~~ The Land of Nod ~~
Today is December 13, 2003. Until yesterday, I had no idea what the Land of Nod is. I thought, as does everyone else, that it was just some place on this earth to which Cain went and built his city. But yesterday as I was reading my message on Women in Christ, God spoke to me and told me different. Here is what He was revealed to me on the Land of Nod.
In order to understand what the land of Nod is, you must go back to the punishment God placed upon Cain after he rose up and killed his brother, Abel. Remember that Cain and Abel had brought two different types of sacrifice to God. Abel’s had been accepted and Cain’s had not. For this reason Cain was angry and killed Abel. Now you need to understand what these two men offered to God. It has never been taught by revelation, only in carnal lies.
It said Cain was a ‘tiller’ of the ‘ground’. Now what do these words mean spiritually? This is what you need to find out. Go to the Strong’s Hebrew # 5647. This shows that to till means to serve or enslave, keep in bondage, compel [= bring under laws of commandments, labour, transgress. So this proves what I have said before, that the Law is the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. This was Adam’s sin, he ate of the wrong way of serving God, he went to law. Now Cain also went to the works of the law instead of serving God by pure faith, or grace. The entire working of God with man is a battle between law and grace. Law is of Satan, or Adam, but Grace is of God, or Jesus. I have said this before I could prove it, just as I saw that Adam was Satan before I could prove it. But here is the solid proof. Tilling the ground meant Cain came to God under the works of the law, or self-worship. God rejected this form of worship and service. He has always rejected law and he always will. Tilling the ground means the works of the flesh; self righteousness.
Now this proves that Cain had placed himself under the law. But see that he broke the law by killing his brother. This was his damnation. Tilling the ground also meant to enslave, so Cain was bringing others in under the bondage of law. When people try to place you under the law, they are enslaving you, or tilling your ground. Cain never did repent. He refused to acknowledge his sin when God brought him to judgment = when God confronted him about what he had done.
Now when God talked with Cain about this he said to him, Gen. 4: 7. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
This ‘door’ here represents the entrance into the land of darkness one enters into at death if they leave this world as a sinner. Sin was lying at this door for Cain if he did not repent and do well or right. His desire represents an ‘overflowing’. ‘Thou shalt rule over him’? This shows having dominion or being as a governor.
So this is showing that Cain would be the ruler over some place where sin is overflowing or running rampant. The ‘door’ or opening into this land would be Cain’s death. See God gave Cain a time to repent in as He does to everyone. He had said to Cain, If you do well I will accept you; but if you do not then sin lieth at the door. So God was telling Cain that unless he repents and lives right before he goes through that door of death, then he will be ruling in a land of darkness and sin.
Look up Nod in the Hebrews # 5112 & 5110. It means to wander or exile; to flee, disappear, and vagabond. So see that this is the proof. God told Cain you will be a fugitive and a vagabond. But it does not mean in his life-time. It is showing that in death, he was made to flee into exile, darkness, terror and continue there forever = walking to and fro without any rest. Remember that the raven Noah sent out to test the waters after the flood went to and fro without any rest for her feet? This showed the Cain spirit having to wander or flee from the ‘ark’ of safety. The Dove refused to do this. She returned to Noah until the waters were dried up off the earth. She represents the true Christians who stay with Jesus, the ark of grace.
Now this is a little off this message, but I wish to show it here. What was Abel’s offering? The false teachers all claim that Abel killed a lamb and brought it’s blood to God. But this is just not the answer. Remember that all Scripture is a symbolic language. Abel was accepted by God. Now there is only one way to be accepted by God and that is by pure faith or Grace. Killing lambs is of the law. This is the way God rejected, so Abel did not do this.
There have always been only these two ways of serving God = law and grace. Everything in the Whole Word is of either law or grace. So then we find that Abel came to God in pure faith, the NT way = grace. He offered his body a living sacrifice, holy and ACCEPTABLE to God. This is the only acceptable way to serve God. God never at any time REQUIRED any animals blood for a sacrifice for sins. Men have brought up this false teaching because of a lack of true revelation or understanding of the Word.
