The Spiritual Significance of Numbers – Eight Signifies New Beginnings, The New Man

[Study Aired January 30, 2026]

If the number seven signifies the completed week, then the number eight signifies a new week with a new man… “another vessel as it seemed good to the Potter to make it.”

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

“Another vessel” is ‘a new vessel of clay’, “the new man” in the true “image of Him that created him.”

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man [“another vessel”, (Jer 18:4)], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

It is “the eighth… beast” which “goeth into perdition.” It is only through his perdition, his destruction, his death, the death of the eighth beast, that he becomes “the image of Him that created him.” “The first man Adam” was never “in the image of God” as the King James Version reads:

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

As we will see in this study, that verse reveals that God is in the process of creating mankind “after the image of Him that created him” (Col 3:10). God is in the process of creating “the new man”, and it is only that “new man” who is “in the image of Him that created him.”

The name ‘Seth’ is defined as “in the stead of.”

Gen 4:25  And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
Gen 4:26  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Abel signifies our slain Savior whose ‘blood cries out from the ground.’

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
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 [H413: ‘el’, against] thee shall be his desire, and [in the end] thou shalt rule over him.

This Hebrew word ‘H413, el’, translated as ‘unto’ here in Genesis 4:7 is the same word translated ‘unto’ and ‘to’ in this verse of the previous chapter where the Lord is pronouncing judgment against the serpent, and Adam and Eve. This verse is His judgment against Eve:

Gen 3:16  Unto [H413: against] the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to [H413: against] thy husband, and [in the end] he shall rule over thee.

Eve’s curse was not that she would want to please her husband. That would be a blessing. Her curse was to oppose and be against her husband. That is indeed a curse. Sin’s desire was not to please God through Cain. That would be a blessing.  Cain’s curse was to be led by “the law of sin in [his] members warring against the law of his mind” (Rom 7:23):

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

The very next verse following Genesis 4:7 gives us the proper translation of this Hebrew word ‘el’ in the context of the three verses we are considering… Gen 3:16; Gen 4:7 and this verse:

Gen 4:8  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against [H413: ‘el’, against] Abel his brother, and slew him.

The reason Cain slew Abel was the same reason the Jews slew Christ, and that was the very same reason Joseph’s brother wanted to kill him before Reuben and Judah talked them into putting Joseph in a pit, signifying his death, before selling Him into Egypt. Here is that reason in all three cases, Cain, Joseph and Christ:

Gen 37:2  These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
Gen 37:5  And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
Gen 37:6  And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
Gen 37:7  For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
Gen 37:8  And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. [His doctrines]
Gen 37:9  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Gen 37:10  And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
Gen 37:11  And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

Joseph was “the son of [Jacob’s… Israel’s] old age” just as we, too, are “called the sons of God” here in “the end of the world, the end of the ages.”

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

They “hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (Gen 37:4).  His brothers “hated him for his words” (Gen 37:8) “His brethren envied him” (Gen 37:11).

Why did they hate him? They hated him because his father loved him more that he loved his other ten sons. They hated him because the Lord had shown him that he would rule over his ten brothers. They also hated him because he “brought unto his father their evil report” (Gen 37:2):

Gen 37:2  These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah [Dan and Naphtali], and with the sons of Zilpah [Gad and Asher], his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

All of this is mirrored in how Israel received their Savior. They hated Him because His Father loved Him more that He loved the Jews who hated Christ:

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Their physical ‘brother’ and fellow Israelite brought to His Father their evil report:

Mat 21:12  And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The chief priests, the scribes and the Pharisees “envied” Christ because of the multitudes which were flocking after Him and being healed by Christ and His Father:

Mat 27:17  Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
Mat 27:18  For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

Mar 15:9  But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
Mar 15:10  For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

Joh 11:41  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Joh 11:42  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Joh 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Joh 11:45  Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
Joh 11:46  But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
Joh 11:47  Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
Joh 11:48  If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

Christ’s own nation, His brothers, were definitely jealous of Him, just as Joseph’s brothers had said ‘will this man rule over us?’

Gen 37:8  And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

This is the spirit of “[their] father the devil]” (Joh 8:44) which Christ referred to in His parable of the ten servants and the ten pounds:

Luk 19:12  He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
Luk 19:13  And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luk 19:14  But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

The Jews hated Christ because Christ considered them to be of another Father and not of His Father:

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot  hear my word.
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Eight signifies Christ as both the first and the last Adam:

Gen 5:4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:

Luk 3:38  Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of [the first man] Adam, which was the son of God.

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Rev 1:17  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Physical circumcision signified the beginning of putting off of the sins of the flesh:

Gen 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

Gen 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Eight, in its negative application, signifies the end of our time in service to our flesh:

Jdg 3:8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.
Jdg 3:9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD [after eight years of slavery], the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, [even] Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

Rev 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

King David, a type of Christ, was the eighth son of Jesse:

1Sa 17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

1Sa 17:14 (a) And David was the youngest: [the eighth]

King David’s “chief …captain” slew eight hundred man “at one time”:

2Sa 23:8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.

Eight signifies a giving spirit:

Ecc 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Ecc 11:2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

It is through the Number eight we approach the temple:

Eze 40:31 And the arches thereof [of the south side of the temple] were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.

Eze 40:34 And the arches thereof [of the east side of the temple] were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

Eze 40:37 And the posts thereof [of the north gate] were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

Here is the spiritual antitype of these eight steps up to the temple:

Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

There were eight tables for offering the sacrifices, four on each side of the temple. There were four on the north side, and there were four on the south side:

Eze 40:39  And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.
Eze 40:40  And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.
Eze 40:41  Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.

The firstborn of our herds and of our flocks were to be given to the Lord on the eighth day:

Exo 22:29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
Exo 22:30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.

The burnt offering and the sin offerings for the days of the consecration of the priests and for the sins of the people were to be offered on the eighth day, after seven days of consecration of the priests:

Lev 8:33 And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you.
Lev 8:34 As he hath done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you.
Lev 8:35 Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded.
Lev 8:36 So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

Lev 9:1 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel;
Lev 9:2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer [them] before the LORD.

Lev 9:7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.

Circumcision, signifying the putting off of the flesh, took place on the eighth day:

Lev 12:3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

“Circumcision… of the heart, in the spirit” takes place only in our spiritual eighth day, the day we begin to be transformed into a new man:

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man [on the spiritual eighth day], which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image [not of the first Adam, but after the image] of him that created him:
Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

The Eighth Man in Micah is Christ “whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.”

Mic 5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Mic 5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
Mic 5:5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him [the Assyrian] seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
Mic 5:6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria [Babylon] with the sword [of the Word of God], and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian [Babylon – “the land of Nimrod], when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

The ”eight principal men” of this 5^th chapter of Micah are the “Christ [of] our Lord.”

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever

Christ comes to us only “when [the Assyrian] shall tread in our palaces (Mic 5:5). Therefore, the new man or “eight principal men” come to deliver us only after we have begun to be judged and are beginning to be purified and consecrated.

The New Testament

John the Baptist and Christ were both circumcised on the eighth day, signifying the fact that He does not come to deliver us until our seven days of being judged and consecrated in these vessels of clay:

Luk 1:59  And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
Luk 1:60  And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

Luk 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Christ appeared to His disciples after His resurrection – “after eight days.”

Joh 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: [then] came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

Deliverance came to Aeneas, and he began a new life after eight years of being bedridden:

Act 9:33 And there he [Peter] found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.

There were eight people on the ark, and Noah is called “the eighth person.”

1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

2Pe 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Paul was circumcised the eighth day “an Hebrew of Hebrews.”

Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

It is expedient that we understand that the eighth man cannot appear until after seven days of the judging and purifying and consecrating of our old man. That is the meaning of this verse:

Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Now that we know that the number eight signifies the new man and new beginnings let’s take note of where the word ‘new’ appears in the New Testament:

1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

1Co 11:25 After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me.

2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ,  he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. [Circumcised in spirit on the spiritual eighth day]

Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man [the “consecrated man” – Lev 8:33 – and then offer a sin offering], which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: [It was Christ who created them male and female, but they were not yet “after the image of Him that created him” while yet in “vessels of clay”]

Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

1Jn 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Conclusion:

Eight is the number of the new man, the overcomer who is, “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20) offers himself as a living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1), and fills up in his body what is behind of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24).

“The glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter” Part 2

(Know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God) (Pro 25:5-16)

[Study Aired January 29, 2026]

Pro 25:5  Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Pro 25:6  Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:
Pro 25:7  For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.
Pro 25:8  Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
Pro 25:9  Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:
Pro 25:10  Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.
Pro 25:11  A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Pro 25:12  As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Pro 25:13  As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
Pro 25:14  Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.
Pro 25:15  By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Pro 25:16  Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

God has called the elect to “know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1Ti 3:15). It is the longsuffering spirit of God working within the body of Christ (Rom 8:9) that is required in order for us to become overcomers, or “a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out”(Rev 3:12). It is the glory of God to conceal this process of overcoming from the world, and it is the honour of kings to search out this matter, this unsearchable matter by the spirit of God, the Comforter that is able to lead us into all truth that will set us free if we are granted to continue in it (Joh 16:13, Joh 8:31-32).

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Solomon’s prayer for the physical temple found in (1Ki 8:22-36) is a type and shadow event that describes what God is answering for the temple of God that we are today (1Co 3:16, Luk 22:31-32).

1Ki 8:27  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
1Ki 8:28  Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
1Ki 8:29  That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

In order to become part of “the pillar and ground of the truth” or “a pillar in the temple of my God”, we must go through this longsuffering process ordained of the Master Potter, and not despise it (Rom 2:4), seeing it is the way by which the bride will be made ready (Rev 19:7). This section of proverbs gives some very instructive and clear reminders to the body of Christ as to “how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Before we read the verses for our study today, let’s look at the prayer in Solomon’s dream (1Ki 3:5-10), and the prayer that Solomon was inspired to make for the temple itself (1Ki 8:22-36). What we’ll see is that, in type and shadow, Solomon is praying for the church, the temple which we are and asking God to know how we ought to walk in the midst of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The first thing to notice is that we will not ask anything amiss (Jas 4:3, Mar 11:24) if we are granted to be dead to sin and alive in Christ, which is typified by Solomon’s being asleep when God inspired his selfless prayer for the nation of Israel who represents the Israel of God [Luk 8:52-53, Rom 6:11, Gal 6:16].

Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gal 6:16  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

“Know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God”
“which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth”

1Ki 3:5  In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
1Ki 3:6  And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
1Ki 3:7  And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. [these words of (1Co 1:26) symbolized by “and I am but a little child”]
1Ki 3:8  And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. [Our calling is ultimately for the multitudes who will be saved (Rev 7:9 , Oba 1:21)]
1Ki 3:9  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?(1Co 2:16)
1Ki 3:10  And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

David is a type of Christ and Solomon a type of the body of Christ who will do greater works than Christ (Joh 14:12), by way of building the temple, which is symbolic of converting the life of those that God draws to the body of Christ, represented by Solomon. Solomon is asking, in old covenant letter of the law terms, to teach me that I may “know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth”

“Know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God”
“which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth”

1Ki 8:22  And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: [It is before the altar which is the cross where we must stand if we are going to be pillars of our God in his temple]
1Ki 8:23  And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
1Ki 8:24  Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
1Ki 8:25  Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; (Mat 22:14) so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me. (1Co 11:1)
1Ki 8:26  And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
1Ki 8:27  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
1Ki 8:28  Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
1Ki 8:29  That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.
1Ki 8:30  And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive. (Joh 17:20)
1Ki 8:31  If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:
1Ki 8:32  Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
1Ki 8:33  When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
1Ki 8:34  Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. (Rom 2:4)
1Ki 8:35  When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:
1Ki 8:36  Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, [“know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God”] and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. (Rom 2:4)

Pro 25:5  Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Pro 25:6  Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:
Pro 25:7  For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

These first three verses give the critical message of identifying the wicked within ourselves (Pro 16:4, 1Co 11:31-32) and the need to take it away from before Christ “the king”, and then shall His throne within us be established. We must not put “forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great” (1Co 10:12), which is accomplished by resisting the devil and cleaving unto God, humbling ourselves under His mighty hand (Jas 4:7, Mat 23:12). If God will permit us this spirit then we will hear His voice telling us “Come up hither” (Rev 11:12). If we are to be raised in heavenly places today (Eph 2:6) we must be lying dead in the streets of that great city (Rev 11:11). If we are boasting in our flesh we will be “put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen” in the lake of fire, great white throne judgement. Judging ourselves today will result in our being chastened of the Lord abasing us in this age so that we can be exalted in the next (Rev 20:6).

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Mat 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Pro 25:8  Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

If we are going in the way that seems right to us in our flesh we will end up being put to shame by those who see that we tried to build something by our own strength that never came to fruition in the first resurrection (Psa 127:1, Php 3:9). Only God can give us the power to stop trusting in our flesh (Eph 1:11-12) and to continue to rely on Him for everything, which is what will happen when we stop going “forth hastily to strive”. It takes the ongoing trial of our faith in order to make that a reality in the lives of God’s elect (Act 14:22, Pro 3:5, 2Co 1:9, 2Ti 2:24-26, Php 4:4-7).

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

2Ti 2:24  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Php 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Pro 25:9  Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:
Pro 25:10  Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.

In other words, don’t be a talebearer, go to  your brother and him alone (Mat 18:3-4, Mat 18:10, Mat 18:15).

Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

If we gossip and don’t cover each other’s sins by going to our brother, the Lord will expose that immature spirit within us and it will humble us in one manner or another, “Lest he who hears should embarrass you When your gossip cannot be retracted” (CLV).

Pro 25:11  A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

How we go to our brother who is ensnared of the devil with a spiritual sin is with a humble and contrite heart (Isa 66:2, Jas 5:20, 1Pe 4:8), and then our words will be “fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver”. The gold represents the tried word of God that is framed with silver that represents someone who has a humble and contrite heart and knows they are the chief of sinners and capable of any sin, but for the grace of God go we (Mal 3:2-6).

Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver (Pro 25:11, Jer 5:14), that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. (Isa 33:14-15)
Mal 3:4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Mal 3:5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Pro 25:12  As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Pro 25:13  As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

Our goal in going to our brother is to be “a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters”, which is another way of saying we are winning our wayward brother by “pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” of (Jud 1:23).

Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

If God permits, “an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold” will be found in both parties, the one being led and listening to the voice of the shepherd who leads us  to be our brother’s keeper (Gen 4:9, 1Ti 4:16), and God permitting the brother will be granted ears that hear Christ’s message to repent, represented by one who has an “obedient ear”, an ear that has been anointed and able to receive correction (Rev 3:18-22).

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The love and care we show to each other by going to our brother is interestingly connected with the snow and winter, when there is nothing happening in our lives spiritually, yet God says because we are sent as faithful messengers as Christ was sent into our lives, our actions will be “As the cold of snow in the time of harvest”, the harvest being the time of judgement when the wheat is separated from the tares (Mat 13:30) and where “the cold of snow” is the refreshing water in the heat of the Day (2Pe 3:9-12, Act 3:19)

Pro 25:13  (ERV) A messenger that can be trusted is worth much to the people who send him. He is like cool water during the hot days of harvest.

Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Pro 25:14  Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.
Pro 25:15  By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Pro 25:16  Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

There is a warning in these verses that speaks about swallowing down this honey, these riches he gifts us with (Job 20:15), to become “waxen fat and turn unto other gods” (Deu 31:20), leaning unto our own understanding with this knowledge that we can get puffed up with (1Co 8:1-2).

Job 20:15  He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.

Deu 31:20  For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.

1Co 8:1  Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
1Co 8:2  And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

This whole section of proverbs that we’ve looked at today has been very centered around humility and repentance, and how that is an integral part of how we walk in the house of God. It is with that humble and contrite spirit, a gift from God that we learn to bear long with the infirmity of our brother, and in God’s perfect timing, “By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone”, which breaking of bones symbolizes a turning of our stony hearts to repentance (Eze 11:19, Eze 36:26, 2Co 3:3, Rom 2:5). Once we see it in ourselves, we are able to help our brother.

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

If we do not operate in the measure of faith that God gives us, we will be operating in our flesh, which is as one “Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain”, the rain representing the spirit of God, the gift of faith that comes with that spirit.

This last verse, “Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it”, is also speaking about the measure of faith that we need, and being grateful for what God supplies, knowing that He knows our needs and is teaching us to be content whether we have a little or a lot (2Co 8:15, Exo 16:18, Rom 12:3, Php 4:12).

2Co 8:15  As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

Exo 16:18  And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Php 4:12  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

God will always provide what each joint needs to supply (Eph 4:16) so that we learn how a many-membered body works together for the church to grow (1Co 12:18), in order that we may “know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (Joh 13:35).

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Gemstones: The Stones that Don’t Transfer, Part 1

Introduction: The Pattern of God’s Refinement

The Pattern Stated

[Study Aired January 27, 2026]

Throughout Scripture, God reveals His purposes through discernible patterns that testify across covenant and context. These patterns are not imposed upon the text but arise through repeated witness, allowing spiritual realities to emerge as Scripture interprets Scripture. Among these patterns, the progression of gemstones across three biblical contexts—the high priest’s breastplate, the covering of the anointed cherub, and the foundations of New Jerusalem—reveals a consistent truth concerning what belongs to the present order and what abides into the age to come.

The Old Testament establishes the transient nature of the Adamic order itself. David declares before the congregation of Israel:

“For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.” (1 Chronicles 29:15)

This testimony reaches beyond individual mortality to describe the condition of life under the present creation. What belongs to this order is characterized by shadow rather than permanence. Though appointed by God for a time and purpose, it does not abide.

Within this shadowed framework, God instituted visible arrangements that testified to deeper realities. Exodus 28:17–20 describes twelve stones set in gold upon the high priest’s breastplate, each bearing the name of a tribe of Israel. These stones functioned as a memorial before the Lord, representing the people within the ceremonial order established under the Law.

Ezekiel 28:13 presents a different arrangement: nine stones forming the covering of the anointed cherub in Eden. The reduction from twelve to nine appears within a context of judgment and exposure, signaling a refining of what belonged to the Adamic realm. What was once complete in ceremonial representation is now reduced under divine scrutiny, revealing that not all elements appointed for earthly ministry remain intact when judgment is brought to bear.

Revelation 21:19–20 reveals twelve foundation stones of New Jerusalem. While the number twelve reappears, the composition is not identical to either earlier arrangement. This reconstitution declares that restoration does not occur through repetition of the former order, but through transformation. What abides into the age to come is not a return to ceremonial representation, but a perfected reality suited to eternal dwelling.

The sequence—twelve, nine, twelve—draws attention to a governing principle: not everything present within the shadowed order transfers unchanged into what abides. The reduction from twelve to nine, followed by a reconstitution to twelve with altered composition, testifies to God’s refining work. Elements suited only for earthly ministry are removed or replaced, while what fulfills His eternal purpose is brought to completion.

The Governing Principle: Shadow and Substance

Paul articulates this principle plainly:

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:17)

Shadow exists for the sake of substance, not alongside it. What functions as shadow testifies to what is real, yet cannot itself become reality. When substance appears, the shadow fulfills its appointed role by yielding its place. This yielding is not failure, but completion.

Read together, these two witnesses, 1 Chronicles 29:15 and Colossians 2:17, establish the framework for this study. The Old Testament declares that what belongs to this present order does not abide. The New Testament reveals where abiding substance is found—in Christ. All structures, arrangements, and representations given within the shadow must therefore be understood according to whether they remain external testimony or find fulfillment in spiritual reality.

It is within this framework that the pattern of precious stones must be examined. Certain stones appear within the priestly order and the Edenic covering because they accurately represent aspects of the external system in which they were placed. Their presence served God’s purpose within the present order marked by shadow. Yet their appearance—or absence—when the eternal city, New Jerusalem, is revealed must be interpreted according to the same principle of shadow giving way to substance.

The Stones Under Examination

Four stones warrant focused attention. Each appears within at least one of the earlier scriptural contexts, yet none stands independently among the foundations of New Jerusalem. Their absence is neither incidental nor arbitrary. Rather, each reveals a specific aspect of the natural order that cannot remain in its original form when what abides is fully revealed.

In Part 1, we examine the carbuncle and the diamond. Together, they reveal two aspects of refinement: external attachment replaced by internal union, and hardness of heart removed while truth finds fulfillment in Christ.

The Carbuncle: External Attachment Superseded by Internal Union

The Carbuncle’s Positions

In Exodus 28:17, the carbuncle appears as the third stone in the first row of the high priest’s breastplate, set alongside sardius and topaz. The Hebrew term bareqeth (Strong’s H1304) conveys the sense of flashing brilliance, likened to lightning. This outward radiance belongs to the realm of visible distinction rather than inward reality, for the kingdom of God does not come with observation.

Jesus Himself warned against locating God’s kingdom in outward signs:

(Luke 17:20–23) “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.” 

The carbuncle’s brilliance thus frames its testimony: external radiance without internal transformation cannot constitute eternal foundation. What shines outwardly may still lack inward habitation.

This stone bore the name of Levi, whose designation Leviy (Strong’s H3878) derives from a root meaning “joined” or “attached.” The origin of Levi’s name reveals the nature of this joining:

“And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.” (Genesis 29:34)

From its inception, Levi’s identity was defined by attachment. Yet this joining operated entirely within the natural realm—a wife’s longing for affection, a mother’s hope for relational security through childbearing. The attachment was real, but it was circumstantial, external, and bound to the flesh.

When we turn to Ezekiel 28:13, the carbuncle appears again—now as the ninth and final stone in the covering of the anointed cherub. Its movement from the third position in Exodus to the ninth position under judgment signals completion rather than advancement. The carbuncle stands both at the outset of priestly service under the Law and at the culmination of the Adamic order as it is exposed. In both settings, it bears the same testimony: joining within the natural order remains external and provisional.

Yet when John beholds the foundations of New Jerusalem, the carbuncle is absent entirely (Revelation 21:19–20). Its omission declares that what once functioned through outward attachment finds no independent place in the eternal structure.

External Joining Under the Levitical Order

Though the tribe of Levi was separated for tabernacle service, only the lineage of Aaron was appointed to the priesthood. This distinction itself testified to the nature of external joining under the Law. Priestly identity was determined by physical descent and ceremonial appointment rather than inward transformation. One became a priest by birth, not by regeneration.

As a result, death continually interrupted the priesthood:

“And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.” (Hebrews 7:23)

Though set apart for sacred service, the Levites possessed no inheritance among the tribes. The Lord Himself became their portion:

“Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.” (Numbers 18:20)

This arrangement testified to a profound truth: the priesthood pointed toward an inheritance in God Himself. Yet under the Law, this reality remained external. The Levites served God in sacred duty but did not enter beyond the veil—joined to holy service, yet separated from the holiest place.

Internal Union Through Spiritual Birth

What the Levitical order could only prefigure, the new covenant provides through internal union. Natural descent gives way to spiritual rebirth. Jesus declared to Nicodemus:

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)

Priestly identity is no longer inherited through lineage but imparted through regeneration: 

“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)

Paul describes this union plainly:

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:17)

This joining operates at the level of spirit, not ceremony. Believers are not merely associated with Christ; they are incorporated into Him:

“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” (Ephesians 5:30)

Why the Carbuncle Does Not Transfer

The verdict is clear: external attachment has been surpassed by internal union.

The carbuncle represented joining through natural descent, visible ordinance, and mediated service—each necessary within the shadowed order, yet none sufficient for eternal foundation. When substance arrives, shadow yields its place. External attachment gives way to inward participation. Ceremonial joining is fulfilled through shared life.

The carbuncle does not transfer because what it signified has been fulfilled in Christ—not refined, but transformed. Life is now joined to life, spirit to spirit, the many made one in Him.

The Diamond: Hardness Removed, Truth Fulfilled

The Diamond’s Positions

In Exodus 28:18, the diamond occupies the sixth position, appearing as the third stone of the second row, bearing the name of Zebulun. The Hebrew yāhălōm (Strong’s H3095) derives from a root meaning “to strike” or “to hammer,” an apt description of the gem long associated with extreme hardness. This stone represented Zebulun, whose name Zebûlûn (Strong’s H2074) carries the sense of “dwelling” or “habitation.”

The juxtaposition is instructive. A dwelling is intended to receive, contain, and give rest. Yet hardness defines the diamond’s essential character—unyielding, resistant, impervious. When hardness governs habitation, what should receive instead resists. The dwelling becomes fortified rather than indwelt.

In Ezekiel 28:13, the diamond appears again, now third among the nine stones covering the anointed cherub. Its movement from the sixth position in Exodus to a prominent position under judgment does not signify advancement, but exposure. Hardness is brought fully into view, carried through the Adamic order and set before divine scrutiny. The placement reveals not endurance, but manifestation—resistance exposed rather than preserved.

Revelation 21 confirms the verdict. When the twelve foundations of New Jerusalem are revealed, the diamond is absent (Revelation 21:19–20). What once bore testimony within the shadowed order finds no independent place in the eternal structure.

The Dual Witness of Diamond

Diamond’s defining characteristic—its hardness—bears a twofold testimony. This dual witness explains why the diamond does not transfer into the eternal foundations. What must be removed cannot remain; what it pointed toward finds fulfillment elsewhere.

Hardness as Resistance: The Stony Heart Removed

Scripture identifies hardness as resistance to inward inscription. Through Jeremiah, the Lord declares:

“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars.” (Jeremiah 17:1)

The image is decisive. What is hard enough to engrave transgression permanently is also too hard to receive righteousness. Stone bears record, but not life.

God’s solution is not refinement of hardness, but its removal:

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

What the Law engraved externally upon stone is replaced by what God writes inwardly:

“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

Paul confirms the transformation:

“Not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” (2 Corinthians 3:3)

This transformation was promised under the old covenant but could not be accomplished through it:

“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6)

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Romans 2:29)

The removal of hardness is not refinement but replacement. Stone gives way to flesh, external commandment to internal life, resistance to reception.

Hardness and the Word: Resistance Without Root

Hardness also manifests as resistance to the Word itself. Jesus declared:

“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:15)

In the parable of the sower, the consequence is made plain:

“But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Matthew 13:20–21)

Stony ground allows surface reception but prevents depth. The Word may be heard, yet it cannot take root where hardness limits penetration. What should be a dwelling becomes a barrier. Reception without transformation yields no abiding fruit.

Permanence Fulfilled: Truth in Christ

Yet to halt at hardness’s negative witness would truncate the testimony. The diamond’s impervious nature also speaks of permanence. What cannot be broken testifies, in shadow, to what cannot be destroyed.

Scripture attributes such permanence not to stone, but to God’s Word:

“The word of our God shall stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

What the diamond symbolized, Christ embodies:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Thus the positive witness of diamond—unchanging permanence—is not preserved in stone, but fulfilled in a Person.

Why the Diamond Does Not Transfer

The verdict is complete and twofold.

Negatively, hardness of heart must be removed. What resists God’s inscription cannot remain where His law is written within. The stony heart yields to a heart of flesh.

Positively, what diamond testified to in shadow—unchanging truth—is fulfilled perfectly in Christ. Permanence is no longer represented; it is embodied.

The stone yields to the Person. External hardness gives way to inward life. Shadow fulfills its purpose by yielding to substance.

Looking Toward Part 2

Through the carbuncle and the diamond, we have witnessed two necessary acts of refinement. External attachment, once expressed through lineage and ceremony, has been surpassed by internal union in Christ. Hardness of heart, which bore the record of sin and resisted God’s inscription, has been removed, while the permanence it symbolized finds fulfillment in Him who is the Truth.

These two stones establish a decisive pattern: elements that belong solely to the natural order—however purposeful within the shadow—cannot constitute eternal foundation. When substance arrives, such representations must either give way entirely or be fulfilled beyond themselves.

Yet not every stone resolves in the same manner. Some aspects of the former order are not merely removed, but transformed. Others mark a condition that reaches its appointed end and does not recur.

In Part 2, we will examine the onyx and the agate. Onyx, which once bore names externally upon stone, does not transfer independently into the foundations of New Jerusalem, yet reappears transformed within sardonyx—testifying that what was once borne outwardly is now written inwardly. Agate, associated with wrestling under the natural order, appears only within the Law’s testimony and then vanishes, declaring that striving reaches its terminus when rest is entered.

