Apes and Peacocks

Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.

 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)

You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with God the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth," (Joh 4:24)

Apes and Peacocks

A study from the book of Ecclesiastes

          The Magnificence of Solomon

     It’s very interesting that right in the middle of the Bible there is an “income tax return.” It isn’t very long, but it is rather impressive. Sources of income are shown and then some entertainment items, apparently to be deducted.

     Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold. (2Ch 9:13)

 In our monetary standard, this adds up to $20,479,500; and even by modern standards and inflation, this is not bad!

“Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought...” “Chapman” is an old English word for people who were conquered and taxed. Solomon engaged in various businesses, and the merchantmen that were in business with him also brought in money.

     Besides that which the traders and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. (2Ch 9:14-15)

     When you get so much money, you have to do something with it. The ancient Greeks had a custom of converting a large accumulation of gold into shields and spears or other paraphernalia. Following this custom, Solomon made “300 shields of beaten gold, using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.” (2Ch 9:16) This was one of his out-of-town hunting lodges.

     Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. (2Ch 9:17)

     The man about whom this is written was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously, he was the most glamorous king that the Jews ever had. While we do not know exactly when he got out of fellowship with God, there are one or two passages of Scripture that give us some indication. One thing is clear from verse 17: an ivory and gold throne was not for comfort. For this, he would have chosen something like a rocking chair! Anyone who makes for himself an ivory chair overlaid with gold does so for one reason only — for a status symbol to satisfy the ego. Now the throne itself was only a part of it. 

     And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool in gold attached to the throne... (2Ch 9:18)

In other words, if you got that close to Solomon, you got there by kneeling. That footstool was for people to kneel in front of him!

     ...And arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. (2Ch 9:18-19)

     Solomon also went in for some rather beautiful appointments for his banquet tables.

     All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. For the king’s ships went to Tarshish (Spain, one of the famous smeltering centers of the ancient world) with the servants of Huram; (Hiram, king of Tyre) every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes and peacocks” (2Ch 9:20-21)

Not elephants and lions, not tigers and pythons — but APES AND PEACOCKS! Can’t you just see one of these ships unloading? Peacocks strutting down the gangplank, each with a slave leading it; and large cages with apes scratching, howling (For they are not people, and never will be — there is a great gap between us)

     The apes and peacocks were the ultimate in status symbols, the final touch in Solomon’s extravaganzas.

     So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. (2Ch 9:22)

     Now, this Genius wisdom was from God:

     “And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom that God had put in his heart. (Mind) (2Ch 9:23)

A Guarantee for Happiness

     As Solomon had approached the throne, he recognized immediately the magnitude of the task ahead of him. He sought the Lord, and offered burnt offerings unto Him at the brazen altar of the Tabernacle. (2Ch 1:6) As a result, God appeared to him and offered him whatever he should ask. (2Ch 1:7) Solomon answered, “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people:  for who can rule this great people of Yours?”(2Ch 1:10) God was pleased with his request and granted him his desire above anything he could have dreamed:      

     “Wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.” (2Ch 1:12)

     Then God added a Promise, which would be a guarantee for happiness: “If you walk in My Ways, keeping My Statutes and Commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.” (1Ki 3:14) Solomon was to function daily under the “grace apparatus perception — Operation Z” that is, he was to take in God's Thoughts, transfer it by faith to his human spirit, and exhale it toward God and toward man. Although Solomon was granted human genius and Divine Spiritual wisdom, like the Lord Jesus Christ, (Luk 2:40-52) it had to grow and develop under Bible teaching, just as ours does. (1Ki 2:1-4  Pro 1:1-6)

     Solomon started out great: from Divine Thinking in his human spirit, he began to erect an “edification complex — Temple” in his soul. He was grace oriented: “Who am I, “he said, “that I should build a house for Him..?” (2Ch 2:6) He had the mastery of the details of life: “Because.... You had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor...” (2Ch 1:11) He had a relaxed mental attitude, free from mental attitude sins: “Not one word has failed of all His good Promise, which He Promised; (1Ki 8:56) and he admonished his people, “Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His Statutes and to keep His Commandments, as at this day.” (1Ki 8:61)

     He demonstrated the capacity to love God when he determined “to build a house for the name of the Lord.” (2Ch 2:1) capacity for friendship; (1Ki 2:7) and he even had the capacity to love the opposite sex until promiscuity destroyed it. Finally, we see the “top floor” of his edification complex, (Spiritual life) — in the statement of the Queen of Sheba in, (2Ch 9:7-8) — his inner happiness: “How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you...” In other words, the Queen of Sheba realized that it is the Spiritual wisdom of God which makes people happy. She saw the reflected glory of God through Solomon’s Spiritual life, and she believed in the Lord! (Mat 12:42)

     Unhappily, there came a time when Solomon’s head was turned, and he went on a carnal binge. “They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year. Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses, (Quite a rancher!) and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. He was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River even to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland. And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.” (2Ch 9:24-28)

     From this passage, you get the impression that Solomon was not only rich, but getting richer by the minute: yet somewhere along the line, the mental attitude sin of pride started him on a downward path. Now remember, he is born again; he is a saved man; but he got out of fellowship and failed to rebound. I don’t know exactly where or when; but I can tell you he was out from the “apes and peacocks.”

