{"id":2730,"date":"2023-07-22T10:01:30","date_gmt":"2023-07-22T17:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/?p=2730"},"modified":"2023-07-22T10:01:30","modified_gmt":"2023-07-22T17:01:30","slug":"divine-imagination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/22\/divine-imagination\/","title":{"rendered":"Divine Imagination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/theres-only-grace\/inbaby-hand3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"135,135\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"inbaby-hand3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-29\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=135%2C135\" alt=\"hand in hand\" width=\"135\" height=\"135\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Isa 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In my <a title=\"The Delusion of Illusion\" href=\"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/15\/the-delusion-of-illusion\/\">previous post<\/a> I spoke about how knowing the truth about God will break a person free from the illusion of the religious control system. At the end of the post, I provided you with eight descriptors about the truth of God that you can begin to use to strip off the mask of illusion. In this post I am going to take you one step further in bringing you to the true light of God. Regrettably, this is going to be a difficult step for many of you even if you have moved out of the illusion the system has inflicted upon the world.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Imagine<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>John Lennon wrote a song called \u201cImage\u201d where he conveyed his thoughts on what it would be like to live in a world with peace. It became a huge success during an era when there was great strife and wars being waged across the globe. The words to the song are as follows:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eduteach.es\/songs\/j-m\/john-lennon.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Imagine there&#8217;s no Heaven<\/a><br \/>\nIt&#8217;s easy if you try<br \/>\nNo hell below us<br \/>\nAbove us only sky<br \/>\nImagine all the people<br \/>\nLiving for today<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Imagine there&#8217;s no countries<br \/>\nIt isn&#8217;t hard to do<br \/>\nNothing to kill or die for<br \/>\nAnd no religion too<br \/>\nImagine all the people<br \/>\nLiving life in peace<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">You may say that I&#8217;m a dreamer<br \/>\nBut I&#8217;m not the only one<br \/>\nI hope someday you&#8217;ll join us<br \/>\nAnd the world will be as one<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">Imagine no possessions<br \/>\nI wonder if you can<br \/>\nNo need for greed or hunger<br \/>\nA brotherhood of man<br \/>\nImagine all the people<br \/>\nSharing all the world<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">You may say that I&#8217;m a dreamer<br \/>\nBut I&#8217;m not the only one<br \/>\nI hope someday you&#8217;ll join us<br \/>\nAnd the world will live as one<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eduteach.es\/songs\/j-m\/john-lennon.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lyrics by John Lennon<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Religious Backlash<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When this song was released, there was nothing but blistering hatred from the religious authorities of the day simply because of the opening line,<em> \u201cImagine there\u2019s no Heaven.\u201d<\/em> Many saw this as a direct attack by an atheistic mind bent on propagandizing the youth of the time. There was also the strong sentiment about how this was simply propaganda to move the world into a classless, one-world communist-socialist society. (Notice how this is not a claim being solely made by the political class but was being lifted by the religious class too. Herein we see the blending of politics and religion to oppress the masses.)<\/p>\n<p>But it was possibly the line in the second stanza which caused the blood vessels in every religious person to burst when Lennon associated the end of religion with the acts of living and dying for a cause. This is the sacred ground which no person can ever publicly bring to light throughout human history because it sacrifices the holy ground of causation for every imperial campaign past, present, and future.<\/p>\n<p>When you consider the social upheaval which was occurring during the time this song was produced, the detractors were simply securing their foothold to agendas they had committed their lives, and the innocent lives of millions more, to uphold. Even the inspiration of Marin Luther King\u2019s speech <em>\u201cI Have a Dream,\u201d<\/em> given almost a decade earlier, could be seen as a model within the lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>Today, however, this song has secured a place within the religious establishment as an anthem for peace. If I was to claim how this came about it would only be speculation on my part. I see it as an evolution of consciousness in mankind. I believe it demonstrates the power in words which this post is actually about. It may have taken me a while to get here, but the backdrop is set to look at our thoughts and the concepts they have created behind what we think about \u201cGod.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Word became Flesh<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the very first commandments gave to Moses on the mount was how the children of Israel shall have no graven images and idols. We typically associate this restriction maybe first with the golden calf which Moses\u2019s brother, Aaron, is crafting back in the camp, or maybe all the multitude of idols Egypt had erected to honor their gods throughout the land. Rarely will anyone consider the one idol which overshadows all of these: <strong>A word.