Together, these stones will complete the witness begun in Part 1, showing that God’s refining work does not merely remove what cannot abide, but also transforms what He intends to carry forward into eternal reality.

— To Be Continued in Part 2 —

1 Samuel 4:1–22 The Glory had Departed From Israel

[Study Aired January 26, 2026]

Today’s study can be put under three sections. The first one is about the Philistines engaging the Israelites in a battle. The second one deals with the capturing of the ark by the Philistines. The last section has to do with the death of Eli and his two sons. 

The Philistines Engaged the Israelites in a Battle

1Sa 4:1  And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 
1Sa 4:2  And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. 

Here in verse 1, the word of Samuel is the word of the Lord. The word of Samuel being heard by all Israel implies that we are without excuse of not knowing the word of the Lord regarding what He requires of us. The Lord always seeks for an occasion to come to us with His judgment so that we are without excuse of not knowing His word.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

For example, when the Lord wanted to judge the Philistines who had dominion over the Israelites, He sought for an occasion through Samson to engage the Philistines in a battle. Israel here represents the Lord’s people who are used to being dominated by the flesh, signified by the Philistines. At a certain stage of our walk with Christ, we have to come to know that we are no match as far as our flesh is concerned. In other words, the Lord wants us to know our spiritual depravity before He comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to deliver us.

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

Verses 1 and 2 therefore show us how the Lord causes us to be overcome by the flesh (represented by the Philistines) to give Him the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives to judge the flesh. Israel being smitten by the Philistines in verse 2 is to show us our inability to overcome the flesh before the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to overcome the flesh on our behalf. 

Gal 5:17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 

It is instructive to note that the number of the Israelites killed by the Philistines was 4,000 (4 x 10 x 10 x 10) men. The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. The number 10 means the fullness of the flesh. The three tens means that our spiritual maturity through the process of judgment begins with us realizing that our flesh had dominated us to the fullest extent. In other words, the whole of the Lord’s elect must be overcome by the flesh before the Lord comes to us with His judgment to bring us to maturity. For example, Gideon, a symbol of the Lord’s elect, had to be overcome by the flesh (Midianites) before He was given victory over them.

Jdg 6:12  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 
Jdg 6:13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 

Jdg 8:4  And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. 

Jdg 8:7 So Gideon said, “Well then, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” (ESV)

1Sa 4:3  And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. 

In our spiritual poverty, we behave just like the elders of the people of Israel, who do not understand that the Lord has occasioned our defeat by the flesh. Our thinking at that time of our walk was that if only we have the tangible presence of the Lord, signified by the ark with us, we shall be saved from our flesh. The elders of Israel here are a symbol of the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon who have no clue as to what it takes for the Lord to grant us victory over the flesh. This is what it takes to overcome the flesh:

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

The spirit here is the word of the Lord and therefore walking in the spirit is living according to the word of the Lord. As we have been shown in the word, we have to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit and not the letter, which kills. 

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

To be able to walk in the spirit implies that we are able to understand the Lord’s words in the spirit. This is achieved through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh which is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord in the fire.

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 

Walking in the spirit and not fulfilling the desires of the flesh therefore implies that as we are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, our flesh is being judged, and it is through this that we learn righteousness or learn not to fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.  

1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 
1Sa 4:5  And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 

Shiloh represents the church system of this world or Babylon. As indicated, the ark symbolizes the presence of the Lord. The people sending to Shiloh to bring the ark means that it is the church system of this world which seeks to validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. It is important to note the mention of Hophni and Phinehas with the ark of the covenant of God. This is what we know about Hophni and Phinehas from previous studies:

The mention of Hophni and Phinehas as priests of the Lord at that time in Shiloh is to make us aware of the deplorable state of the leaders of the church system of this world which we were ushered into at the beginning of our walk with Christ. This is what the word of the Lord says about Hophni and Phinehas, who were sons of Eli, the high priest:

1Sa 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 

1Sa 2:17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. 

According to Strong, the sons of Eli being referred to as sons of Belial is to show us their deplorable state as they epitomize wickedness. One of the principles of the word of the Lord is the is, was, and will be nature. If at the time of Hannah, the leaders of the church system of her day were sons of wickedness, then it means that the situation today is the same, that is, evil men are in leadership. 

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Mic 3:11  Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the LORD when they say, “After all, the LORD is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.” 
Mic 3:12 Because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple mountain will become a worship site covered with trees. (GW)  

Jer 5:30  A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; 
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? 

Our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world, represented by the physical Jews, require a sign, while the people of this world (Greeks) seek after wisdom. 

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 

The Israelites requesting for the ark means requesting for signs and wonders. What this means is that our brothers and sisters in the church system validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. This is what causes them to be deceived as we shall see in this study.

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

The great shouting that greeted the presence of the ark in the midst of the Israelites is what we see today in the churches of this world as we see great excitement greet the performance of signs and wonders in the midst of the churches of this world.  They think the Lord has come in their midst just as the Israelites thought that the Lord was with them in their battle against the Philistines.

The Capturing of the Ark by the Philistines 

1Sa 4:6  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 
1Sa 4:7  And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 
1Sa 4:8  Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 

To understand these verses, we need to know the relationship of the devil with our flesh which is represented by the Philistines. The devil is the one who influences our flesh. Our flesh is the beast which is empowered by the devil. 

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Verses 6 to 8 show us that the Philistines were afraid and were wondering who shall deliver them from the hands of the mighty Gods, when they heard that the ark of the covenant has come in the midst of the Lord’s people. When Christ comes to us to begin our walk with Him, the power of our flesh is initially subdued. This is what it means for the beast (our flesh) to have a deadly wound. Verses 6 to 8 therefore show us the nervousness of our flesh when Christ comes to us to begin our journey. 

1Sa 4:9  Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 
1Sa 4:10  And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 
1Sa 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Over time, however, our flesh’s deadly wound is healed through the false doctrines propagated by false apostles, parading in the corridors of the churches of this world as the Lord’s elect.

2Co 11:13  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Therefore, we become worse off and are of no match to our flesh. As shown in verse 10, the great slaughter of the Israelites means that we were overwhelmed by our flesh. This scenario is what Apostle Peter described as follows:

2Pe 2:20  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 
2Pe 2:21  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 
2Pe 2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 

It is important to note that the number of Israelites who fell that day amounted to thirty thousand footmen. The number thirty can be broken down as follows:

30,000 = 30x10x10x10. The number thirty on a positive note denotes reigning with Christ as shown in the following verses:

Gen 41:46  Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

On a negative note, the number thirty means the spiritual death of the Lord’s elect. 

Jdg 20:39  the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 

Num 20:29  And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Deu 34:8  And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 

The Philistines’ slaughter of 30,000 men of Israel therefore signifies the fact that as the Lord’ elect, we become spiritually dead in Babylon as our flesh reaches its fullness. 

The ark of the Lord being taken by the Philistines in verse 11 signifies the man of sin or our flesh sitting in our temple or our hearts and minds, claiming himself to be God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

As a result, we profane the name of the Lord among the people of this world during our time in the churches of this world.

Eze 36:20  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 
Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 

The death of the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, who represent the leaders of the church system of this world, is to let us know the spiritual bankruptcy or death of the leaders of the church system of the world or Babylon who are overcome by the flesh. 

Isa 56:9  All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 
Isa 56:10  His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 
Isa 56:11  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 
Isa 56:12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

As shown in Isaiah 56:9, the leaders or the watchmen of the church system of this world are all devoured by the beasts of the field. That is to say that they are all dominated by the flesh which, in our study, is represented by the Philistines’ slaughter of the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. 

The Death of Eli

1Sa 4:12  And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 
1Sa 4:13  And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. 
1Sa 4:14  And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. 
1Sa 4:15  Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 

The man of Benjamin of the army of Israel, who escaped from the battle, rent his clothes and put earth upon his head is a symbol of the Lord’s elect. Rending one’s clothes and putting earth upon one’s head is a symbol of deep mourning and grief. It was a traditional Hebrew custom to express overwhelming sorrow, particularly upon hearing news of death, tragic loss, or national catastrophe.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 

As shown in the Book of Revelation, the Lord’s elect in this age, denoted by the two witnesses, are in a mourning mode as we carry the message of death of our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgment.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The man of Benjamin informing the people of the city about what has happened shows us that in the fullness of time, the Lord’s elect will be given the opportunity to preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon. As we know, a city in the Bible can represent Babylon or the church of the living God. In verse 13, we are shown that all the city was crying out after the message from the man of Benjamin. This means that as we preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon in the fullness of time, they will also mourn just as we are mourning in this age.

In verse 15, we are shown that Eli could not see as his eyes were dim because of his age (ninety eight). Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses which operates in the churches and in the world. When we are under the law of Moses, we cannot see the sons of God and their glorious liberty. 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

1Sa 4:16  And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 
1Sa 4:17  And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 
1Sa 4:18  And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 

What the man from Benjamin told Eli is that he fled from the Philistines and that Eli’s two sons have been killed. He also mentioned that the ark had been captured by the Philistines. As the Lord’s elect, we are overcome by our flesh (the Philistines) before we are given to win the victory over our flesh. As indicated earlier, the ark of God is the presence of the Lord and this presence is in our hearts and minds. The capturing of the ark therefore means that our old man or flesh is the one sitting on the throne of God in our hearts and minds, thinking that he is God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

Immediately he mentioned that the ark had been captured, Eli fell from his seat and in the process, broke his neck and died. As indicated, Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses. The death of Eli means that Samuel is the one to take over the mantle. The death of Eli therefore means that faith has come to us, His elect, and therefore, we are no longer under the law of sin and death, as the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

1Sa 4:19  And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 
1Sa 4:20  And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. 
1Sa 4:21  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 
1Sa 4:22  And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 

Phinehas’ wife denotes the church system of this world or Babylon which is in bondage with her children. Her death shows us that the church system of this world is spiritually bankrupt. 

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

To understand the meaning of the glory departed from Israel, we need to know what the glory of the Lord represents. The first time the word “glory” was used in the Bible, it referred to the wealth of Laban as follows:

Gen 31:1  And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.

The second time glory was used in the Bible, it shows the wealth, the power and authority of Joseph in Egypt.

Gen 45:13  And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

These examples of the use of glory show us that the glory of the Lord has to do with His spiritual wealth, power and authority. Therefore, Phinehas’ wife naming her son Ichabod, which means that the glory is departed from Israel, implies that the children of the harlot woman (the church system of this world or Babylon) shall not be given to know the spiritual riches, power and authority of Christ. In other words, they have not been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

We thank the Lord for this opportunity to know Him in this age. Amen.

The Spiritual Significance of Numbers – The Number Seven

Completion Especially of Judgment

[Study Aired January 25, 2026]

Seven days are required to complete the weekly cycle.

If the number six signifies an unpurified and incomplete creature, then the number seven signifies a creature which is being purified by the fiery Word of God and is being completed by entering into the same rest Christ has entered. That explains why we are told in Genesis 2 the Lord will end the work He is making on “the seventh day.”

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:2 informs us that it takes “the seventh day [for God to] end His work…” The physical realm is just a temporary, yet essential predecessor to the spiritual realm. Here are two verses which make this Truth clear to us:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The holy spirit confirms this doctrine in the book of Hebrews:

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

What does “enter into His rest” mean? Does it mean to keep and observe the seventh day sabbath? That was certainly all it meant under the law of Moses. What does “the seventh day” signify under ‘the law of Christ’ (Gal 6:2)? Does refraining from labor for 24 hours on the seventh day of the week complete and purify a man? Of course not! Refraining from labor on the sabbath does not change any man’s heart. This is the spiritual meaning of “entering into His rest”:

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Keeping an outward sabbath, or any “day, month, time or year” (Gal 4:9-10), is “mine own righteousness, which is of the law [of Moses]” (Php 3:9). ‘Ceasing from our own works’, our own “righteousness which is according to the law” is “the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Php 3:9).

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?  [What are these “weak and beggarly elements” which keep us from “being known of God? Here they are:]
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

The “labor” of entering into the Lord’s rest is a matter of “ceasing from our own works” and “laboring” to do the works of Christ. Our works are very much connected to our reward.

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Works do not save us, but Christ repeatedly made it clear that our works are connected to our reward.

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

When we perform good works in secret, seeking no recognition from men, the Lord promises to reward us openly:

Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Mat 6:4  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

A spirit which does what it does simply to please God is that spirit which is “entering into the Lord’s rest” because such a spirit realizes the truth of these words:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Our ‘work’, our ‘fear and [our] trembling”… what we ‘will to do’, and what we ‘do’ are all “Christ working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

It is of utmost importance that we understand that the verbs of Genesis 1:27 are in the qal stem signifying the incomplete nature of what the Lord is in the process of doing to complete His creation and create a “new man.”

Here again is that verse:

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

All three times the verb ‘created’ appears in this verse it is in the qal stem. This is what we are told of this ‘qal stem’:

“The Qal stem in Biblical Hebrew is not inherently past, present, or future.  Instead, it expresses aspect—specifically, whether an action is complete (perfect) or incomplete (imperfect)—rather than tense.

“Thus, the Qal stem’s meaning depends on aspect and context, not a fixed time frame.” (End Quote)

I then inquired if Biblical Hebrew has past, present and future tenses, and this was the answer I was given:

“Biblical Hebrew does not have past, present, and future tenses in the same way that English does. Instead, it operates on an aspect-based system, distinguishing between completed actions (Perfect) and incomplete or ongoing actions (Imperfect), rather than strict chronological time.

“This aspectual system means that temporal meaning is derived from context, not from the verb form alone.  As such, the same verb form can be translated as past, present, or future depending on the situation. This is why scholars emphasize that Biblical Hebrew verbs are better understood in terms of action completion rather than fixed time markers.

“Bottom line: While Biblical Hebrew can be translated using past, present, and future tenses, it does not grammatically encode time in the same way. Its core system is based on aspect—whether an action is completed or not—making it fundamentally different from Indo-European languages like English.” (End Quote)

Knowing what we have just read, and knowing that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 15:50), and knowing that “we were called in Christ before the world began” (2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2), we now know beyond any doubt that the first man Adam was never intended to be the completion of the Lord’s creation:

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

If indeed “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”, and if indeed “our calling… was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”, then it does not take a rocket scientist to understand that “the first man Adam” the vessel of clay which was “marred in the Potter’s hand” (Jer 18:4) was never intended to be the finished product as Babylon teaches the first man Adam was. Indeed, the present incomplete status of mankind is exactly what we are told was the purpose of God for this present evil age all along:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20  All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it [qal stem, ‘is making it’] again another vessel [“the new man”], as seemed good to the potter to make it.