     Now there is nothing wrong with having an income of twenty million dollars a year — even for a believer — provided he comes by it honestly. It is not a sin to be rich; but  it is sinful to desire to be rich; you have to be careful that money doesn’t turn your head, form going all the way to Spiritual maturity. (1Ti 6:9-10) Two things got to Solomon, money and women! He got out of fellowship — had a thousand women and twenty million a year income, and the continued result was that he was not functioning by the “grace apparatus for perception, — Operation Z” and the erection of his edification complex came to a screeching halt; but his human genius stayed with him! (Ecc 1:13; Ecc 2:9)

The Grace Apparatus for Perception

     God gives every believer a “grace apparatus” by which to learn and understand Divine Thinking and by which to live in the angelic conflict. Although it was somewhat different in the Old Testament, every believer in the New Covenant Age is the recipient of the human spirit, Spiritual life and the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, at the moment of Salvation. This is strictly grace; no believer earns or deserves such a gift! The human spirit is the means of storing and using Truth; the Holy Spirit is the means of understanding Truth. God has further provided by grace the completed canon of Scripture, which is the “Mind of Christ.” (1Co 2:16) He has authorized the local church and or computer, (Heb 10:25) and the gift of pastor-teacher, (Eph 4:11) to communicate Divine Thoughts to the assembly by Isagogics, (Historical background) Categories (Salvation, sin, Spirituality, carnality, etc.) and Exegesis. (Etymological and syntactical word meanings from the original languages)

     It is generally assumed that human I.Q. also determines the ability to learn in the Spiritual realm. But grace would not be grace if every believer did not have the same ability to learn and understand Truth. The difference in believers is in volition — whether they are positive or negative toward Thinking with Truth! When the grace apparatus is functioning properly, Truth goes into the perceptive lobe of the mind by the filling of God the Holy Spirit; here it becomes “gnosis” or knowledge understood. This, however, is not the final target in “Operation Z”; for at this point you neither agree nor disagree — you merely understand what is communicated.

http://thinkingtruth.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/top-and-bottom-circles/

     Now volition becomes an issue. Before Spiritual Thoughts can do any good, they must be believed. Positive volition expresses itself in a way compatible with grace, and that way is FAITH! Therefore, when the Truth is believed, it is transferred automatically from the perceptive lobe of the mind to the human spirit, where it is stored and becomes “epignosis” or Spiritual knowledge fully understood and possessed. (Eph 3:16-19; Col 1:9-10) Now, naturally, Truth is not just to be categorized and stored in the human spirit and left there; it must be utilized. (Thought with) It must be cycled back into the conscience or norm and standard lobe as a frame of reference for new norms and standards and for more advanced Truth. “Epignosis” or knowledge believed and fully understood, must also be exhaled toward God and toward man. When this grace apparatus for perception is functioning daily, the believer is built up in the faith and an edification complex — Temple is erected in the soul. (1Co 3:11-16; Eph 4:12-13; Col 2:7)

     Sin — mental attitude sin, overt sin, and sins of the tongue — put us out of fellowship with the Lord and shut down the function of Operation Z. However, the whole grace process can get cranked up again very simply by “rebound”: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1Jn 1:9) At this point we are filled with God the Holy Spirit again; and as we resume the inhale of Truth, the grace apparatus functions. Solomon failed to rebound. As a result, he went on a carnal binge greater than any of the three or four in which his father, David, engaged. Yet out of his carnal binge came a message for us: the message of the “apes and peacocks.”

     The Bible indicates that Solomon was the wealthiest man in the world in his day; yet eventually, he came to the place where everything bored him. He began to look for entertainment in strange and devious ways. Now it is a matter of speculation as to why the apes and peacocks; but here’s a man who had to have peacocks around like Chicago has pigeons; he had to have apes like people have dogs and cats. Why? Somewhere along the line, Solomon got out of fellowship and failed to rebound, with the result that he lost his perspective.

     As people move on in the carnal binge, they have a tendency to begin to think and to act just like any unbeliever. Then, suddenly, in the scramble of thinking and acting like an unbeliever, they begin to SEEK happiness or to try to create it. You see, when a believer forsakes the Source of happiness, happiness eludes him.

     As far as the world is concerned, everyone wants to be happy. Don’t you try to be happy? Perhaps you go out to the golf course because you think it will bring you happiness; but you get mad and upset, so you try do something else.… and something else.… and something else. Maybe it’s swimming, bowling, visiting people, working at the church, television, the theatre, clubs, bars, whiskey — seeking happiness. But when you get to the end of the bottle, there’s no happiness; when you get to the end of the day off or the vacation, there’s no happiness! Every morning when you get up, you are determined to find happiness; and every night when you go to bed, you still don’t have happiness. You begin to wonder, “What is this thing called happiness?”

The Place of Happiness

TopAnd Bottom Circles.jpg

     The world is divided into three kinds of people: unbelievers, who haven’t accepted Christ as Savior, believers who have and believers who live in carnality: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (Joh 3:36) For the unbeliever, the only way of happiness is to get into the “top circle” — that is, in union with Christ. There is no fellowship with God apart from Jesus Christ. The only issue for the believer is personal fellowship with Him in the bottom circle. (Joh 15:5-8) The unbeliever and carnal believer can have a certain amount of happiness, but it is superficial and temporary and does not sustain in adversity. Human happiness is unstable and depends on circumstances, people or the acquisition of the details of life. Such happiness often depends on getting one’s way in life and or not being crossed. However, boredom, restlessness, instability and frustration all neutralize this relative human happiness.

     For the believer in Jesus Christ, the ONLY place of Spiritual happiness — Virtue, is in the “bottom circle,” in fellowship, where Solomon started. But don’t ever be deluded into thinking that there is such a thing as instant or automatic happiness. HAPPINESS FOR THE BELIEVER IS POTENTIAL!