Now look up ‘firstlings’ in Hebrew # 1062; 1060 & 1069. All of these meanings of the Hebrew word ‘firstlings’ means the firstborn or to bring forth the first born of children or beast. Now it was a command of God to bring the firstborn child to God and sanctify that first child to God. Now it can mean the firstborn of his children or beast. So if Abel did not have children, he was bringing his firstborn and finest cattle to God.
The ‘fat’ is from Hebrew # 2459 and means the finest or choice part. So Abel was bringing his best to God as a living sacrifice. He was not killing his lamb. This is not God’s way. This was the NT way of grace. God said his acceptable sacrifice is present your body a LIVING Sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, so this has to be what he did. Abel did as the NT Christians did = he gave his all to God, or esteemed that everything he had was already God’s. He would thus do with all of himself and his possessions anything God told him to do. This was Abel’s sacrifice.
Cain is the one who tried to come in by the works of the law, so he probably did kill a lamb and offer its blood to God, thus denying the future blood sacrifice of Jesus.
Rev. 2: 20. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
21. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
23. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Now we see from this Scripture that the whore, the people who turned away from Serving the true God to committing fornication against God, that He gives them all space, or time to repent in. This space or time is their life-time here in this life. When they refuse to use this time for repentance then he kills her ‘children’ with death. This means they entered into this land of darkness on the other side of this life.
So how does one enter into this land of darkness? Let the Word of God tell us, for He is the only source of that knowledge.
~ Entrance into the Land of Nod~
Job 27: 13. This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14. If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
16. Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
17. He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18. He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
19. The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20. Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21. The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.
22. For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23. Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
Job is, as all the people spoken of in the Word of God = the things written of him in the Word are to be taken and read as of Jesus. The only reason anything is told in the Word is that it represents what is true of Jesus. Job, knowing the revelation of where the wicked go at death spoke in this chapter that he will not ...I can explain this better by showing you the full chapter; so here is the beginning of this chapter:
Job 27: 1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2. As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3. All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4. My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5. God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
8. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
9. Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
11. I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?`
See Job says that as long as he LIVES he will hold to his intergrity and not speak wickedness or deceit. Verse six, I will hold fast my righteousness and not let it go, so long as I LIVE. Job, being a prophet knew the revelation I am going to show in this message. So He would do anything to keep from going through that door Cain went through.
Verse eight-- He shows that no matter what the hypocrite gains here, he has no hope when God takes away his soul. So this proves we are speaking of when one dies. When he said let mine enemies be as the wicked, this is Jesus. If you are an enemy of Jesus, this will be your portion at death. Will God hear his cry at the time of death? (9)
Now this leads us up to the time of the death of the wicked. Go back to verse 13. It speaks of the portion of a wicked man and the oppressors which they shall receive of God.
His children will be given to the sword, or God’s destruction. All that remain of him shall be buried in DEATH. Go back to the Scripture in Rev. 2. He said I will kill her children with death. So then this death spoken of here is not what we call death. It is not the breath leaving ones body. It is the place they go to after that happens. See that it said kill them with death. It said buried in death. So it means that after they die the natural death, they go to a land of Death. This is Cain’s land. He is the governor there. So DEATH is the Land of Nod.
Verses 16 & 17 show that all his riches he has gained in life will be given to the righteous and not his descendants.
Verse 19 is important. Remember that the Word says of the righteous that when they die they are GATHERED? Abraham died and was gathered to his people, etc.
19- The rich man dies but is not gathered. He OPENS his eyes, and HE IS NOT.
Is NOT means he is not here in this earth, alive. Proof?
Gen. 5:24. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
See after God took Enoch, he was not. This means he was no longer here in the land of the living.
Opens his eyes after death? Yes. Proof? Yes.