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Both verbs in Ephesians 4:24, ‘put on’ and ‘is created’ are in the aorist tense which functions in the same way as the Hebrew ‘qal stem’ which we just discussed.

The only thing that was ever intended to be in the image of God was ‘the new man which is in Christ’:

Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man [‘the first Adam’] with his deeds;
Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Death and the grave are associated with the corruptible, incomplete vessel of clay which is “marred in the hand of the Potter” and which the Potter is in the process of “making it again as it seemed good to the Potter to make it.” When He is finished with making mankind in the form He has intended to make it “from the beginning of the world” it will require that all men of all time must enter into His rest. The way we enter into His rest is by ceasing from our own works on “the seventh day”, as the apostle Paul reveals in the book of Hebrews:

Heb 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Heb 4:5 And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Heb 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest [“from (our) own works”, (Heb 4:10)] to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that [spiritual] rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

2) The completion of the first Adam

Lamech’s generation is the completion of mankind before the flood. Lamech was Noah’s father. Lamech’s generation, in type, completed the rule of rebellious mankind. This fact is signified by Lamech’s age, 777. Three sevens signify the process of judging incomplete mankind.

(3) The completion of the rulership of incomplete mankind and the judgment of incomplete mankind in the flood is signified by Lamech’s age at the time of his death:

Gen 5:28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
Gen 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
Gen 5:30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

The seventh from Adam was used by God to prophesy of the completion of the rule of the first Adam:

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

3) The judgment of all of mankind

The judgment of Jericho typifies the judgment of all mankind. Here is how that judgment was announced.

Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Jos 6:6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.

Jos 6:8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

Jos 6:13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

Seven priests with seven trumpets? Does this sound familiar? These same “seven trumpets” are mentioned in the New Testament:

Heb 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Who are these angels?

Rev 19:10 And I fell at his [the angels] feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Rev 1:3 Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The above verses are written to those who ‘have eyes to see and to read, and are given ears to hear (they that hear the words of this prophecy)’ what God is saying to them.

It is crucial to understand that the Greek word translated as ‘keep’ in Revelation 1:3 is G5083, ‘tereo’, and this is what it means:

G5083

τηρέω
tēreō
tay-reh’-o

From τηρός teros (a watch; perhaps akin to G2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from G5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from G2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): – hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.

Total KJV occurrences: 75

4) Complete Corruption of Mankind

The adversary is tasked with the complete corruption of the Lord’s creatures, and that corruption is described as seven times “more wicked than” he was to begin with:

Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

The beast which signifies all of mankind is described in type as having “seven heads”:

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Here is why  this “beast… [has]seven heads”:

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

The ‘father’ of the beast with seven heads is this ‘great red dragon’ the devil:

Good or evil, the principle by which we understand the invisible realm is the same:

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

5) Complete Judgment of God’s Elect and of the Church Requires Three Sevens

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Heb 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

What is the message to the church through the seven angels? That message is given in three stages, signifying the fact that the whole book of Revelation is revealing the process of our judgment. The first stage is:

1) Seven seals

Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Rev 5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Seven seals reveals this book is completely sealed away from the understanding of the natural man. The second stage of our judgment is the seventh seal which consists of:

2) seven trumpets:

Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The seventh trumpet is:

3) Seven angels with seven vials to be fulfilled in the lives of all who are given to stand on the sea of glass:

Rev 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Rev 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

Who is it who opens the eyes and ears of God’s elect?

Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

It is “one of the angels which had the seven last plagues which shows us our judgment. Here is who that angel signifies:

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him [“The angel which showed me these things”, (Rev 22:8-9)]. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

These ‘seven angels’ are each of us as we give to each other “that which every joint supplies” (Eph 4:15-16) and as we ‘fill up in our bodies that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church’ (Col 1:24).

“The testimony of Jesus Christ which is the spirit of prophecy is how we nurture and feed each other, and that spiritual nourishment is signified by the number seven:

6)  Complete Nourishment is signified by the number seven:

Bread is a type of God’s Word:

Mat 15:34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
Mat 15:36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude [This is the channel of God’s Truth].

7) God’s Truth is complete, and it is inexhaustible:

Mat 15:37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

Mar 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

8) Our Forgiveness Must Be Complete or the Lord will judge us as we judge others:

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. [Complete and total forgiveness knowing that even the offences are “of the Lord”, (Pro 16:1, 16:4)]
Mat 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [ him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. [“Forgive… seventy times seven”, vs 22]

“The sum of Thy Word” adds “if he repent”, as both of these servants did at first:

Luk 17:3  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

We must never let anyone lead us to believe that God’s grace and His forgiveness comes without repentance and “fruit meet for repentance”. It most assuredly does not.

Mat 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Song of Solomon

[Study Aired January 24, 2026]

Introduction

How can any carnal husband, signifying Christ, consistently connect with His Bride unless she responds to Him with Her Breasts Wholly?

That enigmatic and misogynistic-sounding caption no doubt jars the Babylonian Christian sensibilities, stabbing at the very heart of female rulership. Yet, it doesn’t antagonize the Shulamite Bride, whose breasts’ significations, physically and spiritually, are the overarching theme of this study; she goes out of her way to amplify their righteous and truthful interpretations for her husband’s glory, reversing the lies and dreadful burden of her curse.

The Song of Solomon, shrouded in poetic mystique to all but the Bride of Christ, is her God-given “New Song” referenced in Revelation 14:3, mirroring her Husband’s Song of Songs perfectly. Its physical sensuality, signified for only the Bride to see spiritually, is a ‘short work’ (Rom 9:27-29) of unifying courtship with her Husband, Christ, a spiritual sensuality too ravishing to prolong (Psa 42:1, Son 5:2, 1Co 7:36) before consummation in the First and holy Resurrection. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psa 42:1)

Since the Bride has come this far in unity with her Husband, it is absurd to rehash every understanding of Scripture, particularly of her ‘old whorish song’ she knows too well, to support the introduction. Therefore, statements will frequently be made without scriptural substantiation, as her indwelling New Song has already validated her journey.

Isa 43:18  Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 
Isa 43:19  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?

The righteous Body of Christ, having reached this point in becoming “as he is” [see our IWWB studies fast becoming like a post-movie-like review of our (idiomatic) ‘hoary-whorish’ past (Eze 23:43)], serving to starkly contrast the Bride’s glorious Song of Songs, her orchestral consummation that is her husband Christ’s Song of Songs.

Indeed, it is a boldly accurate and outspoken statement to assert that the New Song, which only the emblematic 144,000 (12×12) “could learn,” represents the Bride of Christ’s God-given and sole spiritual comprehension of the New Covenant—the number symbolizing her nearing the completion in her Body of the completeness of sinful flesh filled up behind Christ in his Body, for the Church’s ultimate foundation. 

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

Although resulting in blasphemy, it is not a sin for Orthodox Babylonian Christians to read the Song—and they do, every Sunday—selecting agreeable aspects of the Bible, filtered through their Old Song, and changing the lyrics to be more benevolent, even romantic. In fact, and like them straining their eyes in the ‘blackness’ to see the Beast, the man of purdition, the New Song is right before them, but to force them to understand it is casting our pearls (G3135 – word of great value) before swine; but their reading or discordant singing it for 2,000 years soundly validates God’s word that it is only the Bride who can understand what she is singing.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

The Song of Solomon, expressed physically and coitally spiritually, illustrates her unified, connective joy being raised from her sleep, and granted the singular opportunity, above all women, including the five foolish virgins, to reverse her curse, celebrated spiritually!

Mat 9:23  And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
Mat 9:24  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 
Mat 9:25  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 
Mat 9:26  And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. 

Est 2:16  So Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 
Est 2:17  And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. 

Queen Esther represents the Bride of Christ, superceding her self-serving sisters depicted as Queen Vashti and Old Israel. It all happened in the Tenth Month, in which the Day of Atonement falls, whereby she becomes one with her Husband, Christ, beginning the salvation of mankind in marriage at the beginning of the Seventh Year, the One-Thousand Year reign with the rod of iron.

Zec 8:19  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace. [Heralding the One-Thousand Year reign, the beginning of the salvation of mankind under Christ and his Bride]

Isa 52:10  The LORD hath made bare his holy arm [symbol of strength] in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

Jer 39:1  In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against [Old] Jerusalem, and they besieged it. [Symbolically making the way for the New Heavenly Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ] 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed [Perfect Tense] from the earth. 
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 
Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. 

Rev 5:11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 

Interestingly, Christ, the tree of life, is referred to as “she.” Christ’s wife is as He is, a co-savior of mankind. She, the fruitful vine, produces and saves the twelve tribes of Israel, representing the entire world. If we multiply her 12 fruits by 12 months, the result is 144,000; those sealed in Israel, again, represent humanity as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

The Bride of Christ, especially in these outwardly visible ‘last days’ before the First Resurrection, although still being saved right up until Christ’s outward return, already has eternal life attributed to her. She is already standing on Mt. Zion with her Lord; she is the voice from heaven, harping on harps in perfect unity with her Husband’s voice, insensible to the world. She has been learning her “new song” and, more importantly, daily living it; singing it ever since being dragged from being defiled by the 40,000 ‘women’ of Zionist, Orthodox Christianity, and other abominable religions. “And they sang as it were a new song… (Rev 14:2) 

The Bible primarily serves as a map of salvation, a cryptic depiction of the mysterious, symbolic, and turbulent journey of a young woman. Initially represented by Eve, she embodies all women and symbolizes the Church in the wilderness, submitting to her husband in a fickleness that is both sexual and spiritual. Strangely, the Odyssey was initiated by her husband, Adam’s troubled subconscious failure to love his wife (1 Tim 2:14), as evidenced by his reluctance to object when Eve and he ate from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It set her, as a symbol of the Church, in a position of ruling mankind’s religiosity, on a covert path to inevitable harlotry—a notion insulting all outwardly considered virtuous women, clandestinely indicting men, the same. Ultimately, a remnant “little flock Church” was given to “come out of her” to become the virtuous Bride of Christ. The Bible is primarily dedicated to her, guiding mankind as numerous as the stars of heaven, on a similar troublesome journey in a later timeframe. It reflects a fierce spiritual struggle over who truly is God: man or “the God of gods”. From the Garden of Eden onward, its broadly progressive themes can be categorized into six short headings, all of which are first dramatically represented through unrighteous indulgence and worldly sensuality, which the Bride ultimately aligns with righteously.

• God’s Headship Rejected

• Adam tamely abdicates headship as Eve assumes command

• Mankind  subverts the creation of God sensually, unwittingly facilitating the experience of evil

• Christ reestablishes headship, to which the Bride vivaciously responds

• The Song of Solomon – Is the Bride’s Effervescent Response now “to” Her Husband 
• Resulting in salvation for all

So, why does the Bride sing The Song of Solomon anew?

It is only the Bride of Christ who is given her Lord’s same song for her alone, distinct from all of humanity since Eden, to understand. It is a “new song” just as the New Covenant is New, leaving the Old Covenant as a fascinating shadow pointing to all things spiritually.

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. 

Since men are biologically designed to have a significantly greater sex drive than women—with testosterone levels 10-20 times higher—this disparity in libido spiritually reflects Christ’s passion for his Bride and the world, and their corresponding dispassion, symbolized by wives like espoused indifference. Astonishingly, it symbolizes the Father and Son’s love and fervor for the world; their agreement that the Son should become flesh and die for an exceptionally insensible humanity and their ultimate salvation!

Women’s and wives’ inherently intentional sexual impassiveness is essential to ensure an “experience of evil” and bitterness in their husbands to portray humanity’s rejection of Christ starkly.

Mostly, when we see in scriptures someone “ministering” to another physically, as did Abishag (1Ki 1:15) to King David amorously, although fruitlessly to raise his body temperature, and carnally the envisaged Shulamite to Solomon, that ministration almost always holds a potent spiritual concept for our understanding—that melody tremendously mirrored by the Bride in the SoS.  

Ministered H8334 – to serve; to attend. And for the Song of Solomon’s cause, meaning espoused dues. As exemplified by Abishag to King David, and subsequently mirrored by the Bride spiritually towards her Husband, Christ, as His workmanship, thereby demonstrating our love for Him and intentionally seeking to ravish Him profoundly, as he does, the Bride.

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the [chastening] grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the spirit of Christ, which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels [The Elect – the Bride] desire to look into.

So, why does the Bride sing The Song of Solomon anew? Because her Lord ministered to her understanding and has aroused her symbolic spiritual testosterone levels somewhat equal to his, ravishing her spiritual libido, now vastly different from her carnality, so she can harmoniously ravish her Husband’s song upon her lips—“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine” – Son 1:2.

Since the holy spirit conceived the Bride of Christ, she has been learning her new song of understanding the New Covenant, which wine represents, rapturously celebrated spiritually in Solomon’s Song. Soon after conception, she turns to her Husband with a Mary(mother of Christ)-like astonishment, “Rabboni”, and with shivers down the soles of her feet, the humiliating and blunt realization that her curse from Eden all but destroyed her physical espoused intimacies with her husband, representing her spiritual blindness. It all began because of Adam’s symbolized self-emasculaton, wounded in his stones and privy member, dispatched to being poor and needy of heart, indirectly responsible for the now poor and needy Eve’s ‘devastation’ (H7736) of being wounded in her breasts that she was consigned to deception; humiliated forever (aonian) for her gullibility.

Psa 109:22  For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 

Males’ Privy and Females’ Breasts are Complex Symbols of Espoused Disunity, for a Rare Few, Reconnecting Spiritually

For God to initiate the spiritual recreation of humankind, He needed to introduce the outwardly unique phenomenon of sex temporarily. Its distinctive sub-strait of lust incites many different kinds of injurious marital irregularities in men and women, aspects of which their genders manifest differently and often divergently. Anatomically, its most characteristic features, which are key to understanding the fundamental spiritual issues of all marital disparity, are first psychologically and physically evident in the significance of males’ genitals and females’ breasts. The meaning of those two concealed, soon-to-be-famous trademarks from Eden has a profoundly devastating impact, with divergent implications for every courting couple, and, most importantly, on carnal marriages and all aspects of human existence. Covertly, the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, elegantly and righteously, expresses their unpolluted carnal representations for the Bride of Christ to understand and live as spiritually expressed in the Song of Solomon.