The Design of Happiness

     God has designed happiness in the Christian life to be a permanent and stabilized MENTAL ATTITUDE, which does not depend on emotion, people, self, things or happenings. Therefore, it is an inner Spiritual happiness (+H) that sustains in the most difficult circumstances of life. From eternity past, God has always possessed perfect happiness. It is an integral part of His character. Grace is the expression of God’s perfect happiness; hence, grace is the source of our perfect happiness.

     God desired to share His happiness with mankind in time — “But now I come to You; and these things [Thoughts] I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” (Joh 17:13) To do so, God must share something of His Mental attitude and Virtue with man. In grace, God found a way to share His Virtue happiness; BUT THIS HAPPINESS IS CONFINED TO THE PLAN OF GOD. It must first of all come through Salvation, (Eph 2:8-9) then through the daily function of Operation Z. The ultimate of inner happiness in time is the erection of the edification complex — Spiritual life of the soul, and this is accomplished through the function of the grace apparatus. The +H or top “floors of the Spiritual life provide the capacity to enjoy both the details of life and at the same time to enjoy a relationship with God. “These things [Thoughts] we write, so that our joy may be made complete.” (1Jn 1:4)

     By his own volition, Solomon put himself outside the bottom circle, outside the plan of God for his life. He is under the concept of apes and peacocks; he is going to try to find happiness apart from God. He began his reign by building the house of God — the first Temple — and he ended it by constructing houses and palaces for himself and his own pleasure. He began his reign with revival, and he terminated his reign with entertainment. Some of the most fantastic entertainment offered in the ancient world was offered at Solomon’s parties, where he even turned loose apes and peacocks.

     He began his reign by concern over Spiritual things, and he ended by occupation with temporal things. Although he did not lose his Salvation at any point, Solomon is one of those tragic cases in history of a believer with the greatest potential for reflecting the glory of God, as few other believers have ever had; yet he failed. There are two books that record Solomon and his philosophy for life in seeking happiness; Song of Solomon and in the Book of Ecclesiastes. We will take the latter, Ecclesiastes and see the story of the apes and peacocks.

Solomon’s Autobiography

     The Book of Ecclesiastes is the autobiography of Solomon out of fellowship and using his God given wisdom [Human genius] to explore the different aspects of the old sin nature. What did he think? Well, he thought in terms of “apes and peacocks.” He became indifferent to Spiritual Thoughts and went on a frantic search for happiness. The more avenues he explored for happiness, the more “scar tissue” he put on his soul. Scar Tissue on the soul leads to a frantic search for happiness in the details of life, and winds up in frustrated lusts, and finally, total misery. For the believer minus Spiritual Thinking; the details of life only compound the misery; there is no capacity for either happiness or love apart from Spiritual Thinking in the soul.

     So the story of Solomon is the story of entertainment, the story of living it up, the story of having everything he ever dreamed about within his grasp; yet having these things, he did not have happiness. And this story is recorded in order to save you time and trouble and, if you have it, money; for Solomon tried everything, that is except the grace solution: rebound, faith-rest, Occupation with Christ — the whole Operation Z process! In Ecclesiastes, he describes eight different things which he tried in order to achieve happiness; and in none of these did he ever find it.

The Man with a Message

     (Ecc 1:1) “The words of the Preacher...” Solomon was not a preacher; he was a king; and Ecclesiastes is not the words of a preacher, unless the preacher is absolutely empty and totally devoid of Truth, for seven-tenths of this Book records human viewpoint. Seven-tenths of the things in Ecclesiastes are contrary to the Doctrines of the Word of God. They are IN the Word of God; they are a part of the Word of God; but this Book records what a person thinks when he is seeking happiness apart from God's Thinking, and trying with all of his might to find a substitute for fellowship with God. So, the first thing we have to do is to discover a more literal translation for the word “preacher”.

     There is a phrase in the New Testament, “preach the Word”; (2Ti 4:2) but in the strict sense of the word, it isn’t a “preacher” who preaches the Word; it is a pastor, and he preaches the Word by teaching the Word. Solomon wasn’t a preacher; but he certainly had a tremendous message! That is what the word means here— “The words of the MAN WITH A MESSAGE.”

     Now we know three things about Solomon: he was a king; he was the richest man in the world; and he had a message. His message was the testimony of a believer seeking happiness while he was out of fellowship. “The words of the man with a message, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” Solomon renders the verdict from his testimony first: “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecc 1:2) The word “vanity” means “emptiness” and Solomon concludes that all of the time that he logged out of fellowship was emptiness. Now this doesn’t sound like any glowing testimony — and it isn’t! This is the way a person feels when he is out of fellowship. Without being filled with God the Holy Spirit and Thinking with the Word of Truth, “What advantage (Happiness) does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?” Solomon asks; (Ecc 1:3) and he will go on to demonstrate that there is none!

     After stating his conclusion in verses 2 and 3, he continues in verses 4 through 10 to set forth his reasoning by four interesting Principles from nature. Life out of fellowship with God is like cycles in nature which always go back to the same thing. “A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.” (Ecc 1:4) With every passing generation, the earth keeps right on going. One generation comes along trying to find happiness apart from God, and it disappears. Another generation comes along and makes the same mistake; then another, and another; and history continually repeats itself, so that we conclude with Hegel: “We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.”

     “Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again.” (Ecc 1:5) Here is a description of the rotation of the earth. As the earth rotates, the sun goes down; and as it continues its rotation, the sun comes up, then down again. In other words, the earth is just going around and around and around — and so are a lot of people on it!

     His next illustration is a cycle that the Air Force uses to a great extent — winds aloft. “Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns.” (Ecc 1:6) The wind travels in circles or currents. This is just like a lot of people who are seeking happiness without God; they are going around and around and around, but always coming back to the same place — no happiness.