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every word is the lowest common denominator of thought. Thoughts create ideas which must be expressed by words. Imagination is constrained by words and thoughts. When we claim how, <em>\u201c\u2026 words fail me,\u201d<\/em> we are experiencing the limitation of words to properly capture the fullness of a thought. When we attempt to describe the fullness of any entity, we use a multitude of words to try to capture what this entity is eliciting within us. Never will we be able to fully express ourselves no matter how many times we come back to the subject and offer a completely new set of words. Intuitively we recognize this limitation about our words.<\/p>\n<p>In religious circles this is amplified through the multitude of biblical translation available today. If you\u2019ve been in any church sermon there has had to be a time when the speaker said, <em>\u201c\u2026and in the original Hebrew this word is\u2026\u201d<\/em> or <em>\u201c\u2026in the Greek this means\u2026\u201d<\/em> Consider how what produced this claim was from the reading of word in the bible and then referring to what the origin of the word(s) were as they were originally produced. Yes, this demonstrates the limitation of let\u2019s say the English language, but it also applies to every other language on the planet, including the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.<\/p>\n<p>What is an idol? According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/idol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dictionary.com<\/a> the definition is what we most commonly associate with the term: <em>An image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.<\/em> However, there are additional definitions found here under this term such as: <em>Any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion; a mere image or semblance of something, visible but without substance, as a phantom; a figment of the mind, fantasy; a false conception or notion, fallacy.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Words, even acronyms, are idols which we often fail to recognize. Consider Grace, COVID-19, Antifa, BLM, FBI, Russia, Taiwan, United States, George Floyd, J6, 2A, Google, Apple, Facebook, Nike, American Express, Climate Change; Capitalism, Socialism, Republican, Democrat, and on and on it goes. You can call an exception to any of these if you like but consider the primary function towards every idol is worship. Each of these has a devote following who are faithfully worshiping the god-like qualities they have projected onto it.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Is your god a meme or your idol?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In 1976 the book, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Selfish-Gene-Anniversary-Landmark-Paperback\/dp\/B0722G5V92\/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=the+selfish+gene&amp;sr=8-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cThe Selfish Gene,\u201d<\/a> written by Richard Dawkins, he coined the term <em>\u201cmeme\u201d<\/em> which he defined as <em>&#8220;a noun that \u201cconveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation.\u201d<\/em> Dawkins\u2019s premise was that ideas in a society have a shelf life which causes them to either evolve or die off. This is a far cry from what today we know memes to be as viral social media postings meant to inject sarcasm at any individual we disagree with.<\/p>\n<p>When you consider Dawkins\u2019s definition of a meme it becomes obvious that a \u201cgod\u201d within a culture is an idea which is transmitted and imitated across many differing viewpoints. Just to deliberate on the many denominations in the western church alone is an exercise of parsing through the evolving imitations of a god. This naturally brings us to what is the \u201cgod\u201d you are <em>paying<\/em> attention to.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cPaying\u201d<\/em> is a term we all understand. It is the reward for the work we have put in; the cost for a good or service we have incurred; to be punished or suffering for an action. People view God the same way: A rewarder, or a debt collector, or a punisher. Some have rolled all these characteristics into one!<\/p>\n<p>Regrettably, these, plus the multitude of other misrepresentations, are not the true living God. They are at best merely idols. Yes, this even includes the god you worship. This is because we all, having never seen God, or just experiencing a fraction of the divine nature, have come to rely on our imagination as to the extent of who, and or what, God is. Once we reach that limit to our imagination, we add the <em>\u201csuperman elixir\u201d<\/em> just so our view of God doesn\u2019t look like us. Now we\u2019re set to worship this <em>\u201cFrankenstein\u201d<\/em> god who we declare is <em>\u201cAlive.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The <em>Franken-god<\/em> heals if that is what you need and have enough faith he can, even the smallest amount of faith will allow him to heal; <em>Franken-god<\/em> provides food, money, shelter, even a parking space, when you need it; <em>Franken-god<\/em> is a protector of your property, family, congregation, nation, but clearly not the world since your enemies inhabit part of it and it is those who you need <em>Franken-god<\/em> to destroy; <em>Franken-god<\/em> is who you pray to because you know he is a good listener who never interrupts your monologue or is disappointed when finish and haven\u2019t given him time to speak; <em>Franken-god<\/em> is also who loves to hear songs about the wonders he has created for himself, the heaven he resides in away from you, and how much he enjoys the bloodlust to the innocent lives given for his realm they hope someday to see if they have said the true magic prayer. Imagine if\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Chances are quite high that if your prayers are not being answered or your worship is not taking you to higher spheres of spiritual enlightenment, the idol you\u2019re pointing these efforts to is blocking an encounter with the true Creator of All. You are allowing your imagination to craft a divine