Epistle of Barnabas 11 - A Mighty Fortress or Dust in the Wind

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Barnabas 11:1
But let us enquire whether the Lord took care to signify before hand
concerning the water and the cross. Now concerning the water it is
written in reference to Israel, how that they would not receive the
baptism which bringeth remission of sins, but would build for
themselves.

---What is a builder? A builder is a Mason, but in the sense of the soul, a builder is one who either builds his own temple or allows it to be built by God. Faith is the building of the soul by God. Pride and selfishness is building for self. See this tread on Babylon-Jacob and Esau for Dummies. Additionally, baptism plays a key role in this process. You must be born again and repentance is the process of being born into Christ as your baptism to engage the process of repentance. Baptism does not save. Turning toward God in faith does save. The building is set by a true Cornerstone if you are being built by God.

Barnabas 11:2
For the prophet saith; Be astonished, O heaven, and let the earth
shudder the more at this, for this people hath done two evil
things; they abandoned Me the fountain of life, and they digged for
themselves a pit of death.

---How does a person dig a pit of death? They dig the pit for someone else first, then fall into it themselves. This is true for the experts in law and moneychanger of this world. Debt is the mark of the thief. The thief has his reward already. The debt created for others is the pit that will come upon the rich.

Barnabas 11:3
Is My holy mountain of Sinai a desert rock? for ye shall be as the
fledglings of a bird, which flutter aloft when deprived of their
nest.

---When your home is taken, you take refuge in the mountain of the Lord. This is a process the thief goes through. We are all builders and thieves. Repentance is realizing this fact and taking refuge in the Lord when death's door comes. Your house here WILL be taken away.

Barnabas 11:4
And again the prophet saith; I will go before thee, and level
mountains and crush gates of brass and break in pieces bolts of
iron, and I will give thee treasures dark, concealed, unseen, that
they may know that I am the Lord God.

---As the passage of time expires, God reveals Himself. As eyes are opened, knowledge comes to the empty vessel. Remember that eyes are seeds that must be opened with pressure and nurtured with water in good soil. As Faith builds the house, the soil is prepared and tilled.

Barnabas 11:5
And; Thou shalt dwell in a lofty cave of a strong rock. And; His
water shall be sure; ye shall see the King in glory, and your soul
shall meditate on the fear of the Lord.

---Repentance is the Strong House (Father in Hebrew / Aleph Bet). The Word is what the soul meditates upon to build this Temple of Faith. No matter the circumstance in life, we know that our advocate is there to assist us around the pits dub by others. As we pass, we offer a way out of the pit for the one who digs it. This is the position of the one who is perched in the mountain of the Lord. It is a structure that cannot be moved.

Barnabas 11:6
And again He saith in another prophet; And He that doeth these
things shall be as the tree that is planted by the parting streams
of waters, which shall yield his fruit at his proper season, and
his leaf shall not fall off, and all things whatsoever he doeth
shall prosper.

---Again, the ears are opened and the seed germinates near a steady stream of water. Life eternal is life that is a tree firmly planted. There is a way to these still waters and land flowing with milk and honey.

Barnabas 11:7
Not so are the ungodly, not so, but are as the dust which the wind
scattereth from the face of the earth. Therefore ungodly men shall
not stand in judgment, neither sinners in the council of the
righteous; for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, and the
way of the ungodly shall perish.

---Those who build their own house will see that house crumble.

Barnabas 11:8
Ye perceive how He pointed out the water and the cross at the same
time. For this is the meaning; Blessed are they that set their hope
on the cross, and go down into the water; for He speaketh of the
reward at his proper season; then, saith He, I will repay. But now
what saith He? His leaves shall not fall off; He meaneth by this
that every word, which shall come forth from you through your mouth
in faith and love, shall be for the conversion and hope of many.

---Leaves that do not fall off are those of the tree that abides in a single season of good weather. It will no longer wither and die, requiring rebirth. Instead, it blooms again and again with no death.

Barnabas 11:9
And again another prophet saith; And the land of Jacob was praised
above the whole earth. He meaneth this; He glorifieth the vessel
of His Spirit.

---We must abide in the Spirit as the stream we choose in life.

Barnabas 11:10
Next what saith He? And there was a river streaming from the right
hand, and beautiful trees rose up from it; and whosoever shall eat
of them shall live forever.

---The right side of truth is giving. Taking makes us a thief (Left). The right side is unity with multiplicity. Chaos arises from disunity and division.

Barnabas 11:11
This He saith, because we go down into the water laden with sins and
filth, and rise up from it bearing fruit in the heart, resting our
fear and hope on Jesus in the spirit. And whosoever shall eat of
these shall live forever; He meaneth this; whosoever, saith He,
shall hear these things spoken and shall believe, shall live forever.

---When we die, we must be cleansed by the High Priest in Heaven. Entering the waters of baptism in Christ, we are new creatures below. Before being born into the Spirit, you must first abide in the water. Water cleanses the temple.