          Finally, the last illustration: “All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full...” Why? Because the sun hits it and evaporates the water. “…To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.” (Ecc 1:7) When the water evaporates, it goes into the air, it forms a cumulonimbus cloud, and it moves over land; it precipitates, and then rolls down into the sea; the sun hits it, and it goes up again. So, as in the other cycles, it goes around and around and around. People seeking happiness without God are on a merry-go-round, a cycle, a rut; they’ll never get anywhere! “All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing. ” (Ecc 1:8)

Substitutes For Fellowship With God

     Now we begin eight substitutes for fellowship with God. Here is the story of apes and peacocks. Solomon, who had everything, was looking for something different, something new, something unusual, something to bring happiness, some fountain of youth, some source of perpetual stimulation — something whereby he could be happy without God, without concentration on God's Thoughts, without the day by day by day inhale and exhale of Divine Thinking. He lets us in on a secret right from the start, for he soon discovered; “That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc 1:9)

     He began on a very high plane; but he got a little lower, and a little lower, and a little lower, until he hit bottom!

     Education  He first came to the place where he decided that one can never be successful and happy in life unless he goes to college — and many people are sold on this today! Now there is nothing wrong with higher education in and of itself. But sad to say, it has led a lot of believers astray, and it has confused many people for life. I had rather be just a graduate from elementary school and understand the Spiritual life; than to have graduated from some “secular” school and be confused about everything the rest of my life. I can say this to you; (Because I have had lots of education) that all the education in the world is not worth one second of by-passing fellowship with God; and none of it can fulfill the soul of the believer. It takes DIVINE THINKING to do that! Anything else turns sour and becomes misery!

     Now let’s take a look at a man who had a lot more education than most of us: “And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom [Human genius] concerning all that has been done under heaven...” (Ecc 1:13) To do that requires self-discipline and study, which caused Solomon to conclude, “…It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.” If you want to be educated, you have to study; but let me tell you, it is sore travail by the power of the old sin nature! In (Ecc 12:12) Solomon tells us what happens to the person who studies too much: “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. ” You burn out!

     The primary job of the ministry is to study, study, study. That sounds easy to many people; but try sitting down and studying five or six hours a day, and see what it is like! After a few months, you get burned out; (Studying by the power of the old sin nature) you have to get away for a while. Now here’s a man who studied and studied and studied — everything but the Word of God! In fact, he tells us what he did study. But first he tells us his conclusion from all that studying: “I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.” (Ecc 1:14) “Vexation of spirit is literally “feeding on wind.” How would you like to join me in an eight course dinner made of wind? We’ll have hors d’oeuvres, (Appetizers) — wind! We’ll have a very special soup — wind! Then we’ll follow with a most unusual salad — wind! Next, we’ll have an entree, like chateaubriand, with everything around it — wind! Then a marvelous dessert — wind! Followed by finger bowls — wind! Finally, we’ll have a demitasse, (Coffee) — wind! Then we’ll get up, filled and stagger out of the room. Is that right? I guess we’d say today “hot air” — all was emptiness and a lot of hot air!

     Solomon started out in the right direction: he took math, and he turned out to be a great engineer. When he finally got into calculus, he experimented with some interesting projects. He tried to square the circle; and when he found out he couldn’t, he said, “What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.” (Ecc 1:15) He got into mathematics of infinity and could never catch up with himself!

     He tried another field of study: “I said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge." And I set my mind to know [Human] wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.” (Ecc 1:16-17) In terms of modern education, we would say, “I studied psychology and psychiatry.”; “Madness and Folly 1-A; “Madness and Folly 1-B; “Madness and Folly 2-A”; “Madness and Folly 2-B.”

     He took the whole course in psychology and psychiatry; and when he finished, he concluded, “I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.” (Hot air — feeding on wind) “Because in much [Human] wisdom there is much grief, and increasing [Secular] knowledge results in increasing pain.” (Ecc 1:18)

     Remember, there is nothing wrong with higher education; there are many advantages to it. But then, again, when any type of academic education becomes a substitute for Spiritual Thinking or fellowship with God, it is all wrong! In all of his academic life, Solomon did not find the happiness he sought, for he had left God out.

     Pleasure  From academics, he tried an entirely different approach to happiness — pleasure. This follows a logical progression. After you have studied all week in school, what do you do? You go out on the weekend and blow your cork; you go out and live it up — a complete change! And that’s exactly what Solomon did. “I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.” (Ecc 2:1)

     He started out by saying; “You know, I’m too serious. All this academic training is making me a dull person. I need to relax a little, to laugh now and then.” But he soon discovered, “I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” (Ecc 2:2)

     Finding no happiness in having a laugh now and then, (“Behold, this is also worthlessness” — Ecc 2:1) he turned to another form of pleasure: “I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.” (Ecc 2:3) “One day,” he is saying, “I sobered up and realized that I was getting nowhere. I looked around, saw all those empty bottles, and knew that I was wasting my time; that I was becoming nothing but a drunken bum. Oh, I am given a respectable term like “alcoholic.”

     Maybe he got in his chariot and ran over a few kids; maybe he went down to the local pub and beat up a few people; maybe he was one of those “noble” alcoholics who quietly went home and beat up his wife — or wives, in this case. It would have been a long fight, for he had seven hundred. One day, he decided to straighten up; but he’s still on the pleasure kick — he’s just going to change his brand!

     He decided to start building; and since he had already had a course in engineering, he would have a lot of fun with it. He built castles, aqueducts, roads, many types of buildings and houses. In fact, some of the things Solomon built lasted for many hundreds of years. He was the first person to find a system of irrigation. He found a way to bring water into Jerusalem so there would always be plenty of it; and he had a lot of fun! But he wasn’t happy!

