THE WILD-NESS SLIDING SCALE
(no video attached)
05-22-23
Commentary: This bi-polar wild man represents each of us on a wildness
sliding scale of one through ten, with a score of five being normal, and
ten being extreme (almost) totally wild… “almost” because God hath provided in
everyone “a way to escape.” Read
this and position yourself on the “wildness scale.”
The
Interpreter’s Bible: One of the most powerful and
vicious evil spirits at work in the world has been, and is, the mentality of
those who live in the tombs of yesterday. They lay on the living present the
dead hand of the past. In every realm of life the greatest obstacle to social
and spiritual progress is the influence of those who have their being in the
tombs of yesterday.
THE
WILD MAN
(Mark 5:1-5)
And they [Jesus and His disciples] came over [from the
Promised Land] unto the other side of the sea [to the eastern
shore of the sea of Galilee], into the country of the Gadarenes [a
hard land of unsaved people “on stony ground” but some (a few) approaching the
“among thorns” saved category]. And when he [Jesus] was
come out of the ship [a type and shadow of a missionary
coming out of the ship (church) to proselytize] [1], immediately
there met him out of the tombs [Gk: remembrances: grave,
sepulchre /// memory] a man with an unclean
[Gk: impure, morally lewd or specifically demonic] [fallen] spirit [Gk: angel, demon] [a man “under the
power of” an unclean spirit (Amplified Bible)], Who had his
dwelling among the tombs [fig. among memories buried deep within
himself]; and no man could bind him [tie him up, control
him], no, not with chains: Because that he had been often
bound with fetters [Gk: schackles for the feet] and chains
[i.e., secular restrictions (rules and regulations)], and the chains had
been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces:
neither could any man tame him [domesticate
him: train up, discipline, reclaim, pacify him]. And always, night
and day, he was In the mountains [up (falsely elated)],
and in the tombs [down (severely depressed), i.e., extreme
bi-polar], crying [Gk: screaming, shrieking] [and sobbing],
and cutting himself with stones [2].
1.
proselytize = Dict.: 1. to try to
convert (a person), esp. to one’s religion. 2. to persuade to do or join
something, esp. by offering an inducement.
2.
Commentary: “cutting himself
with stones” = in wretched guilt, the wild man
was desperately cutting himself open with stones, symbols of the Old
Testament Laws of God, in a vain attempt to free himself, to
totally dislodge from the tombs (memories) of his inner self those evil unlawful
memories (unclean spirits, fallen angels, devils, demons) from his past… but there was no forgiveness.
(Mark 5:6-9)
But when he saw [Gk: understood,
recognized the promise of forgiveness] Jesus
afar off [(the New Testament)], he ran [to Jesus] and worshipped him [“in homage” Amplified
Bible] [Dict.: reverence, honor, respect], And [the chief
demon] cried [Gk: screaming, shrieking] with a
loud [Gk: big: (fear), be sore afraid] voice, and
said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God?
I adjure thee [I “solemnly implore you” Amplif.] by God,
that thou torment me not. For he [Jesus] said unto
him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And
he [Jesus] asked him [the unclean spirit] What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion [Gk:
a Roman legion] [of approximately 6,000 soldiers]: for we are many. [a demon (a fallen spirit) is
composed of multiple demons (fallen spirits), i.e., forming “strong holds,”
demons convene in “strong holds” (i.e., evil thoughts held in common)]
1.
(2 Cor 10:4,5) (For the weapons
of our warfare are not carnal [Gk: fleshly] [natural], but
mighty [supernatural] through God
to the pulling down [Gk: demolition; fig. extinction:
destruction] of strong holds;) [e.g., Legion] [a] Casting
down imaginations [prideful thoughts], and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought [unclean spirit, fallen angel, demon]
to the obedience [Gk: attentative
harkening, compliance or submission] of Christ;
a.
strong holds = Gk: (to fortify, through the idea of holding safely); a castle
(fig. arguments) /// possession.
(Mark 5:10-13)
And he [Legion] besought him [begged, pleaded to Jesus]
much that he would not send them away out of the country [an
indistinct reference to “the bottomless pit”]. Now there was there
nigh unto the mountains [of pride] a great herd of swine
feeding [on the run-off (pride) of the mountains]. And all
the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the
swine [(unclean animals)], that we
may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave [Gk:
allowed: permitted (them)] [but did not send them].
And the unclean spirits went out [of the man], and entered into
the swine: and the herd ran violently [suggesting severe inner
spiritual conflict] down a steep place into the sea, (they were
about two thousand;) and were choked [Gk: throttled or strangled
(drowned)] in the sea [1].
1.
Commentary: “and they were choked”
= The “ran violently” conflict presents an interesting question
as to whether the swine were murdered by
the invading Legion of fallen angels, or were the swine driven by
Legion to suicide themselves?
THE
WILD MAN IS HEALED
(Mark 5:14-17)
And they [the swineherders] that fed the [“about two
thousand”] swine fled [from the presence of Jesus], and
told it [what had happened] in the city, and in the country. And
they [the residents of the city] went out to see what it was that
was done. And they come to Jesus, and see
him [the wild man] that was possessed
with the devil [Gk: to be exercised
by a demon], and had
the legion [approximately 6,000 devils dwelling within himself,
i.e., the wild man was controlled by an almost overwhelming
degree by Legion (the leading devil)] [1], sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind [Gk: of a sound
mind, sane: be (sober) minded /// self-controlled]: and
they [the city folks] were afraid [because
they all had not “a sound mind” but had the indwelling “spirit of fear”]. And
they that saw it [the swineherders] told them [the city
folks] how it befell to him [the wild man] that was possessed with the devil [Gk:
to be exercised by a demon], and also concerning the swine
[who, upon receiving “the spirit of fear” self-destructed]. And
they began to pray [beg] him [Jesus Christ] to
depart out of their coasts.
1.
(1 Cor 10:13,14) There hath no temptation
[Gk: testing] taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [Gk:
permit] you to be tempted above that ye are able [to
resist]; but will with the temptation also
make a way to escape, that ye may be able
to bear [Gk: endure] it. Wherefore, my dearly
beloved, flee from idolatry [worship of something
above God, or other than God].
(Mark 5:18-20)
And when he [Jesus] was come into the ship [symbol
of the church], he [the wild man] that had been possessed with the devil [Gk: to be exercised
by a demon] prayed him [to Jesus] that he might be with
him [with Jesus on earth (and in Heaven)]. Howbeit Jesus suffered
[permitted, allowed] him not, but saith unto him, Go home [to thy relatives and] to thy friends, and tell them how great things
the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion [Gk: mercy] on thee. And he [the formerly wild man, now
a tamed missionary] departed, and began to publish [Gk: to
herald: preach, proclaim] in Decapolis [Gk: the ten city region]
how great things Jesus
had done for him: and all men did marvel.
Amen
Rev. Lionel
Cabral
😊