. I know that I have personally had tender mercies shown to me and the gratitude I have is indescribable.
Also the rib vs. the side wound only further emphasizes the importance and sacredness of marriage. Our relationship with our spouse should come from deep with in ourselves.
Thank you for these thoughts this morning.
Thanks, Jennae! I’m glad you enjoyed it. BTW, a a good LDS discussion came up today which I’d be interesting in hearing your thoughts on.
Ah, the story of Thomas is one of my favorites. Because He did in fact as you say give Thomas the chance to come to belief through sight. I identify so strongly with Thomas that I named my firstborn for him.
You’re welcome. I’ll have to reread them in depth in order to make some coherent comments. I’ll get to it by the end of tomorrow.
This is amazing. I was praying just 10 minutes ago and this EXACT revelation came to me. I started looking through the Bible (the four gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) In search to see if he was actually pierced in (or between) his ribs. When it said “his side” I went on to google what that interpretation could be and this forum popped up. And as I read it, it was verbatim what the Lord had just revealed to me. More specificaly the part where you said “so just as the rib taken from Adam created his bride we, the blood and water flowing from Christ created his bride the church”. I had written in my journal just before finding this forum:
“Adam was put under and his rib was taken out to create woman. Jesus died or was ‘put under’ like Adam, and his side was pierced. Through the outpouring of his blood and water he gave life of his bride- the church.”
I can’t describe how amazing this is. Our quotes match almost perfectly. I know this was posted YEARS ago. But it’s recorded proof that validates that the holyspirit just spoke to me and I heard him correctly. God is good. Wow.
Glory to God……….and I had just heard a Pastor say all this.
I had to look it up.
And I came to your quote, which made it even clearer to me!
The Holy Spirit gave you the perfect words for me to absorb it and now share!
Amazing God!!!! Thank you!!
Anytime you pray intercede on my behalf. I am now eating the word and praying for God to reveal himself to me. I am a Ghanaian. I am Godwin
wow wow wow, GOD is great all the time and his truth will stay forever, what a story. God bless you all
Over the years I have heard many different ideas on this subject; everything from a sack which collected water; or the bladed punctured. I held the idea that Jesus’ side and Adam’s side was connected to the saving grace that Jesus died for. Thanks for your interesting illustration. Very good!
Over the years I have heard many different ideas on this subject; everything from a sack which collected water; or the bladed punctured. I held the idea that Jesus’ side and Adam’s side was connected to the saving grace that Jesus died for. Thanks for your interesting illustration. Very good!
Wonderful, it’s very pleasing when people reach this wonderful truth and the time it is tantalizingly frustrating because only a few receive the full Revelation Beyond this, who are able to receive it and prayerfully with fear and trembling testing all things to see if they are good come to the final piece to the mystery of the glorious unveiling of the Holy Spirit and that is. The Breath of God, the ruach hakodesh, the Holy Spirit is our divine mother, the female person of the Trinity, she is the Breath of God, she was blown into Adams nostrils and she was brought forth from Adams side in the form of Eve, the woman, image of the Holy Spirit, God’s spirit of Lady wisdom (proverbs 8, 9) manifested in the flesh the suitable companion for Adam, his powerful counselor, and his helper. It is of her spiritual womb that we are born again (John 3)adopted by our heavenly father Abba. Reborn into God’s family as the bride of Christ. The temple was opened in heaven and I saw the Ark of his covanent, Jesus is the temple that was opened, pierced, then a great sign in the heavens, She is the woman in the sky of Revelation chapter 12 clothed in the sun with the moon under her feet with 12 Stars around her head. She comes forth from Jesus Jesus said receive the Holy Spirit and he blew on them! This is why man and women are God’s image because when God’s power and God’s wisdom come together they beget children, Jesus the Eternal Son and the firstborn of all creation. On the Earth as it is in heaven man is the physical representation of the godhead on the Earth and when men and women come together and create children they form the image of the trinity in the flesh. It takes both masculine and feminine energy coming together to create life. Now this creates a problem because we’ve all known the Holy Spirit to be masculine because it is written so in the English translations of the Bible and we are faced with a glaring contradiction a masculine and a masculine energy cannot create, why else would homosexuality be an abomination? The enemy hates women he, hates her because out of her seed Jesus crushes his head. She gives birth to life something that he can never do because she is androgynous the devil is jealous and hateful towards us because we form God’s image and he does not. This is why he attacked her mind tempting her with the fruit that would make her wise when she failed to realize she was already made in the image of wisdom, she was decieved into thinking she needed this to gain it. All she needed to do was ask her heavenly father to teach her wisdom and he would blow the Holy Spirit her mother to her and teach her wisdom. The early church knew of the holy spirit being the feminine energy of God because the word ruach in Hebrew is feminine for wind and is Rua in anamaic. The enemy has concealed this truth from the time of the formation of the Roman Catholic Church who begun to change translations and to hide all of the original manuscripts they removed all of the feminine attributes from scripture and replace it with masculine ones. Then they usurped the motherhood of the Holy Spirit into their own false belief and hid the truth of the true divine feminine Holy Spirit and replaced it with the counterfeit Blasphemous mystery of iniquity the whore of Babylon, they placed the image of Mary over top of her and tammuz son of nimrod with baby Jesus. The truth has been hidden in unrighteousness. We have been given a masculine Holy Spirit ever since and if you question it and when they do they are falsely treated with contempt and anger by fear-mongering Scare Tactics and man-made traditions and doctrines to keep it from coming into the light so they falsely accuse people of practicing Jewish Kabbalah which is such a lie because they are the ones doing it they are the ones who have blasphemed God. But God is greater the spirit of God is stronger than the spirit of this Earth and God Reveals His secrets to his servants His prophets. The mystery of God and the truth of the holy spirit is veiled for a reason it is a mystery that must be unlocked it takes faith and a willingness to trust God and His word over the opinions and traditions and lies of men. It requires childlike faith. Most cannot accept this most will never come to this revelation most who hear it will reject it and continue with their current understanding of the masculine Holy Spirit which is fine, it is not a Salvation issue, but it will lead to a far more intimate and full deeper understanding of scripture and relationship with God because it gives us a far more complete picture of the majesty and Splendor of the Oneness of the Trinity.
Hello Dan
This has brown my minds. I am a pastor I’m Uganda. Can I get in touch with you?
[email protected]
+256 784945373
Thank you, Dan 🙏
Ditto….blew my mind too.
Wisdom (Holy Spirit) SHE cries in the streets Proverbs 1:20
The wound to Jesus and Adam came to me out of nowhere one day. I tried to find discussions on this but I only saw a couple and one was yours. Have you had much feedback on this?
I just received this revelation today. Interesting.
This just came to me one day also out of nowhere. However I find few people who are willing consider the linkage between Adam and Christ.
Hi I am from Nigeria. I just received this revelation today! I was looking through the internet to find any part of the Bible that confirms this and I came across your post! God bless you!