     “I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.” (Ecc 2:4-6)

     He was trying to find happiness in ranches and farms. Maybe you have spent all your life in the city, and you long to get out into the wide open spaces, sit under your own fruit trees, and look over the expanse of your acreage! Nearly everyone wants to do that sooner or later. Well, Solomon did it — but it didn’t make him happy! He had to move on to something else.

     Possessions  He thought, “What I need to do is to improve the inside of the house. There are lots of things, details — which would enhance my way of life.” So in, (Ecc 2:7) “I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.” He was a great cattleman, but that didn’t satisfy. He went on to provide himself with all the details of life the human mind could think of.

     “Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces...” “Peculiar treasure” means “gems, jewels and unusual, expensive things — apes and peacocks.” And then he had his “hi-fi”: “...I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men--many concubines.” (Ecc 2:8) In other words, he had two or three orchestras and bands around. “Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom [Human genius] also stood by me.” (Ecc 2:9) This is the grace of God. God promised him he would always have this wisdom, and God “IS faithful Who promised!” (Heb 10:23)

     Finally in, (Ecc 2:10-11) he said, “I can’t go into every type of pleasure I tried — I tried everything — but I can give you a summary”: “Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” (All led to dead ends) No type of pleasure, no matter how enjoyable it is at the moment, no accomplishment, will ever bring happiness apart from fellowship with God.

     Heritage  Since Solomon has tried all these different things with no success, he now decides what he needs is a family; so he starts to have a lot of children running around. Surely this will make him happy! Why, I know people who have actually contemplated suicide because they didn’t have children. God has a purpose for everything. If you don’t have children, forget it! God’s will is best. God KNOWS what He is doing. Children are wonderful, and they are nice to have around; they can give you a lot of pleasure; (And a great deal of misery, too) but children are NO SUBSTITUTE FOR TRUTH and no substitute for FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. You will never find happiness in children if you are seeking them just to be happy.

     “So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.” (Ecc 2:17-18) Solomon’s reasoning is very objective at this point: “I have built all these wonderful things, I have all this wealth, and now I hate it because I must leave it to my children.” Well, what’s so bad about that, you may be thinking! Suppose your son is a near-do-well, a real jerk! It’s awfully hard to say, “My son is a jerk,” because when you say that, you are saying in essence, “I am a jerk.”

     And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity.” (Ecc 2:19) Why was he concerned? Because he suspected that his son might be a fool; and he was so right! His son, Rehoboam, was such a fool that he split the kingdom. The split was never healed — even to the time the Jews went into captivity.

     Although Solomon didn’t live to see how badly his son turned out, he lived long enough to know there was no happiness through heritage. The longer he had lived, and the more he had seen of his son, Rehoboam, the more he would have realized what a dead end having children was toward achieving his goal of happiness.

     It is marvelous to depart from this life knowing that your children have done well, particularly as far as the Lord is concerned. But all the pleasure one can derive from children and seeing one’s children become successful, or well married, or whatever it is, will never make up for fellowship with God. It’s a dead end! It’s the same old story — apes and peacocks! Pleasure and boredom — always seeking happiness, but never finding it!

     In writing his testimony, he recalls his father, David: “When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.” (Ecc 2:21) David had known how to perpetuate his happiness — by continual inhale and exhale of Truth. He left everything to Solomon; but Solomon has temporarily lost his portion of Spiritual knowledge, application and stability. “For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.” (Ecc 2:22-23) Self-seeking for happiness induces only misery.

     Philosophy  Well, education, pleasure, possessions and heritage have been fruitless — what’s next? Philosophy! After you have gone this route, you have to become a philosopher, which is exactly what Solomon did. The entire third chapter deals with Solomon’s philosophy as a substitute for fellowship with God.

     “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” (Ecc 3:1) While his philosophy incorporated considerable human wisdom, it wasn’t God’s design for inner happiness.

     “There’s a time for everything, “he says. “A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecc 3:2-8)

     As he philosophized, he became aware of time. Life is made up of contrasts, and there is a proper time for everything; but it must not dictate your happiness. So, while Solomon found that there is a time for everything, it wasn’t the answer. This led into other types of philosophy. He became an evolutionist.

     “I said to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.” For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.” (Ecc 3:19)

     He went to common origin evolution, and therefore, he finally decided that men were animals and animals were sometimes more noble than people. That’s just a philosophy — human viewpoint. He probably had a fine, loyal dog. Everyone else might be down on him, but the dog always wagged his tail. He would pat his dog on the head and think, “People are animals; animals are people.” Did you ever get to that point with your dog or cat? Well, Solomon did, and he decided that they all had a common origin.

     From evolution it is a simple matter to go into universalism This is still off base. “All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. (Ecc 3:20) In other words, “We are all brothers under the skin; God is the Father of all, and all are the children of God.” With this view, he could have been president of the National Council of Churches. However, it is an entirely erroneous view. “For you are all sons of God BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS.” (Gal 3:26)

     Solomon goes from bad to worse now and gets into agnosticism He says, “Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?” (Ecc 3:21) He is still thinking of his good old dog — and consequently, he comes to the place of agnosticism. “Who knows?” He doesn’t know any more; he has come to the place where he wonders whether or not God really exists.

     It is possible, even probable, that when a believer out of fellowship gets into certain types of philosophy, if he is a logical thinker, he is going to become an “unbeliever.” Yet believers who have become agnostics are still saved; they are still born again. You can even become an atheist; but if you once accepted Christ as Savior, you can’t lose your eternal life.