Luke 16:22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Lazarus died and was carried or gathered to Abraham. Isaac died and was gathered to his people = to Abraham. This is a land of Paradise one goes to at death if they have been a righteous person. Nod is a land of torment one goes to after death if they are wicked.
The rich man died and in lift up his eyes, being in torments and sees that land afar off = where Abraham and Lazarus are. So this proves that after one dies and enters into the Land of Nod or torment, the open their eyes and still have their conscious facilities.
Now back to one’s entrance into this Land of Nod.
Job 19 has shown that this person died but was not gathered. He did not go to Paradise. He opens his eyes and he is not proves this person has died and entered into the land of horrors beyond our veil.
Verse 20- terrors take hold on him as ‘waters’; this is that overflowing I showed you in Gen. about Cain. which ‘desire’ meant. A tempest steals this person away in the night. The night here represents his darkness as death catches him.
Verse 21- a storm HURLETH him out of his place, or his body or house he lived in while in this life. He is violently jerked out of his body and hurled somewhere else. The east wind carried him away, he departs. This is his death. He departed this life.[This is an explanation of the ‘east’ wind. It means going away from, or death. As one goes toward the ‘west’ they are dying or going away. So to go to the east of a place means leaving it].
Verse 22- He wishes he could flee out of his hand, for God cast upon him, and did not spare.
Verse 23- Men clap their hands at him, and shall HISS him out of his place.
This shows evil men who have already departed this life standing there clapping their hands as he is hurled into this horrible place of terror and they hiss him out of his body.
In Job 24 we have more on how wicked live and verse 17 shows the same thing, that at the shadow of death they are in terrors of the shadow of death. So this confirms it. This chapter tells in detail the nature of this fake ministry in our land today and shows their end to be the same as any wicked person. I intend to take this chapter as a separate message and show this.
Now one more confirmation:
Job 18: 5. Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. [This is his death.]
6. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.[This is also showing his death].
7. The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down. [His own counsel cast him down means his own mind in his lifetime led him to rebel against God, for he lifted himself up as self-sufficient].
8. For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare.[This net is the land of Nod].
9. The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him.[The ‘robber’ is those who tried to get to Heaven some way other than through Jesus; so this causes him to go to hell, the Land of Nod].
10. The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
11. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.
12. His strength shall be hunger bitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.
13. It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.[Devouring the strength of his skin means his physical death.]
14. His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.[His confidence was his idea that he was self-sufficient and did not need God; that he would be here forever, but now it takes him into the jaws of hell, the land of terrors where Cain is the king].
15. It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.[This brimstone bears out that this is hell fire].[Remember that God said hell was created for the devil and his angels? This devil is Cain.]
16. His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.
17. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.[This shows his entire family line being cut off out of the earth shortly after his natural death. This happened to Cain and to Judas].
18. He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.[Now it is easy to see from this verse that this is speaking of leaving this life and being chased into another world or horror].
19. He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.
20. They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.
21. Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.
5-9- this shows death.
10- This speaks of the same terror or horror which chapter 27 spoke of. This trap laid in the ground is the Land of Nod.
11- Terror shall make him afraid on ever side. This is as he is dying. It drives him to his feet on the other side, in the Land of Nod, or terrors and torments.
12 & 13 speak of his death.
14 is powerful. It shows that all this person’s confidence he has in this life is now gone from his body and it brings him to the KING OF TERRORS. This King of Terrors is the King of Babylon, Satan or Adam and Cain. They are the rulers here. God told Cain, sin lieth at the door (his death) and you shall rule over him. This is the Land of Nod where Cain and Adam are king. [Now being king does not signify ruling as in earth; it shows the power of their way of life leading one into destruction.
Jude 10. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain. This is how he ‘rules’
15--Terror dwells in his tabernacle (where he now lives); BRIMSTONE shall be scattered upon his habitation. This is the habitation he is now in after departing the tabernacle of this life, his human body.