Upon Adam passively rejecting their Lord’s command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, his action unwittingly severely wounded his headship. Probably unconsciously, Adam sees his privy members as symbolizing his headship and authority in marriage. Involuntarily ruled by his pudenda and not wanting to wound Eve’s sensitivities by powerfully and lovingly restraining her reasoning, he passively submitted to her emotionally convincing logic. By eating the forbidden fruit and covertly rejecting his Lord’s command, his action rendered him symbolically impotent in his role as Eve’s head. Nonetheless, and to his God-given, and possibly unwitting credit, as the literal First Adam, he did lay down his life for the weaker vessel, his wife, by eating with her, accepting the magnitude of their curses and becoming the first Scapegoat let go alive in the wilderness outside of Eden.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Now, because he listened to his wife, the symbol of his headship, his privy members are cursed psychologically (for some traumatized husbands, physically), where espousal intimacies, symbolized in the psychologically wounded “ground” of his wife’s breasts, her heart, her seat “within”, and the response of a million sensory titillations, are injured mostly beyond repair. Irregularly, access to her ground, her mind, breasts, and womb, with vindictive impudence, she guards. Adam’s vital physical and spiritual connection with her for connectively consummative joy is now utterly controlled by her. His physical and spiritual unity with her is now primarily accessed only for her pressing need of conception — cursed is his ground, where the key to accessing ‘his garden and vineyard’ is held by her. Now representative of all men and husbands, he sees, and more so feels, thorns and thistles every time he dares intimacy—she, embodying all future women, deftly sees coming a mile off, and with an airy smile, artfully redirects. Emotionally bereft, he wasn’t deceived, but like a moth to a flame, he ignored the signs of silence; his attempts to connect were consistently dismissed. It was all her growing, intrinsic game of power, addicted to control, relying, even relishing her husband’s servile attentiveness—subconsciously, a little uncomfortably. He fawningly hangs on, hoping, searching the net, fantasizing about fixes. Home life outwardly to Babylon, appears that he has it all sorted;  appearing wealthy with a lovely wife and children— ‘the ungrateful creep…’.  

He soon finds out that he no longer symbolically ‘eats’ with her in espousal communion since she is injured in her breasts, and he, in his privy member and stones. Ensnared by his own sensual devices, he realizes too late that he forsook his Samson-like strength of headship—classically gave it all away to an emblematic harlot. Now, he is blinded by subservience to her emotions in the vain hope of sensually arousing his; restricted to eating “herbs” and crumbs, characterized by drip-fed intimacies, rarely eating strong meat; gelded, psychologically, spiritually and physically flaccid in starved espousal connections—bitterly. The level of sensual, romanticized security is excessively insistent, filled with a million emotionally nuanced hurts. It is cunningly biased in her favor, equally ‘inventively’ nurtured by her doting paramour as she expected before marriage, and is carried forward into marriage without fulfillment, becoming painfully unsustainable and resentfully so.

So, too, did the Lord of the Old Covenant experience with his wife, Israel, indicting all women, representative of the Babylonian church, and mankind—rejecting His word, His priests, broken in their stones, wounding His heart in calling his life-saving food ‘loathsome light bread’ (Num 21:5).  The Shulamite physically in the Song of Solomon representative of the Elect of God, soundly reverses that dreadfully sorry condition of disconnectedness, each day, spiritually.

Deu 23:1  He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. 

Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 

Hos 9:14  Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. 

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Luk 16:21  And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 

1Co 7:3  Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: [God’s will, and kindness for her specific emotional needs amplified sexually, as she fulfils his] and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 
1Co 7:4  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
1Co 7:5  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; [reconnection!] and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. [Paradoxically, righteous spiritual incontinence is a ravishingly good thing]

1Co 6:19  What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 
1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 

The embryonic Bride of Christ, upon journeying through the wilderness of Babylonian marriage, initially mourns the story and the ‘woman’. The Old Adam fell in love with the sexual version of her he created through hope and belief in her initial gloriously connected harmony in almost all things, a fantasy, built on lust, not willingly believed that highly sensual emotions emanating from the flesh, signified by her breasts and his pudenda’s cravings. Ultimately, it will always disappoint; both in type, a ‘fugitive and a vagabond’ of vain lusts, always wandering and like Cain, temporarily advantageous for God’s purpose as we feed our enemy negatively (Gen 12:20), but never finding the rest that can please God (Gen 4:12).

In realizing it is the Lord who drags whom He wills to himself, the New Adam’s power of his God-given authority is regained not by brow-beating spiritual wisdom spurned, but in silence, patiently awaiting the reason for the hope of his faith. In Eden, when Adam neglected to solemnly caution Eve about the impending danger associated with disobeying their Lord by consuming the forbidden fruit, it is evident that his weakness, permanently embedded in flesh, subsequently led her to question Adam’s capacity to guide her righteously. Consequently, she, along with all women, is effectively injured in her breasts, meaning, her heart. Thereafter, she is accustomed to men vying for her attention, as she possesses the authority over intimacy. That injurious saga, we will continuously see, is foundational to her curse, her stubborn resistance, her disease of not enthusiastically desiring intimacy, the hallmark of disunity. The eventual intimate healing of women begins in her heart beneath her signified wounded, bruised breasts that directly point to her spiritual healing. The Shulamite Bride now has an irresistible reason to trust in her husband, a balm to heal her wounded breasts—a Sabbath rest in Him, incredibly energizing her femininity to vigorously ravish Him, knowing from carnal experience that a husband will unfailingly respond to further awakening her intrinsically slower libido, all characteristically spiritual.

Jer 8:22  Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? 

The Bride, initially representing all women, is unnervingly drawn to the man she cannot control, one who delights in and desires her, but doesn’t need her, who doesn’t fill her every emotional void, who refuses to submit to her innate schemes. She confronts a force she cannot manipulate. She senses a man who has unravelled her ethos, knowing the foundation of her injury that even she hasn’t identified, and that man’s standing and beguiling authority revitalises her ‘breasts’ in a way she has never known. Yet, without the holy spirit, she regularly tests his virtue, and yet, strangely still rejects him, further deepening her confusion rooted in her dismissal of his authority in Eden.

Psa 65:4  Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. 
Psa 65:5  By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: 
Psa 65:6  Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
Psa 65:7  Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. 

A steeply decreasing carnal rarity and no greater peace and overjoy is there for a husband when blessed by his wife, glorying in his sensual responses to her, and redoubling her gratitude to Christ for having wonderfully created him so—the Bride, we shall see, enthusiastically and consistently ravishes her Husband spiritually.

Eve’s breasts, symbolic of her entire arresting form, we hope to see, represent her remarkable Ninja-like emotional glory, further provoking Adam’s involuntary erogenous sensitivities unquenchably; the combination, without the holy spirit, the Serpent uses to his gleeful advantage, igniting 6,000 years of adulterous wildfires represented spiritually initiated before they got out of Eden!

Within the meaning of that hidden theme of Adam’s privy parts and Eve’s breasts lies the profound reason why “no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand”, but the Bride! She, being ‘last’ in the order of gender authority, her every bodily element characteristic of Adam spiritually, becomes the emblematic ‘first’, the very thing she cravenly in Babylon, vociferously self-elevated (Pro 7:11, Rev 18:7).

The Great Whore’s song is likewise centered on Adam’s pudenda and Eve’s breasts as signatories of rejection of God’s word, the Shulamite in The Song of Solomon uninhibitedly reverses physically, and the Bride, spiritually—elegantly skilled in how to ravish her husband righteously, now delighting in his arousal, as opposed to formerly avoiding it, and right off the bat, she royally initiates,

Son 1:2  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. 

Every man in Babylon, and husbands, knows that heartfelt, deeply connected kisses are guaranteed for instant arousal and responsiveness; He says,

Son 4:9  Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. 

Every virgin damsel should be very well instructed, effusively committed with a sincere heart to learning the art of courting and marital affairs by her deeply caring mother and senior female peers representative of the Church in the craft of building her house, most honorably in the simple art of male ravishment, equally Christ’s spiritual captivation for her. Whereas previously, she scorned her father and mother’s wise directions, their hope of preserving her virginity physically and spiritually.

Pro 19:25  Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge. 
Pro 19:26  He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.
Pro 19:27  Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. 
Pro 19:28  An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
Pro 19:29  Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

Psa 123:2  Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

His sensual arousal is easy, but the excitement of creating a home environment of anticipation in a semi-passive hour-by-hour incitement denotes her single-eyed devotion singularly chained in virtuous harmony. Although the symbolism is deeply offensive to feminists, the Shulamite is delighted that all her needs are met by being chained to one man, juxtaposed with her sisters in Babylon, figuratively off the chain, with their feet never in their home, running around like Aholah and Aholabah, enslaved to their breasts incitations and their suitors profane passions, growing old in whoredom (Eze 23:43-44) — classic negative responsiveness of her heart and his pudenda.

Even though the following is in the last chapter in the Song of Solomon, it is the Bride’s desire from the outset, signified by the Promised Land springing with milk and honey, to be nursed at royal breasts (Isa 60:16 – GW), thereby eagerly ravishing her Husband for their mutually jubilant response.

Son 8:1  O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised. 
Son 8:2  I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. 

Those glorious verses, the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, utterly reverse the Great Whore’s unrighteous and lewd use of her physical ‘jewels’, physical sensualities, the Bride of Christ privileges spiritually! She reflects to her Husband his “house”, the very same house she now is. Having measured that pattern, she now reverses what she humiliatingly represented in Old Israel and Babylon, rejecting his spiritual intimacies.

Eze 43:10  Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
Eze 43:11  And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 
Eze 43:12  This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. 

Eve’s decision to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is typically an artful female ‘invention’ to challenge a male, particularly her husband’s strength and authority, initially unconsciously, always bearing with it a host of dreadfully injurious consequences to their love responsiveness to each other. It is the inception of Isaiah’s much later statement, provocatively derived from the BBE version, “As for my people, their ruler is acting like a child, and those who have authority over them are women. O my people, your guides are the cause of your wandering, turning your footsteps out of the right way.” (BBE). 

Adam and Eve are both now dictatorially governed by their most powerful gender-specific emotions, emanating through Adam’s pudenda and Eve’s breasts. Practically every emergent decision Adam and Eve make, intrinsic to their respective gender, we hope to see in an ensuing study, is grounded in Adam’s sexuality, directly identified in his privy, and Eve by her breasts. Every thought and action of theirs arises from those two most potent gender-specific roots that they both secretly demand be satisfied selfishly and indulgently from the other—the new emotion, selfishness, has strode into their lives. For Adam to be sexually gratified, it has to come from Eve; likewise, for Eve to be emotionally exhilarated, she depends upon Adam. However, because of Eve’s curse, causing her to be ‘against’ Adam, contentious on almost all relational fronts, she soon realizes that she can weaponize her innate slower arousal to her advantage for overly extended periods of emotional indulgences that later, she, like the Dead Sea, peters out into desolation without the necessity for consummation, leaving Adam parched. 

Mat 12:30  He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 

Adam, having cast his crown before her, the emblematic Ashtoreth and Diana—ironic in being rich in “fertility and war”—and the “moon”-like “light” of her boudoir love, he glorifying and honoring her for her sexual prowess, the mother of all living, he now, on a leash, “restrained” to her bidding. All quite the inverse to the following verses in Revelation and prerequisite to the Great Whore”.

Rev 4:10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure [Adam is…] they are and were created.

All is built upon the lust of the eyes, representative of every other sensory organ’s initiating lust.

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit.

For Adam and Eve, and their rulership coup in the making, about to guide 7,000 years of wandering with characteristic whorish footsteps never in the Lord’s house, their struggle for rulership authority indicts them both compulsively “acting like children.” However, the occasion is covertly governed, not only by breasts’ significations, but by every detail of Eve’s glorious feminine form, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psa 139:14), expressing a Satan-inspired sentimental delusion, knowing that he can easily reach Adam through his private parts, their singular central sensualities for Eve, and thus severely disarray the vast majority of marriages and the love spouses crave, designedly, temporarily destroying God’s order of headship in carnal marriages and societal leadership centralized on the church.

Inherently, and to varying degrees of responsiveness, a female’s highly sensory body and mind govern her every thought and action. After Eve’s deception, she naturally conceived the same female psyche in all women, testing (tempting) men and husbands by the emotional meaning of expressions stemming from her breasts. Just as Eve did, all wives and women, signified sexually, now innately test or tempt their husbands and men unwittingly to break God’s commands. It is now vividly portrayed in her every stunning bodily gesture, covertly centralized on her heart, her breasts signify, expressed pseudo-innocently in her every thought and action to which he both consciously and instinctively submits. 

Upon being expelled from Eden, the Adams of the world find themselves without a secure basis on which to lead their wives with righteous authority. His confidence is now fragile and easily psychologically and spiritually wounding his privy and stones by any woman, particularly his wife. His fundamental and concealed apprehension pertains to scarcity—specifically, the deficiency of authentic respect akin to that bestowed by a Job-like stature by other men within the gates of his city within. This diminishes his perceived strength in the eyes of others and renders him less attractive to women, thereby eliciting his most profound fear of sexual scarcity. As did Eve, women instinctively test that frame, not always maliciously, but to measure his strength. When he fails those tests, it’s not just the attraction that dies, but also the complete honor and respect. His focus on physical sensualities that Eve holds the keys, shackles him in that dungeon of the world, the deep, subservient to men and women—a most heinously wounded privy, indeed.

An oxymoronic absurdity of truth; if Eve hadn’t successfully tempted Adam to submit to her, Satan wouldn’t have deceived them to eat of the fruit.

Deu 6:16  Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah [= temptation; despair – now emblematic of Eden]. 