     From agnosticism, Solomon gets to the lowest point yet — humanism “I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. [Portion] For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?” (Ecc 3:22) In the philosophy of humanism, man must achieve, man must do it! Humanism leads to socialism, new-dealism and communism. It is the basis of Satan’s attempts to provide the Millennium apart from the work of Christ. Solomon is born again, and therefore, he is designed for one thing only to satisfy his soul — GOD'S THOUGHTS IN THE FILLING OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. No philosophy in life, no detail can become a satisfactory substitute for fellowship with the Lord!

     Money  Unable to find in philosophy the happiness he seeks, he goes on to another experiment — money. Make money, have money, keep money, make more money! Well, let’s see what happens. (Ecc 5:10)“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.” His conclusion, then, is that money does not bring happiness; to love making money doesn’t make you happy; there is no permanent happiness in any detail of life.

     “When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?” (Ecc 5:11) So you have a thousand of this, five hundred of that, and a hundred of something else — what can you do with them? You can look at them, and that’s about it! Did you ever collect stamps? So you had ten thousand stamps — great! You looked at your collection once in a while; then what did you do? You became bored, and you began to wonder into how much money you could turn it. Then you collected something else, and something else, and then what? There might have been a lot of interest while you were collecting certain things, but once you have them, you can just look at them, and that’s all.

     One night Solomon took a walk. Since he hired 50,000 people at a time in his construction business, he was probably worried about his money — worried about his income tax. Unable to sleep, he took a walk down by the barracks where these thousands of workers lived. As he walked by, he could hear them snoring. These people had little or nothing — maybe a change of clothing and enough for the next day’s meal; but there they were, sleeping peacefully, while he, Solomon, the richest man in the world, couldn’t sleep!

     This evoked the wistful comment of, (Ecc 5:12-16)“The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep. There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. As he had come naked from his mother's womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. This also is a grievous evil--exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?”

     In, (Ecc 6:1) Solomon has another thought on the subject: “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men. (Who make money)” Maybe right now you have been thinking that you would like to be a rich man. Why? Because you associate it with happiness. You may have wealth, but it will never be the means of a permanent or stabilized happiness. How do we know this? Listen once more to Solomon. (And this is recorded for our learning; Rom 15:4)

     “A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.” (Ecc 6:2)

     The “severe affliction” is ulcers. As Solomon sits at a table every night in the place of honor, he looks down the long table — 300 on one side, 300 on the other side. The guests are eating pheasant, “pate de foie gras” — everything you can think of that is delicious. He watches them eat and eat and eat, course after course, while he sits at the head of the table all evening with nothing but crackers and milk! “You think money makes me happy?” Solomon asks, “It’s no fun for me to see all that I have made. I buy the best of food, and hundreds of people eat at my table, devouring my food — and me? Well, I, the rich man, can’t even enjoy it!”

     Reputation  Since money didn’t work, Solomon thought of something else. Sooner or later everybody with money tries this. “What I need for happiness is to have a great reputation.” So Solomon started working on reputation. It isn’t necessary to go into details, but I want you to look at what happened to reputation. “A good name is better than a good ointment, And the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.” (Ecc 7:1) “If you die with a good reputation, you have it made,” he is saying. That is probably why many wealthy people give away a lot of money.

     Solomon probably gave a lot of money to outstanding charities, established a fund at several universities, and put up plaques with his name on them. In this chapter, he says that he first had the idea that it is better to die a success than to go on living unsuccessfully. However, he began to change his line of thinking when making a name for himself didn’t produce happiness. “What’s a good reputation with man if you don’t have a reputation with God?” he Reasoned. “The day of death is not better than the day of birth if you are an unbeliever and you are going to the Lake of Fire. What good is a reputation in Lake of Fire?” (Isa 14:9-10)

     And with this, his thinking began to straighten out. “You know something? He said, “A reputation with man is no good; what we need is a reputation with God.” So in, (Ecc 7:20) he says, “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.” No one has a reputation with God — except the believer in Jesus Christ; so reputation is not the answer. And again, he hit the same dead end — apes and peacocks! It didn’t mean a thing. Wherever you look for happiness apart from the Word of Truth, it’s always a dead end! THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD!

     Sex  There is one thing he hasn’t FULLY tried yet — sex. The details of this are given in, (1Ki 11:3-4) these two verses describe how Solomon started collecting women. He married 700 of them, and 300 were concubines — one thousand women in his life! Whenever he saw a beautiful woman, he said, “I want her,” and that was it! What was his conclusion? “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her. "Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to find an explanation, which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these. "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.” (Ways to sin) (Ecc 7:26-29) In other words, he did not find happiness in women.

     Perhaps you are thinking, “That’s all wrong. I have found happiness with a woman, or with the opposite sex.” Yes, but happiness must be in its perspective. This Spiritual happiness came to you as a by-product of Spiritual growth or it is only relative.

     Marriage to the right man or right woman is a Divine institution. When the right man marries the right woman, even though they are unbelievers with an otherwise empty life, both can find relative happiness in that relationship. There are very few instances such as this, where any happiness outside the plan of God and the grace of God can actually exist. But here we have an exception: an unbeliever, or even a carnal believer, can find the right woman or right man and have relative happiness in their relationship.

     “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.” (Ecc 9:9)

REBOUND

     Solomon is a carnal believer, a believer out of fellowship and seeking happiness in sublimation, escapism and the details of life. In none of the things he tried did he find fulfillment or happiness. They all added up to apes and peacocks — a search for happiness in the unusual, the exotic things of life! One day he woke up to the fact that old age had overtaken him. He realized with a shock that his youth was not only gone, but wasted. He was nothing but a miserable, old man! Was it too late? Was his situation hopeless? So long as you are still alive, believer, God has a purpose for your life.