16 shows the total destruction of Adam and Cain’s kingdom on earth. It also shows that Cain was as Judas in that his posterity was cut off shortly after his death.
Now I know a false teaching went forth in our day saying that the Serpent was an animal creature which Eve committed adultery with and bore Cain from this. It says that Cain’s descendents are even down to our day and are descendents of that serpent and therefore can never be saved. But I will prove to you that Cain’s descendents were cut off shortly after his death. This prophesy in Job here goes all the way back to Cain and down to Judas showing that men of these two families died out shortly after their decease. So this is proof that the decedents of Cain did not even exist at the time of the flood of Noah. We were taught by the false prophet of our day that Cain’s line crossed the flood and exist today, and cannot be saved. See this is another proof that this prophet taught lies. The prophet that teacheth lies is the tail, or end of things. So we are at the end.
Now read what God did to Cain: Gen. 4:13. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
Thou hast driven me out from the face of the earth. This shows that Cain would not be on the entire face of this earth; he was driven out to wander or be a fugitive. But this is in the spirit world; not here in this earth on its face. I do not think just having to move from one place to another here would have been unbearable to Cain. Besides that it said that he went and DWELT in the Land of Nod. It did not show him moving from one town to another here in this life. It also shows that when he went to this land of Nod, he had gone away from the presence of the Lord. On the ‘east’ of Eden shows he went away from it.
You may say well then it says Cain knew his wife; yes people have always thought it was saying that Cain first went to Nod, then there he knew his wife. But this is not how it is to be taken. It only shows the complete thing of what happened to Cain after God brought him to judgment and pronounced upon him his punishment. But then it goes back and picks up with another part of Cain’s life when he did know his wife.
Cain’s lineage ends in this chapter four of Genesis. He is shown to have seven generations of children and no more are ever given. The prophecy that they would be cut off without even a nephew was fulfilled and no more of Cain’s line is in the earth.
Noah descended from Seth’s line and none of Cain’s line was on that ark. So we have none of Cain’s descendents in the earth.
Adam’s and Cain’s race were at first in an immortal state. (Eze. 28). They were driven from that immortal state to a mortal, corruptible state. This was their first ‘punishment’ which was more than they could bear. They could never again be in that glorious Spirit realm. Now they were in the prison of human flesh. In this state, they were ‘dead’ in trespasses and sins. They were made to run to and fro in this state. The four spirits of the heaven strove upon the great sea of mankind. Out of this came the four kingdoms who ruled this earth. Their spirits now roam to and fro in the invisible spirit world. They cause all the blood shed and evil on this earth. They have caused their terror in the land of the living.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
This shows that Jesus came here as human flesh and blood. He died to redeem us from that evil spirit of the devil, Cain and Adam. He will rule over the kingdom eternally and not the spirit of Cain and Adam. Thus he turned it to mankind and out of their spirit hands. This verse shows that the devil, which is Adam and Cain had the power of death. That is what it meant that he would rule over him. But now we who follow Jesus and are filled with the Holy Ghost are delivered from that death and given new life. We walk in Grace and not law. Law is what imprisons. It is the land of death. It is bondage. Grace is life and freedom. Jesus is life and grace.
Those who choose to follow law are in the land of death. They refuse life. The law demands death for every disobedience. Grace forgives the sin. There is no faith in law. So Cain tried to serve God without any faith. He came by works and was rejected. He is the Satan who is accusing the brethern before the Lord. As long as Job clung to his self-righteousness, he did not know God. But when God revealed himself to Job, he said I repent in sackcloth and ashes. He said I now loath myself. This is the one who repents and finds life. This is the ‘breath’ coming into the dead bones and joining us together as one. Jesus took the divided kingdom and brought it together as one. We became one again in the hands of Jesus. The division of law and grace has no part with those who are filled with the Holy Ghost. It is all grace or life. This started on the Day of Pentecost.
By: Jo Smith ~ finished this on Jan. 3, 2004.