Although Solomon in Christ’s Song beautifully depicts a female’s provocative beauty, breasts uniquely symbolize many sensually glorious female qualities, their sensitivities too numerous for Solomon and modern lyricists to express concisely and gracefully in poetry. Like the Japanese, who seek the perfect cherry blossom each season, called the “Sakura”, from which comes the equally perfect fruit, a single cherry attracting exorbitant prices ostentatiously, all men, albeit unjustly, desire their ideal of the perfect female form, which they longingly hope is expressed back through facial acceptance of them, emanating from her eyes. In real life, a breathtaking ravishment almost unbearable—an art carved by Solomon from one Shulamite-like wife, the Bride of Christ is designed to lavish spiritually upon Christ, and he, upon her. In the meantime, in Babylon,

Pro 6:25  Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

2Ki 9:30  And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. 

Juxtaposed righteously by the Bride:

Son 4:9  Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

Ultimately, breasts and a male’s privates, symbols of all sensuality, powerfully influence each gender’s emotional experiences, stimulated through their eyes, govern their minds, the most potent sexual organ demanding action, without the holy spirit’s direction, speed marital disunity and bitterness. Due to a severe lack of marital connection, Solomon epitomized every carnal husband’s journey, not necessarily in outright adulterous relationships, but in his deep longing for one woman who would be unified with him, like Adam, looking in the wrong direction, seeking her to save him sensually.

1Ki 11:4  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 

From now on, the basis of every pre-Song of Solomon study is shaped by the physical disconnection. This is marked by a husband’s wounded private parts symbolizing his lost authority, resulting in his wife’s similarly wounded heart, centered in her breasts, which are emblematic of a deeply damaged emotional connection. The Shulamite physically corrects all that the Bride of Christ delights in living spiritually.

First, we need to understand who the Father of Lies is and his purpose in causing marital turbulence.

The Number Six, Part 3 – Incomplete Mankind

[Study Aired January 23, 2026]

God’s goal for mankind is to have this number 66 lived within us (mankind will live by every word of God) This 2X3 witness (2) and process (3) happening on both the first and the second Adam is the one event that is common to all men mentioned in Ecclesiastes 9:2.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

Notice that we are not told that ‘all things come alike to all at the same time.’ Neither does Ecclesiastes 9:2 say ‘all things take the same time.’ Those in the first resurrection, signified by the birth of the manchild, are being judged in this age, and will therefore be raised up from the dead in that “blessed and holy first resurrection.”

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead [who are not in the first resurrection and who do not reign with Christ a thousand years] lived not again until the thousand years were finished [“The rest of the dead” are signified by the time required to purify the mother when she brings forth a maidchild]. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The first 6 in the 66 days of the purification of the woman who brings forth a maid child is the marred Adam who is marred in the hand of the potter and in need of becoming a new creation. The only way this purification process of blood from a woman who gives birth to a maid child can be completed is to have the second Adam, Christ, conquer the first Adam (6) who is a beast who cannot make war with his flesh without Christ within that flesh.

Two sixes are mentioned for the purification process of the birth of a maid child showing that it is accomplished by the witness of the holy spirit working within each individual but also to demonstrate that this judgment is the double judgment God decrees is upon the maid child as opposed to the man child. Scripture declares we cannot make war with the beast, which we are, until our blood, which is a symbol of our words, is purified by His blood, which blood (Christ’s blood) is a symbol of the words of God which all men of all time must eventually live by.

We can see that the number 33 represents Christ and the elect easily enough. However, it may be a little less obvious to see that 66 represents the unfaithful wife of Christ, and what the unfaithful wife of Christ (the Church) has to do to be purified and inherit eternal life is all that is mentioned in these verses of Leviticus 12.

Lev 12:5  But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

She is unclean for two weeks showing that the unfaithful wife of Christ must go through two parts to go onto perfection. The first part of her purification, the first week of separation, signifies the time spent in the churches of Babylon by those who are not being judged in this life. ‘What we sow that shall we also reap’ applies to both the elect and to those who are not elect in this present time.

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Those who believe of the great harlot mother in this present time they can eat of her false doctrines and with their unfaithful mother they can wipe their mouth and say, “I have done no wickedness… I sit a queen and shall see no sorrow” will spend a second week being “judged according to their works” and being purified in the lake of fire.

Pro 30:20  Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Rev 18:24  And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life [whosoever was not given a part in “the resurrection of life… the blessed and holy first resurrection one thousand years earlier, Rev 20:4-6] was cast into the lake of fire.

This great harlot and her daughters require a second week of the same fiery purification endured by the manchild. It will simply require twice as much time for her and her daughters to be purified:

Lev 12:5  But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith, and the goal or prize of the mark of the high calling for the elect is to be found in that blessed and holy first resurrection which is a pure gift given to the very “few [who] first trusted in Christ”:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated [destined to be first] according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Since “all things come alike to all” (Ecc 9:2) that would mean that there is a process of judgment within those first two weeks of the maid child which are crammed into one week of “fiery trials” for the man child, and as such we see judgment is on the house of God now.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? [Judgment will be finished at the great white throne judgment, (Rev 20:11-15)]
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? [They will be judged according to their works in the lake of fire]

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. [The “blessed and holy… first resurrection”, (Rev 20:4-6)]

This gets into the seventy week’s prophecy in Daniel which talks about Christ being cut off in the middle of the week. The two witnesses who represent the elect finish Christ’s ministry or the three and a half year witness which is only able to be accomplished with Christ in them. Christ’s ministry is three and a half years, and the two witnesses complete the week of Christ’s ministry which was halted in midflight. The completed ministry of Christ is therefore only a week (man child) and not two weeks as it is for the maid child.

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days [three and a half years], clothed in sackcloth.

Lev 12:6  And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:

The lamb of the first year is needed for both the son and the daughter, which is another way of saying all of mankind are reconciled by his blood.

Being forgiven again is only part of the process. We must fill up in our bodies “that which is behind of the afflictions of the Christ in [our] flesh for His body’s sake which is the church.”

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Christ’s Adamic flesh is tied to the woman, as is our flesh. However, only Christ was able to escape the vanity of flesh by way of the holy spirit, and until the gift of the holy spirit was given on Pentecost our faith was yet in vain.

1Co 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Christ was resurrected and will save all mankind in their appointed time. Our sins are forgiven as the woman, the church (the body of Christ), however we are in the process of being saved.

In other words, being saved is not just to have our sins forgiven, but also to have our nature changed as we go from glory to glory to the eventual first resurrection where our Lord now resides in His own fullness, and in earnest within everyone who has Christ within them.

Lev 12:7  Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.

Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest [the mere down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession [the “blessed and holy first resurrection, (Rev 20:4-6)], unto the praise of his glory.

The issue of blood from which the woman must be cleansed is the process of growing in grace and knowledge as we have all of our false doctrines rooted out of us. In other words, our blood is purified by being washed with the word of God.

Lev 12:8  And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

These many divergent sacrifices, which are needed in this shadow of old, represent degrees of getting dominion over sin in our life today, and as the sin is conquered by Christ within us our comprehension will increase in matters of the spirit.

1Co 10:11  Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. (ASV)

1Pe 1:12  To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven; which things angel desire to look into. (ASV)

God is the one who orchestrates the whole procedure, creating the sin within us and bringing us to the point where we can confess our sins. By His goodness we are led to repentance and offer up the needed sacrifice, which in the case of this story in Leviticus is a shadow of our recognizing that Christ’s life was taken for our sins. We may understand that Christ died for our sins, but as we are given to grow to understand the deeper purpose of Christ’s life within us we will bring greater offerings unto the altar of God which is the cross that we are all called to carry.

When we bare each other’s burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God [Psa 107:1-31] leadeth thee to repentance?

Mar 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mar 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

With all that has been said to this point, let’s now examine some of the shadows and types in God’s word, which should reveal the significance of the number six as we compare line upon line and precept upon precept.

Isa 28:15  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

There is a negative and positive side to virtually every word in scripture, so before we are through with this study, I hope to show a few examples of the positive and negative use of the number six. Here is a list of some events which will hopefully strike us as revealing the true significance of the number six whether that would be in the negative or positive view of the number.

The more important exercise in understanding the number six is seeing its close connection to incomplete mankind and to Christ and the church which can then allow us to more deeply appreciate everywhere else in God’s word where the number or multiple of that number is mentioned.

A good exercise is to just do a search for the number six in e-Sword, and you could study the number six until the cows come home. Here are some examples of that.

The last two kings of Israel “did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.” They both reigned eleven years: 6 + 5 = 11 which shows that the number eleven carries with it the mark of the beast 6 and 5 for grace and faith which is how all men will be saved and brought to the foundation of Jesus Christ (number 12).

2Ki 23:36  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

2Ch 36:5  Jehoiakim [was] twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

2Ki 24:18  Zedekiah [was] twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2Ch 36:11  Zedekiah [was] one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:12  And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD his God, [and] humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet [speaking] from the mouth of the LORD.
2Ch 36:13 (a) And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

Leah, who was Jacob’s first wife, signifying our old man, bore Jacob six sons and was rejected of him as a type of our flesh being put off.

When Jacob brought his family down into Egypt after finding out that his son Joseph was still alive, it says that:

Gen 46:26  All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;

When the Israelites left Egypt, there were 600,000 men besides children:

Exo 12:37  And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

 When Pharoah pursued, there were 600 chosen chariots:

Exo 14:7  And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

All of this was pertaining to the flesh.

In the book of Chronicles when Samuel is talking about Solomon when his empire was at its greatest, we are told that the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year, was 666 talents of gold:

1Ki 10:14  Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,

This tells us that his empire had gotten as great as it was going to be and had apostatized from obedience to the Lord.

Goliath had a fellow giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.

1Ch 20:5  And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
1Ch 20:6  And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant.

Goliath, himself, was 6 cubits high, and his spear’s head was 600 shekels of iron.

1Sa 17:4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

1Sa 17:7  And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

Nebuchadnezzar’s “image of gold” was 60 cubits high and six cubits wide:

Dan 3:1  Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

This is a negative use of the number 6.

The Israelites had to gather their food for six days in the wilderness, and then they rested on the Sabbath which was a type of our entering into the rest that God provides from the true manna from heaven, Jesus Christ:

Exo 16:21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Exo 16:22  And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
Exo 16:23  And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Exo 16:24  And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
Exo 16:25  And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.

A Hebrew servant served for six years and was then set free:

Exo 21:2  If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

There are many other stories and combinations of the number 6, both negative and positive, which can be very instructive in learning the mind of Christ.

The number 6 in God’s word reveals how all flesh, including Christ’s flesh, is sinful flesh and tied to the earth which is an incomplete but necessary part of the Lord’s creation. I hope we are able to more clearly see the connection between the number 6 to the earth, the church, mankind and Christ himself.

Your brother in Christ,
Tony Cullen

[Tony can be reached for comments or questions at: anthocul@sympatico.ca]

The Number Six-Part 1- Incomplete Mankind

]]> https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/it-is-the-glory-of-god-to-conceal-a-thing-but-the-honour-of-kings-is-to-search-out-a-matter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=it-is-the-glory-of-god-to-conceal-a-thing-but-the-honour-of-kings-is-to-search-out-a-matter Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:17:57 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=35254 Audio Download

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing:
but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”

Part 1 (Pro 25:1-4)

[Study Aired January 22, 2026]

Pro 25:1  These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
Pro 25:2  It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
Pro 25:3  The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Pro 25:4  Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Verse two of this section of proverbs is very thought-provoking as it reminds us that all glory and honour is our God’s, even the glory that we initially take unto ourselves when we are yet carnal Christians, as explained in (1Co 4:7).

1Co 4:7  For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

Mankind has been shapen in iniquity (Jer 18:4, Psa 51:5), and that iniquity which is self-righteousness (Eze 33:13) has a form of glory or light, likened unto the moon that represents the law of Moses (2Co 3:9-14, 1Ti 1:9, Exo 34:29-35), which follows us right into our relationship with our Father and Christ, who is intent on destroying that self-exalting man of perdition, within the elect, first (2Th 2:3-7).

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

If we continue in the truth, the truth will crush that iniquity within us, or rip that veil of self righteousness to the glory of God, and the life of Christ that is concealed, will be revealed by the man of perdition being “taken out of the way” (Joh 8:32, Mat 21:44).

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

The honour for God’s people is in knowing that it is Christ doing the work, and that we are His workmanship (Luk 17:10), who are the first to trust in God in this life, to the praise of His glory (Eph 1:11-12). That trust is developed through much tribulation (Act 14:22), that comes with this blessed honour of knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ (Mat 13:16, Rev 20:6, Rom 8:18).

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Our great King is working in us both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure which is to give us the kingdom (Luk 12:32), resulting in our understanding the relationship that we have with them both, “At that day “ (Joh 14:20, Joh 17:3).

The things that God has concealed must be laboured for mightily in order to unearth them, and have them refined, by the fiery trials of this life (1Ti 6:12,  Joh 6:27, 1Pe 4:12).

1Ti 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Joh 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

This gift of God of being judged in this age (1Pe 4:17) is an ongoing process that is expressed in this proverb, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”. Christ is leading the way within the body of Christ as our head in seeking the kingdom of God first and his righteousness (Mat 6:31-34). We are laboring together to unearth those things which He has concealed, and God is rewarding the body of Christ for this ongoing workmanship that we are, in the Creator’s hands (Heb 11:6, Php 2:12-13, Eph 2:10). It takes the whole body of Christ for this endeavor to be fulfilled, and this is the great cloud of witness that the world is going to one day understand that God is forming now, and was forming, and will be forming until our last breath (Eph 4:16, Eph 3:20-21).

Here are ‘the matters’ that matter, that God has hidden from the world (Eph 2:8-19), and that we are blessed to be given a hunger and thirst for (Mat 5:6) as we search out, through the life of Christ, “the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”, resulting in the manifold wisdom of God being “known by the church the manifold wisdom of God”(Eph 3:10).

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Pro 25:1  These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

God has used the prophets and kings of this earth (Luk 10:24, 2Pe 1:21), and moved them to write words to be unearthed for their deeper spiritual meaning, when the holy spirit would be given to the body of Christ (1Pe 1:12, 1Co 10:11).

Luk 10:24  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry [flee from the idol of our heart that thinks we can stand without Christ and His body].

Pro 25:2  It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

As we just read, God has concealed the truth from all who cannot see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears (Mat 13:16). They are sacrificed in their unbelief for God’s elect, so that He can show mercy to all, in time (Rom 11:32). The honour given in this age is for the body of Christ, the kings of our Lord, to “search out a matter” today, and that ‘matter’ is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom 1:16).