     “So, remove grief [Self-induced misery] from your heart and put away pain [Carnality] from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.” (Ecc 11:10) How BY REBOUND! (1Jn 1:9)

     “Solomon got back in fellowship in his old age. But he left a message for the youth. Before YOU get to be an old person, listen to what Solomon had to say:

     “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days [Old age] come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them.” (Ecc 12:1)

     The Creator is Jesus Christ, (Col 1:16) and Solomon is actually saying, “Remember now, Jesus Christ!” How do you remember Jesus Christ?

     First of all, if you are an unbeliever, it means to TRUST IN CHRIST for Salvation. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Act 4:12) If you want to spend eternity with God, you must remember Jesus Christ NOW. “...Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION.” (2Co 6:2) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the Truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but through Me.” (Joh 14:6)

     Secondly, if you are born again, you remember Him through the daily function of Operation Z: rebound whenever necessary; inhale of Truth; faith-transfer to the human spirit; exhale toward God through the “left bank” of the soul; and the erection of the edification complex — Temple of the soul. (1Co 3:11-16) This is the basis for fellowship with God in time, and it provides both the capacity and the expression of love toward Jesus Christ.

Description of Old Age

     In, (Ecc 12:3-8) Solomon begins a description of himself as an old man. “in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble...”

     The “watchmen of the house” are the hands. People often ask, “how old is old?” When you get up some day and discover you can’t hold your hands still — you’re old! You may be 25 years old, you can still be old! If you consume enough whiskey so that when you get up in the morning you can’t hold your hands still — no matter how many or how few years you have lived — you are old, old, old — miserably old!

     We all have to face it, everyone gets old. Natural old age is nothing to fear. With the Word of Truth in the soul, old age is the most wonderful time of life. It has been said that youth is wasted on youth; however, to the contrary, old age can be the best part of life. “...And mighty men stoop....” Mighty men” are the legs. When your legs get weak, and you can’t walk a block, you are old. “...The grinding ones stand idle because they are few...”

     Teeth often come out in old age. Your physical body has numerous signals for old age! “...And those who look through windows grow dim.” When your eyesight becomes dim, age has overtaken you.

     “And the doors [Lips] on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, [The digestive system is functioning poorly] and one will arise at the sound of the bird, [Insomnia] and all the daughters of song will sing softly.” (Ecc 12:4) “Daughters of song” is an idiom for the ears. The hearing is bad, and you’re old.

     “Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place...” Does it bother you to set up high and look over the tops of buildings? Do mountains bother you? You’re old! “...And of terrors on the road...” Do you get afraid about life? Are you fearful about retirement? You’re old! “...The almond tree blossoms, (White hair) the grasshopper drags himself along...” This describes loss of physical strength. So you can’t do 25 push-ups anymore? You’re getting old! “...And the caperberry is ineffective. (And desire shall fail; loss of libido and the power of procreation) For man goes to his eternal home [Death] while mourners go about in the street.” (Ecc 12:5)

     “Remember Him [Christ] before the silver cord is broken...” That’s the spinal cord; your back is no longer straight. You have a permanent hump; and since you can’t straighten up without it hurting, you stop straightening up; you’re old!

     “...And the golden bowl [Mind] be broken, or the pitcher [Heart] is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed.” (The cardiovascular system gives out) (Ecc 12:6) “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was...” (The body becomes the chemicals of the soil once more) ...And the spirit [And or soul] shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecc 12:7) Only a believer possesses a human spirit. (1Th 5:23)

That grand and glorious, glamorous person of the Jewish race — Solomon — is now old; but he has a message for the youth: if you spend your youth trying to find happiness apart from fellowship with God, your old age will be miserable, miserable, MISERABLE! You will be miserable. People may bow and scrape in your presence; but behind your back they’ll say, “That old goat!” There is nothing more tragic than old people who no longer have youth or outer beauty as an excuse to get away with complaining, vindictiveness, temper tantrums, and all the other mental attitude sins and sins of the tongue. They have no happiness, no peace, and no power. As Solomon put it, they are empty. (Ecc 12:8)

     Sometimes God has to take believers out of this world before they reach old age because they could never have a testimony in old age. But there is a tremendous sphere of Spiritual life for older believers — a wonderful challenge — perhaps the greatest of all. We need senior citizens who can demonstrate that old age is the most beautiful time of life. But the one, whose entire life has been characterized by selfishness and seeking happiness in the energy of the flesh apart from Spirit & Truth, (Joh 4:24) will never make it. Old age will be a dead end, the apes and peacocks will become gruesome, and life will be a complete disillusionment.

RESULT OF REBOUND

     “In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of Truth correctly.” (Ecc 12:9-10) In other words, the secret of happiness, peace and blessing is in unbroken fellowship with the Lord, and or rebound, and then get back into the Word!

     No believer can find Spiritual happiness apart from Divine Thinking. The believer cannot find happiness by seeking happiness, no matter what he possesses. But the believer with Spiritual Thinking will have the inner happiness designed by God for every believer, so that he will have the capacity to enjoy ALL things. I believe that this generation of believers has a wonderful opportunity to challenge the world with regard to the problem of old age. Believers living in the Word in old age can know great happiness, can have marvelous inner beauty and power, and can demonstrate in the angelic conflict that it is Jesus Christ and His Word that makes the difference — not the details of life; not the blind alleys in which people seek happiness.

