ABOVE - Greek: anothen (a-no-then) 1) from a higher place (infering spiritual dimension rather than direction) of things which come from God

Pure, Pureness, Purity: Greek: hagnos "pure from defilement, not contaminated" (from the same root as hagios, "holy"), signifies "unalloyed, pure;" used of unmixed substances.

Purity means different things to different people. For me, it is that excellence of spirit that Y'shua demonstrated in His walk among us here on earth - virtue. Many say that, because He is God, that walk is not something we humans can attain. I differ. The scripture tells us that He was born human, lived human and died human. It is because He lived in the flesh (John 1:14) among us, that a standard was set to inspire us to reach much higher than we thought we ever could. We are told to walk as He walked, to live as He lived.

So, if we have the same ability to reach to the same standard as Y'shua (Romans 8:29, John 14:12) - why don't we? It is because, thinking the most excellent to not be attainable, we settle for less than the highest. And what we settle for is usually the sensuous, the flamboyant, the mystical, or the mysterious ensconced in the edicts of men, thinking them to be of God, when scripture clearly indicates they are not (Matthew 15:1-20).

Today, there is a mixture of the pure with the impure within the Body of Christ. The only way we can know the difference is to not settle for anything less in our lives than the excellence of spirit He has offered to us from His Life - to know Him in His Purity. To be pure we must first become pure even as HE IS PURE - as He exhibited that Purity.

"Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals. And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God." 2Samuel 6:1-7

Uzzah was not an evil person. He loved God. Uzzah was a man whose heart and soul was turned toward God. He wanted to see the ark back in its rightful place among God's People and was willing to take on a most difficult task to see that accomplished. Think about this - of the thirty thousand CHOICE men of Israel David gathered together, Uzzah and Ahio were the TWO from that assemblage chosen for the honor of caring for the Presence of God. They had to be considered men of esteem.

Was he well intentioned? Yes. Was he wanting to be helpful? Yes. Was he giving his all to what he thought was the right thing to do? Absolutely. Knowing the position he was in, he probably prayed all night in anticipation of his role in the next day's affairs, eagerly anticipating the dawn and all the promise it held. Yet, what happened? He placed his hands where they were not directed by the Lord to be.

This event was not about a man - it was about God. Whenever the impure comes in contact with the Pure, particularly in these last days, it is considered an obstacle to be removed. Increasingly, as that purity of Y'shua's Life becomes embraced and manifested by His Body, we will see that shaking become more intense until it breaks like the undetectable waves of a tsunami upon the shores of mankind. As in the days when the Father spoke over the Son, many only heard it as thunder and wondered if it was about to rain. So, today, will we see men of seeming stature taken suddenly, with no apparent reason - except to sober those of us who are left to fear the Lord for He alone is able to see into the innermost, hidden reaches of a man's spirit. Acts 5:11.

The "shaking" that is coming and now is that has been referenced from many quarters recently is the shaking out of the impure from the Church, His Body. He is coming for a bride that is pure - without spot, without blemish, without wrinkle, without shadow of darkness (Ephesians 5:27). Make no mistake - He will have such a bride. What He winked at in times past will be no more. This is an extraction that is often painful, not one that would elicit singing. To that remnant who have and are embracing His judgment in their lives to become pure and are ready to press in for more, there is a joy within for the reward that is set before them - but, when Y'shua went to the cross, He was not singing (Luke 9:23). Judgment begins at the household of God (1Peter 4:17; 1Corinthians 11:31, Matthew 21:44).

Most of us think of judgment as something to be avoided when, in reality, to judge - Greek diakrino (de-a-kre-no) - means, simply, "to decide". Psalm 19:9-11 says that the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether - they are to be desired more than gold for in the keeping of them there is great reward. That judgment includes our thoughts about how the things of God are to be accomplished in the circumstances we find ourselves in. If we are to be of that Bride He is coming for, then our decision is whether to embrace the purity of His judgment - or to be removed as an obstacle to that purity.

This is the Way He showed us and commanded us to walk in even as He walked (1John 2:6). This is the Kingdom we carry within and are to manifest into this earthly realm (Matthew 6:10). This is the New Jerusalem. We are the Bride - that Holy City is you, if you will embrace all that He is in the purity of Who He is.

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." (Revelation 21:2).