which is purely a fabrication of limiting words devoid of Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, you can claim that God knows your intentions, however, do you know His? There is a reason that He doesn\u2019t want you to use your imagination to create an idol, even if it is just words. There is only one Word in the kingdom of God. It was in the beginning, and we are all from it and still in it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Isa 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/22\/divine-imagination\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amazonpipp_noncename":"","amazon-product-isactive":"","amazon-product-single-asin":"","amazon-product-content-location":"1","amazon-product-content-hook-override":"2","amazon-product-excerpt-hook-override":"3","amazon-product-singular-only":"","amazon-product-amazon-desc":"","amazon-product-show-gallery":"","amazon-product-show-features":"","amazon-product-newwindow":"3","amazon-product-show-list-price":"","amazon-product-show-used-price":"","amazon-product-show-saved-amt":"","amazon-product-timestamp":"","amazon-product-new-title":"","amazon-product-use-cartURL":"","amazon_featured_post_meta_key":"","_amazon_featured_alt":"","amazon-product-template":"default","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[4,6,5],"class_list":["post-2730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-19","tag-grace","tag-mike-hillebrecht","tag-teaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ITDy-I2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2719,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/15\/the-delusion-of-illusion\/","url_meta":{"origin":2730,"position":0},"title":"The Delusion of Illusion","author":"mike","date":"July 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The title of this post might be classified as a double negative which is where two negative words are used to express a single negative. Delusion and illusion both address the nature of deception or to deceive. However, what if someone becomes aware of an illusion and no longer is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2023 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2023 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2023\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2258,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/06\/grace-is-not-mortal\/","url_meta":{"origin":2730,"position":1},"title":"Grace is not Mortal","author":"mike","date":"February 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the years where I have been studying and teaching about the subject of grace, I am often confronted by the \u201chuman-ness\u201d of the subject material. Understandably, most people, when they first learn about grace, relate it to themselves and those around them. The notion that God has forgiven them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2020 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2020 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2757,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/20\/resist-not-evil\/","url_meta":{"origin":2730,"position":2},"title":"Resist not Evil!","author":"mike","date":"August 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Within the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes this declaration, \u201c\u2026resist not evil.\u201d His focus here is to redirect the generational notion that it is justifiable to return an egregious act against oneself upon those who committed the act. Jesus refers to it as \u201ceye for an eye\u201d which was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2023 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2023 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2023\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2743,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/08\/is-grace-truly-a-gift\/","url_meta":{"origin":2730,"position":3},"title":"Is Grace Truly a Gift?","author":"mike","date":"August 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Isa 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Have you ever considered why grace is needed? Probably\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2023 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2023 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2023\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4319,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/illusion-hiding-the-infinite-source\/","url_meta":{"origin":2730,"position":4},"title":"Illusion Hiding the Infinite Source","author":"mike","date":"February 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Week 5: The Deceptive Veil Hiding the Divine Essence Day 1: Illusion Hiding the Infinite Source Today's Veil to Pierce As we begin Month 2, transitioning from the foundational unveilings of deceptive distortions, we now explore the veil that hides the infinite source of grace\u2014the divine essence from which all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2026 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2026 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2026-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piercing-the-veil-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3424,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/11\/the-illusion-of-maya-breaking-free-from-the-worlds-grip\/","url_meta":{"origin":2730,"position":5},"title":"The Illusion of Maya: Breaking Free from the World&#8217;s Grip","author":"mike","date":"December 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever felt like life is a scripted play, where you're the unwitting actor trapped in roles you didn't choose? That's the grip of Maya, the ancient illusion that veils the true nature of reality. In Hindu philosophy, Maya isn't just deception; it's the cosmic force that makes the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2730"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2737,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730\/revisions\/2737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}