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Pro 25:3  The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.

Pro 25:3 Who can fully understand the thoughts of a ruler? They reach beyond the sky and go deep in the earth. (CEV)

Jesus declared, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat 28:18), “The heaven for height, and the earth for depth”, which represents our minds in the Lord that are sealed with the holy spirit, and being worked with in this life (Eph 1:13).

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

God is working within the kings and priests He is preparing to rule and reign under Christ (Rom 11:33-36), and now we have the mind of Christ that makes it possible for us to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and saviour (1Co 2:14-16, 2Pe 3:17-18), a mind that is declared to be “unsearchable”, “how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Pro 25:4  Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Pro 25:4  Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel. (NIV)

Dross is the scum that forms on the surface of molten metal; and consists of the impurities that only rise to the surface as a result of great heat (1Pe 4:12).

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

One of many spiritual lesson in this physical process for God’s elect to observe, is to not despise that fiery process but rather rejoice that God is dealing with us as with sons who are being received through that very hot scourging and chastening process (1Pe 4:17, Rom 2:4, Heb 12:6, 1Pe 4:13).

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings;(Rom 8:18) that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy

Every sacrifice shall be salted with the salt of (Mar 9:49), and it is all for the purpose of turning us into vessels that are “meet for the master’s use [through our Father who is the Spiritual Silversmith, and a Consuming Fire Heb 12:29], and prepared unto every good work” (2Ti 2:21, Rev 19:7).

It’s instructive to note that in the physical realm sodium hydroxide, which has the element of salt in it, is used to accelerate that process of extracting the dross during the refining process. That salt, symbolizing the holy spirit, is the key component in the lives of God’s children that makes it possible for us to endure, and bear all things, and hope all things, and go through this refining process until the end (1Co 10:13, Rom 8:9, Php 4:13, 1Co 13:7).

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Smelting and a refiner’s fire are related but not the same; smelting is the process of extracting metal from its ore by heating, while a refiner’s fire specifically refers to the purification of metals by removing impurities through intense heat. Both processes involve high temperatures, but smelting focuses on extraction, whereas refining emphasizes purification.

This refining process is analogous of the spiritual process God’s elect have been called unto (Rom 8:30-33).

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

These two processes [smelting and the refiner’s fire] help us understand how we can see judgement unfolding in the world, but it is only the necessary first stage of what will lead to the refiner’s fire that purifies the metal in question (Mat 21:44). God permitting that is us in this age (Heb 6:1-3). Clearly, we go unto perfection by a process of judgement that takes our entire life if we are God’s first fruits in this life (Luk 13:32).

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;(Luk 13:32) not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

God is humbling His children in this age through the relationship that we have with the Pearl of great price, Jesus Christ (Mat 13:45-46). It is to God’s glory that we are hidden in Christ, and baptized into his death (Col 3:3-4, Rom 6:3-4), concealed from the world, and it is our honour to seek out this matter of the life of Christ within us, our hope of glory, who is revealed through the refining process of filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ for his body’s sake (Col 1:26-27, Col 1:22-24).

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

In this first part of chapter 25 the main point I want to emphasize is that “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”.

Only Christ can open up the seals in the book of revelation within us (Rev 5:4-5), where the knowledge of the Kingdom of God has been concealed and hidden from the world. It is also to God’s glory that Satan can be used to blind all the nations (2Co 4:4), and at an appointed time for every man, Christ can enter into our life via the holy spirit so that “the honour of kings is [can be] to search out a matter” (Php 2:12-13).

Rev 5:4  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Gemstones: Foundations of New Jerusalem, Part 2

[Study Aired January 20, 2026]

Introduction

Part 1 of this article established the twelve foundations of New Jerusalem as the apostolic testimony—the permanent, unchanging apostolic foundation resting upon Christ Who builds His church. We examined the testimony of the twelve apostles, the spiritual significance of the number twelve, and Christ’s role as the chief cornerstone. Now we turn to examine how these foundations fulfill what the High Priest’s breastplate foreshadowed, how the gates and foundations work together in God’s redemptive plan, and how divine glory fills the eternal city.

Throughout Scripture, God reveals His purpose through patterns of progression—from natural to spiritual, from shadow to substance, from type to fulfillment. Paul declares, “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46). The High Priest’s breastplate represented the natural; New Jerusalem’s foundations reveal the spiritual. Understanding this progression illuminates God’s eternal purpose to transform humanity from the carnal Adamic nature into the spiritual Christic nature.

Comparison with the High Priest’s Breastplate

The High Priest’s breastplate and New Jerusalem’s foundations both display twelve precious stones representing complete governmental foundation, yet their differences reveal profound theological progression. Understanding these distinctions illuminates God’s redemptive plan moving from shadow to substance, from type to fulfillment.

The breastplate’s stones, specified in Exodus 28:17-20, included sardius, topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, diamond, ligure, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx, and jasper. New Jerusalem’s foundations present jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth, and amethyst. Some stones appear in both lists—jasper, sapphire, emerald, beryl, topaz, amethyst—demonstrating continuity between old and new covenants. Both arrangements rest upon God’s unchanging character and purpose. Yet the divergent stones and altered sequence reveal that the new covenant fulfills but does not merely repeat the old.

The breastplate’s foursquare design, doubled to create a pouch for the Urim and Thummim, symbolized God revealing His will through the High Priest’s ministry. Israel approached God through Aaron, who bore their names upon his heart when entering the holy place. This arrangement typified Christ’s present ministry as our High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us. Paul explains, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The breastplate demonstrated God’s present provision for His people under the old covenant—Aaron bearing their names, making intercession, seeking divine guidance.

New Jerusalem’s foundations, by contrast, represent the completed work of redemption—not ongoing intercession but eternal establishment. The twelve foundations bearing the apostles’ names declare that God has accomplished His purpose, finished the work, and established His people upon an unshakeable base. This explains why the foundations are exactly that—foundations supporting walls, not garments worn by priests. The completed building testifies to completed redemption.

The breastplate’s stones bore tribal names according to birth order—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin. These names traced natural descent through Jacob’s sons, establishing identity through physical lineage. New Jerusalem’s foundations bear apostolic names representing spiritual calling, divine appointment, and direct revelation from Christ. The shift from tribal to apostolic names marks the transition from natural Israel to spiritual Israel, from physical descent to spiritual birth, from law to grace.

The arrangement of stones also differs significantly. The breastplate displayed four rows of three stones each, with specific stones occupying designated positions. New Jerusalem’s foundations present twelve distinct layers, each fully encircling the city’s base. This architectural difference reveals theological truth. The breastplate’s four rows symbolized the four corners of the earth—God’s people gathered from all nations, yet still organized by tribal division. New Jerusalem’s continuous foundations demonstrate complete unity—no division, no separation, all believers sharing equally in the same foundation. Paul declares, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The unified foundation structure makes visible this spiritual reality.

Most significantly, the breastplate required continual maintenance and replacement as high priests died and new ones succeeded them. Aaron wore it, then Eleazar, then Phinehas, generation after generation. The physical stones remained, but the priest wearing them changed. New Jerusalem’s foundations, by contrast, require no replacement, no succession, no maintenance. They stand eternally fixed, supporting the city forever. This permanence reflects Christ’s superior priesthood, for He “continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood” (Hebrews 7:24). The apostolic foundation likewise endures forever, never requiring update or revision.

The progression from breastplate to foundations thus demonstrates redemption’s movement from temporary to permanent, partial to complete, shadowy to substantial. Both collections of twelve stones testify to God’s faithful government of His people, yet New Jerusalem’s foundations reveal the eternal reality toward which the breastplate always pointed.

The Gates and the Foundations

New Jerusalem’s twelve gates and twelve foundations work together to reveal complete truth about entering God’s presence and dwelling there securely. The gates provide entrance; the foundations ensure permanence. The gates bear the names of Israel’s twelve tribes; the foundations bear the names of the Lamb’s twelve apostles. This parallel structure demonstrates both continuity and progression in God’s redemptive plan.

John describes the gates: “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates” (Revelation 21:12-13). The gates are positioned at each cardinal direction—three east, three north, three south, three west—permitting entrance from every point of the compass. This arrangement signifies universal access. Jesus declared, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). The gates’ orientation in all four directions makes visible this drawing of people from every nation.

The tribal names on the gates honor Israel’s role in redemptive history. God chose Abraham, established covenant with Isaac, blessed Jacob, and brought forth twelve tribes to be His special people. Through Israel came the promises, the covenants, the law, the prophets, and ultimately Christ Himself. Paul acknowledges, “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came” (Romans 9:4-5). The gates bearing tribal names testify that God’s purpose always centered on bringing salvation to all nations through Israel.

Yet entrance through gates bearing tribal names does not mean salvation comes through natural descent from Abraham. Rather, the gates testify that God’s covenant promises find fulfillment through Christ, the true Israelite, the true Son of Abraham, the true heir of all promises. Those who enter do so not by physical lineage but by spiritual birth. Jesus explained, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The new birth, not natural birth, grants access through these gates.

The relationship between gates and foundations illuminates essential truth. Gates provide entrance but offer no permanent support; foundations bear weight and ensure stability. Similarly, we enter God’s kingdom through faith in Christ, but we remain in that kingdom through the solid foundation of apostolic doctrine. Paul warns, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14). The apostolic foundation provides stability against doctrinal deception, enabling believers to grow steadily toward maturity in Christ.

John notes that each gate consists of a single pearl: “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl” (Revelation 21:21). Pearls form through suffering—an oyster responding to irritation by coating the intruding particle with layer upon layer of nacre until a precious gem results. This process perfectly symbolizes Christ’s suffering producing our salvation. He endured the cross, despised the shame, and through His suffering opened the way into God’s presence. Entry through pearl gates means entering through Christ’s suffering, appropriating by faith what His sacrifice accomplished.

Yet Scripture also reveals that those who enter through this gate are called to follow the same pattern. While Christ’s suffering alone accomplishes redemption, those who belong to Him are appointed to be conformed to His image through shared affliction. Paul declares, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10). Again he explains, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24).

These sufferings do not add to Christ’s finished redemptive work, for His sacrifice is complete and sufficient. Rather, they complete the application of that work within His body, as believers are shaped, refined, and transformed through the same process of obedience, endurance, and submission that Christ Himself walked. As the pearl forms through repeated layers produced by irritation, so believers are refined through tribulation, being clothed with Christ through endurance. Thus, those who enter through the pearl gates do not merely acknowledge Christ’s suffering—they are called to walk in His steps, bearing the cross appointed to them, until His life is fully revealed in them.

The gates remain perpetually open: “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there is no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it” (Revelation 21:25-26). This openness signifies ongoing access to God’s presence. Christ does not admit believers once and then close the door. The way remains open, the invitation continues, the welcome never expires. This perpetual access contrasts sharply with the old covenant, where only the High Priest entered the most holy place, and only once yearly. Now, believers have “boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). The open gates make visible this bold access.

The nations bringing their glory and honor into the city reveals the ultimate scope of redemption. God’s purpose extends beyond saving individuals to transforming entire nations. The kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. What began with twelve tribes becomes multitudes from every kindred, tongue, and people. The gates bearing tribal names thus point, not to exclusion, but to the divinely appointed means through which universal blessing flows. Abraham received the promise, “And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). The perpetually open gates, receiving glory from all nations, demonstrate this promise’s fulfillment.

The Glory of God and the Lamb

The twelve foundations, though magnificent in their beauty and essential to the city’s structure, serve ultimately to support and display God’s glory. John emphasizes that New Jerusalem requires neither sun nor moon for illumination: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23). The city’s brilliance derives not from created luminaries but from the Creator’s unveiled presence.

Throughout Scripture, God’s glory represents His manifest presence, His revealed character, His visible excellence. When Moses requested, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory” (Exodus 33:18), God responded by revealing His goodness, proclaiming His name, and displaying His mercy. Glory encompasses all that God is—His holiness, His love, His power, His wisdom, His righteousness, His truth. In New Jerusalem, this glory fills the city completely, requiring no secondary light source.

The designation “the Lamb” holds special significance. Throughout Revelation, Christ appears as the Lamb who was slain—simultaneously demonstrating His sacrificial death and His victorious resurrection. John introduces Him: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6). The Lamb bears the marks of sacrifice yet exercises complete power (seven horns) and perfect knowledge (seven eyes). His death purchases redemption; His life sustains the redeemed.

When John declares the Lamb is the city’s light, he affirms that Christ’s finished work provides eternal illumination. The cross, which appeared as defeat and darkness, proves to be the source of perpetual light. Paul writes, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The glory of God shines in Christ’s face—the Lamb who was slain yet lives forever.

The foundation’s precious stones interact with this divine light in magnificent ways. Each stone’s unique color, clarity, and brilliance reflects different aspects of God’s glory. The jasper’s transparency reveals purity; the sapphire’s blue declares sovereignty; the emerald’s green testifies to life; the sardius’s red speaks of sacrifice. United in one foundation, these stones create a spectrum of reflected glory, demonstrating that God’s character encompasses infinite dimensions of excellence.

John’s description of the city’s appearance emphasizes its relationship to light: “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). The entire city manifests God’s glory like a jasper stone—perfectly clear, utterly transparent, radiantly beautiful. This clarity means nothing obscures God’s presence. No sin dims His light, no rebellion clouds His revelation, no darkness interrupts His manifestation.

The promise finds complete fulfillment: “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4). Seeing God’s face—the ultimate expression of intimate fellowship—becomes the believers’ eternal privilege.

The apostolic foundations make this glory accessible to all nations. John observes, “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it” (Revelation 21:24). The nations walk in this light because the apostles proclaimed it to the world. The apostolic testimony, preserved in Scripture and supported by these twelve foundations, continues drawing people to God’s light.

This perpetual illumination fulfills ancient prophecy. Isaiah declared, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3). New Jerusalem represents this prophecy’s complete fulfillment—the city arising in splendor, God’s glory shining forth, nations streaming to its light.

The relationship between God and the Lamb as the city’s joint light source reveals the unity of Father and Son. Jesus declared, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). This unity extends beyond mere agreement to essential oneness of being. The glory of God and the light of the Lamb function together as one source of illumination because the Father and Son share one divine nature. Yet the Son’s unique role as the Lamb—the sacrifice who purchased redemption—means He manifests this glory specifically through His redemptive work. We see God’s glory most clearly in the Lamb’s sacrifice.