     “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God [Stay in fellowship] and keep His Commandments, [And Think with the Mind of Christ] because this applies to every person.” (Ecc 12:13)

 What is the “whole of man”? It embodies all the techniques available to believers of the Old Testament: rebound, faith-rest, Thinking with the Word and Occupation with Christ, as He was revealed through the sacrifices, the Holy days, the structure of the Temple, the written canon as it existed then, the spoken message of the priests, and the teaching of the prophets. Man is incomplete, man is never whole; man is never happy without the Word of God, without Truth filling his soul.

     “For God will bring every act [Production] to judgment, (Evaluation of the believers’ Spiritual life) with every secret thing, [The thoughts] whether good [Divine Thinking] or whether [Satanic — human thinking] evil.” (Ecc 12:14) The believer will be evaluated on the basis of the construction and growth of his Spiritual life. (1Co 3:11-16) Everything will be brought into view; everything will be evaluated according to whether it has been done in the Thinking and filling of God the Holy Spirit or in the thinking of the old sin nature.

     If, as a believer, you persist in staying out of fellowship and ignoring the Word of God, your life will be characterized by the dead ends of unhappiness, disillusion, selfishness, unkindness, bickering, and self-induced misery. Nothing could be worse, except to lose the ability to think. But for anyone who knows Christ as Savior, this doesn’t have to be true. The answer is in the Word of God and in the grace of God — first in rebound, and then continuing in the daily function of the grace apparatus for perception — Operation Z. Therefore, make it a habit NOW to rebound every time you are out of fellowship; to get into the Word, to Think with the Word, to believe the Word, to erect an edification complex in your soul, and consequently, to glorify the Living Word!

Summary of the Doctrine of Happiness

     1. Happiness is related to the Essence of God: God always possessed perfect happiness in eternity past. This happiness is a part of the character of God. God is not only perfect, but He possesses perfect and eternal happiness. He is also happy with His perfect plan of grace. Grace is the expression of God’s perfect happiness. Hence, grace is the source of our perfect happiness, when acquired through the grace apparatus of perception — Operation Z.

     2. Happiness related to the Divine Decrees: In eternity past God desired to share His own Spiritual happiness with man in time. This is only possible through Salvation, (Psa 51:12) plus the daily function of rebound, reception, retention, recall, resist sinning and repeating. (Neh 8:10)

     3. Happiness is accomplished through grace: In grace God found a way to share His happiness with believers; therefore, not only is Salvation through grace, (Eph 2:8-9) but perception of Spiritual Thinking is through grace. (1Co 2:9-16)

     4. Such Happiness is confined to the Plan of God: Man enters the plan of God by faith in Christ. (Joh 20:31) However, being saved means that happiness in time is only POTENTIAL — not a GUARANTEE! Salvation does not imply instant or automatic happiness, though Salvation may be associated with happiness. Potentiality of happiness only becomes a Reality when a believer functions under God’s grace apparatus of perception, and as a result, erects an edification complex, (Temple of Divine Thinking) in his soul.  (1Jn 1:4)

     5. The ultimate of Happiness in time: Comes in two ways: the filling of God the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22) and the top “floors” of the Temple. (Joh 17:17) In eternity, perfect happiness will be automatic, since ultimate sanctification is accompanied by exceeding joy. (Jude 1:24)

     6. Recognition of Human Happiness in time: In the devil’s world, there exists a pseudo happiness, which is temporary and superficial. Such happiness depends on the details of life or pleasant environment and circumstances. It often depends on getting one’s way in life, or not being crossed. However, boredom, restlessness, instability and frustration neutralize this human happiness. Therefore, human happiness in cosmos diabolicus, [Kingdom of Satan] does not sustain under maximum pressure, adversity or human prosperity.

     7. God has designed phase two Happiness to be permanent and stabilized through the edification complex of the soul. (Joh 17:13-17)

     The Glory [Spiritual life — Divine Dynasphere — Temple — Edification complex of the soul; ECS — Ten Problem Solving Devices] which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, [In Divine Thought and nature; 2Pe 1:4] just as We are one. (Joh 17:22)

The inner happiness (+H) of the ECS provides both the capacity to enjoy the details of life and at the same time to enjoy a relationship with God. This happiness begins with the filling of God the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) and reaches the optimum under the completed Spiritual life; it sustains in the most difficult circumstances of life. Since Operation Z is the basis for the Spiritual life, Operation Z is the key to Spiritual happiness.

     These things [Divine Thoughts] we write, so that our joy may be made complete. (1Jn 1:4)

     8. The problem of the plural in the languages: Both the Hebrew “ashere”, and the Greek “makarioi,” occur under the translation of “blessed.” Both should be translated happiness’s. (Plural) The reason: there are two sources of happiness — the filling of God the Holy Spirit and the completed Spiritual life.

     9. The daily build up of Happiness; under the priesthood of the believer, is the daily function of Operation Z. (Mat 4:4; Jas 1:25)

     10. Such Happiness protects from disillusionment in the circumstances of life; (Php 4:11-12) and in the things of life; (Heb 13:5-6) people, and or self.

     11. Inner Happiness enhances the capacity for Virtue love. Once the top floor of the ECS is constructed, the believer’s capacity for Virtue love is intensified. This results in maximum blessing. The fragrance of memory is the basis for happiness, peace and stability. (Song 3:1; Song 4:6; Song 8:6)

     12. Inner Happiness is Commanded in the Spiritual life. (Php 4:4)  The Command is obeyed through growth to Spiritual maturity. (Jer 15:16; Joh 13:17; 1Jn 1:4)

          13. Inner Happiness is provided for phase three — eternity. (Jude 1:24)

     You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psa 16:11)

End