On Agreement Withheld
I was just considering that there may be a misconception regarding a "realm of agreement," in terms of the relative strength of withholding agreement. It would seem to me that an agreement made between those closely connected, that pertains to them specifically, would be a stronger force than those withholding agreement in the same scenario- where they withhold agreement specifically on an agreement made between others, where it is the others who are directly impacted, rather than those withholding agreement. The thing is, I do not see a limit to this effect of localized agreement outweighing the withheld agreement from a crowd less directly involved in said agreement, though I could see there being an apparent limit, for a time. This is to say that, while more and more could stand against a fundamental agreement and have it appear like the effects of the agreement could be prevented indefinitely, a threshold would be reached where this would suddenly be obviously untrue, and perhaps fail catastrophically all at once. Consider:
Song of Songs 8:6-7
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
Song of Songs 8:6
...for love is as strong as death...
Isaiah 28:14-15
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
and falsehood our hiding place.”
Isaiah 28:16-19
So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.
Revelation 1:18
"I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
It seems as though the final round will be those that fight for Love, against those that feel they have made a secure covenant with Death. While Song of Songs might be used to claim the opposing forces in this conflict to be equal, and a stalemate might be reached and maintained in perpetuity, it does not appear as though Love fights Death or vice versa, but rather that time and information is given so that sides can be chosen and bets/vows/etc. can be stacked on the table. In the end though I am picturing Jesus, the cornerstone, with the keys to Death and Hades, releasing Death from the agreements that those with power in Death's realm thought were unbreakable, at which point Love sweeps through like a tidal wave (overwhelming scourge), against a side whose source of power has been entirely removed. This is further reinforced by
Revelation 9:6
During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
I know this feels like a violent image, but Love at full strength seems to be naturally overwhelming (eep, as I have seen and felt), and standing against it, building up a dam to the degrees indicated in Isaiah, would likely turn Love into an irresistible force of nature for a time, until agreements are established properly, with honor and truth, so that Love's power can be channeled and cherished. Jesus' game plan feels clear to me in Matthew 5:44 when he says "love your enemies." and then later he has the keys to Death and people cannot find Death- it feels like Death is set free by Love (since "Jesus" means "Salvation," Death has literally received Salvation), which is how agreements, thought to be unbreakable, and which seemed to be forced by those in power, become slipped. The final round will not be a stalemate or a slow defeat full of golden parachute opportunities. Per The Sovereign Lord in Isaiah 28, the final round will be much more like a landslide. It just felt important, and an attempt at mercy, to highlight this warning- and how I'm interpreting it (which does not seem far fetched)- at this juncture.
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