The Eternal City Realized

When John describes New Jerusalem, he notes, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (Revelation 21:22). The entire city exists as God’s dwelling place, with Christ and the Father functioning as the temple. The cornerstone becomes the temple itself—not a component of something greater, but the very presence that fills all things.

The twelve foundations supporting this city’s walls demonstrate that God’s eternal dwelling rests upon the apostolic testimony concerning Christ. Everything the apostles proclaimed finds its ultimate vindication when New Jerusalem descends. Their testimony about Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension to the Father, present high priestly ministry, and coming glory—all proves eternally true.

The progression from natural to spiritual reaches its culmination. What began with Adam formed from dust concludes with glorified saints transformed into Christ’s image. The pattern God established from creation—transforming natural humanity through process into spiritual maturity—finds its perfect fulfillment. Paul explains, “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 15:47-49).

The foundations garnished with precious stones testify that this transformation produces genuine beauty, lasting value, and eternal glory. Each believer becomes a living stone in God’s spiritual temple, reflecting divine glory through transformed character. Peter writes, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The precious stones adorning the foundations represent believers glorified and perfected.

The measurements of the city reveal divine perfection. The wall stands twelve thousand furlongs high, the same measurement as its length and breadth, forming a perfect cube. This cube recalls the Most Holy Place in Solomon’s temple, which also measured as a cube—twenty cubits by twenty cubits by twenty cubits. The entire city becomes the Holy of Holies, filled with God’s presence, accessible to all who enter through the gates of pearl.

Conclusion

The twelve foundations of New Jerusalem reveal the culmination of God’s eternal purpose. What the High Priest’s breastplate foreshadowed through natural representation, the foundations fulfill through spiritual reality. The tribes gave way to apostles, the temporary to the permanent, the shadowy to the substantial.

The gates and foundations work together, demonstrating that entrance comes through Israel’s Messiah (gates bearing tribal names) while permanence rests upon apostolic testimony (foundations bearing apostolic names). The pearl gates testify to Christ’s suffering; the precious stone foundations testify to His glory. Together they declare that salvation flows from God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel, extends to all nations through Christ, and establishes believers upon the unchanging foundation of apostolic doctrine.

The glory of God and the Lamb fills this city with perpetual light, requiring no sun or moon. The foundations’ precious stones reflect this glory in myriad colors and brilliance, making visible the infinite excellence of God’s character. What once could only be approached with fear now invites intimate fellowship. What once required High Priestly mediation now permits direct access. What once admitted one priest once yearly now welcomes multitudes perpetually.

The transformation from natural to spiritual, from Adam to Christ, from carnal to glorified finds its perfect completion when New Jerusalem descends. The pattern established from creation—God forming natural humanity with the express purpose of transforming them into spiritual maturity—reaches its intended goal. Every believer stands upon the apostolic foundation, built together into a holy temple, reflecting divine glory, dwelling in God’s immediate presence forever.

As we await this city’s descent, we live according to its principles now. We stand upon the apostolic foundation, refusing all teaching that contradicts Scripture. We enter through the gates of pearl, acknowledging that Christ’s suffering alone opens the way to God. We reflect divine glory however imperfectly, being transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit. We maintain hope in the city’s complete manifestation, knowing that present suffering cannot compare with coming glory.

The precious stones adorning the foundations—jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth, amethyst—each declare specific aspects of redemption. Individually, they receive detailed examination in separate articles within this series. Collectively, they testify that God’s redemptive work encompasses every dimension of transformation necessary to bring natural humanity into spiritual glory.

The twelve apostles whose names grace these foundations did not appoint themselves. Christ chose them, revealed truth to them, commissioned them, and preserved their testimony in Scripture. Their words form the permanent record of divine revelation—complete, sufficient, eternally established. No subsequent teaching can improve upon it, no new revelation can supersede it, no doctrinal development can replace it. The foundation is laid; the city will be built according to its pattern.

John’s vision concludes with an invitation that echoes across the ages: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). The foundations support this invitation. The gates stand perpetually open. The glory fills the city with light. The Lamb who was slain yet lives provides eternal life to all who come.

May we, by God’s grace, be found standing upon this unshakeable foundation when New Jerusalem descends from heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. May we enter through the pearl gates, walk on streets of gold, drink from the river of life, eat from the tree that yields twelve manner of fruits, see God’s face, and serve Him in His eternal city—built upon the foundation of the apostles of the Lamb, illuminated by the glory of God and the light of the Lamb, secured forever by Christ the chief cornerstone.

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

1 Samuel 3:1–21 The Lord Calls Samuel

[Study Aired January 19, 2026]

The study for today highlights the call of Samuel by the Lord. It also touches on the Lord’s pronouncement of judgment on Eli’s house. Finally, it shows us how Samuel was growing spiritually as the Lord continues to reveal Himself to him through His word.

The Lord Calls Samuel

1Sa 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 

As indicated in the previous study, Samuel ministering before Eli is the same as him ministering before the Lord. This is because whatever we do for any of the Lord’s elect, we have done it for the Lord. It implies that as we minister to one another, we are ministering to the Lord.

Mat 25:37  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 
Mat 25:38  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
Mat 25:39  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 
Mat 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 

Samuel being referred to as a child means that he was not mature in the things of the Lord. In today’s jargon, we will say that Samuel was a baby in Christ. We may be ministering to the Lord and yet are babies. This is what it means to be babies in Christ:

Heb 5:12  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 
Heb 5:13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. (ESV)

In verse 1, we can see that Samuel’s immaturity in the Lord is because he had not been exposed so much to the word of the Lord since the Lord’s words were rare during Samuel’s early stages of life. In other words, there was famine of the word of the Lord. Samuel’s early walk with the Lord is the same as our early walk with Christ in the sense that we also experienced famine of the word of the Lord since the church system of this world or Babylon, with which we started our walk is starved of the word of the Lord. 

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 
Amo 8:13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.  

Apart from the word of the Lord being rare in Samuel’s childhood days, there was also no open vision. According to Strong’s Dictionary, vision in this sense means revelation, and open here can mean to increase or grow. What this implies is that during our time in the churches of this world, there was no increase in revelation of Christ. In other words, what we knew about Christ when we entered Babylon had not increased. Actually, we became worse off due to the false doctrines which we imbibed. 

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

If we are to grow in grace, then our knowledge of Christ or His words, must increase. Fortunately, in our time, knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom has increased tremendously as we get closer to the end of this age. This was prophesied by Daniel as follows:

Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 

As indicated here in Daniel 12:4, this knowledge, which will increase at the time of the end, does not pertain only to the word of the Lord. In the field of science and other areas, there have been major breakthroughs in knowledge resulting in the use of artificial intelligence to solve many problems that we were grappling with for many centuries. All of these show us that the end of this age is almost here with us. Indeed, the time is at hand!!

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

1Sa 3:2  And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 
1Sa 3:3  And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; 

The eyes of Eli becoming dim represent the fading glory of the law of Moses which makes it difficult for us to see the law of the spirit of life which sets us free from the law of sin and death, when we were in Babylon. 

2Co 3:7  Now if the ministry of death (the law of Moses), carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end
2Co 3:8  will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 

2Co 3:12  Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 
2Co 3:13  not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 
2Co 3:14  But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 
2Co 3:15  Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 
2Co 3:16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 

As shown in verse 3, the lamp of the Lord had not yet gone out in the temple of the Lord as Samuel laid down to sleep. Samuel, in this case, represents the Lord’s elect during our time in the church system of this world. The lamp of God signifies the word of the Lord. 

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

Therefore, what verse 3 is suggesting is that even though we, as the Lord’s elect, were spiritually becoming more bankrupt (laid down to sleep), in our hearts and minds (the temple of God), the word of the Lord had not fully gone out of us. It is this word in our hearts and minds that makes us answer to the Lord’s call in our spiritually dead state.

Job 14:15  You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands.

1Sa 3:4  That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. 
1Sa 3:5  And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 
1Sa 3:6  And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
1Sa 3:7  Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.  

In verse 4, the Lord calling Samuel signifies the Lord coming to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness when we were in the church system of this world or Babylon. 

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

This coming of Christ to us during our time in Babylon is usually not something spectacular like what happened to Paul when He was going to Damascus to arrest the Lord’s elect. Usually, the Lord comes to us through His elect who speak to us the truth of the Lord’s word. However, just like Samuel, we mistake the voice of the Lord through His elect and think that it is the voice of our pastors of the churches of this world. If we are given to realize the voice of the shepherd through His elect, that is when we are given to say that blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

As stated in verse 7, the reason we were not able to hear the voice of the Lord is because during our time in Babylon, we did not know the Lord yet because we have not yet been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. We were part of the multitude that came to hear Jesus but heard parables which we did not understand. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  

Most of us experienced the call of the Lord several times before we began to pay attention to Him. For example, Abraham, our father in faith, had to be called twice before he responded to the Lord’s call. The Lord appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia and also in Haran before Abraham moved to the promised land. Calling Abraham twice signifies that the Lord always leaves a witness of His relentless pursuit of His elect. As His elect, nothing shall separate us from the love of the Lord.

Act 7:1  Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 
Act 7:2  And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 
Act 7:3  And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 
Act 7:4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.   

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 

Gen 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1Sa 3:8  And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 
1Sa 3:9  Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
1Sa 3:10  And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

The calling of Samuel three times by the Lord and Samuel still thinking that it was Eli calling is to show us that Samuel had not gone through the process of becoming spiritually mature through the Lord’s judgment (the significance of three). It means Samuel was still a baby in Christ. That was our situation when we were in the church system of this world before the Lord came to us to begin the process of our exit from Babylon.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

The fact that Eli, who represents the fading glory of the law of Moses, was able to instruct Samuel about how to engage the Lord in a conversation means that the law of Moses was needful at a certain point in our walk with Christ, when we were in the church system of this world.  

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

It is through the law that we come to know that of our own, we can do nothing. It is this knowledge which serves as the basis of our relationship with Christ as we begin to walk by faith in Him or His word.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

In verse 4, Samuel finally answered the Lord’s call. It was at the fourth call by the Lord that Samuel was able to respond appropriately. The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. Therefore, Samuel responding to the Lord’s fourth call implies that as His elect, the Lord will use the whole of His communication arsenal to get our attention at the right time. 

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 

This is what the Lord is doing in this age. He is standing at our door and knocking and it is only the Lord’s elect that are hearing Him, just like Samuel and not Eli, who also represents the leaders of the church system of this world. Therefore, the door is being opened to us to come and dine with the Lord. 

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

The Judgment of the House of Eli

1Sa 3:11  And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 
1Sa 3:12  In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.  

It is only the Lord’s elect who are aware that the church system of this world or Babylon shall be destroyed in the fullness of time. What the Lord will do, which will tingle the ears of the people of this world, is the destruction of Babylon. Babylon within each of us must be destroyed first before we can be set free to worship the Lord in truth and in spirit. In verses 11 and 12, the Lord was telling Samuel what He was going to do regarding the church system of this world. 

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 
Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

On the other hand, there is also the physical or outward destruction of the church system of this world or Babylon through the judgment of the Lord in the fullness of time.  

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 
Rev 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 

1Sa 3:14  And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. 

According to Brown-Driver-Briggs Dictionary, the word “forever” in verse 14 means as far as, until, up to, etc. Therefore, it means that the iniquity of Eli’s house which represents the church system of this world or Babylon will not be cleansed by the sacrificial blood of Christ in this age. 

1Sa 3:15  And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. 
1Sa 3:16  Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. 
1Sa 3:17  And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he said unto thee. 
1Sa 3:18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good. 

Samuel fearing to tell Eli the vision is to remind us that our communion with the Lord should not be proclaimed at the house-tops – it is private. Unlike Samuel, who represents the Lord’s elect, our brothers and sisters in the church system, especially their leaders will always talk about how the Lord is always communicating with them. Many times you will hear them saying, “the Lord told me …”, when the Lord has not said anything.

Eze 22:27  Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 
Eze 22:28 And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. (ESV)

Jer 23:16  Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. 
Jer 23:17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’” (ESV)

When the Lord wants us to share what He has shown us by way of vision, dream, etc., He will create the circumstance which will make us share what He has shown us, just like the case of Samuel. 

Eli’s response did not show any remorse, after Samuel told him everything about the evil the Lord would bring to his house. Compare this with the behavior of the people of Nineveh when they realized that the Lord would destroy them in forty days. They put on sackcloth and repented of their evil ways. The Lord therefore did not destroy them. As indicated earlier, Eli’s house will not be given the opportunity to repent and be cleansed by the blood of Christ. This means that the church system of this world will not repent in this age and therefore will not be cleansed in this age by the blood of Christ.

Jon 3:4  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 
Jon 3:5  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
Jon 3:6  For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 
Jon 3:7  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water: 
Jon 3:8  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 
Jon 3:9  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 
Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. 

Samuel Continued to Grow in the Lord

1Sa 3:19  And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 
1Sa 3:20  And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. 
1Sa 3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. 

Just like Samuel, the Lord is with us, and therefore we must feed on the word of the Lord to grow. It is very instructive to note that the Lord did not let any of His words fall to the ground. This means that the Lord will surely fulfill every promise He has made to us. 

Psa 138:8  The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. 

The Lord establishing Samuel as a prophet of the Lord in the eyes of the people of Israel in verse 20 is to let us know that the unbelief of the house of Eli or the church system of this world or Babylon has resulted in the Lord showing mercy to His elect in this age. This implies that in the fullness of time, through the mercy we have obtained, the whole of humanity shall also obtain mercy.  

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

As we are aware, Samuel later became like a ruler to the Lord’s people as He was consulted in all key issues pertaining to Israel. For example, when the people of Israel wanted a king, it was to Samuel they referred the matter. This is all to show us that our obedience to the Lord is preparing us to rule over the kingdoms of this world at the end of this age when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. 

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

It is important to note in verse 21 that the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Our eyes being opened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven is the same as the Lord revealing Himself to us, just like the case of Samuel. It is therefore not through signs and wonders that we perform or the size of our followers that authenticate the fact that we know Christ. 

We cannot therefore thank the Lord enough for favoring us in this age to know Him through His word. May His name be praised. Amen!