2Ki 2:11-25  “So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake”

[Study Aired August 4, 2022]

2Ki 2:11  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
2Ki 2:12  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 
2Ki 2:13  He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2Ki 2:14  And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
2Ki 2:15  And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
2Ki 2:16  And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 
2Ki 2:17  And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 
2Ki 2:18  And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? 
2Ki 2:19  And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. 
2Ki 2:20  And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
2Ki 2:21  And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
2Ki 2:22  So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 
2Ki 2:23  And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 
2Ki 2:24  And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
2Ki 2:25  And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

Each joint of Christ’s body is contributing in love to the labor He has called us unto, of seeing every part of His bride come into the unity of the faith “and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). He leads us into paths of righteousness for His name’s sake that restore us (1Co 15:58, 1Ti 6:6-8, Psa 23:1-4), and we are being persuaded through that relationship of obedience to His word “for his name’s sake” (Rom 8:38), that it is Christ who is doing that labor within us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure which is to give us the kingdom, a kingdom within, now (Luk 17:21). This is understood by knowing God and His son (Joh 17:3) in a relationship that we’ve been promised that none can separate us from if we are His (Php 2:13, Luk 12:32, Joh 17:12), and these truths are really at the heart of what Elijah and Elisha’s journeys will mean to God’s elect who are being led by the spirit of God today (Rom 8:14-16).

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [Php 2:12], forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord [Php 2:13].

1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out [1Co 15:50]. 
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content [the food and the raiment symbolize what we labor for with a hunger and thirst God gives us for His righteousness (Mat 5:6), a desire that God abundantly satiates as we seek the kingdom of God first and see all our needs met in Him (Mat 6:33-34)].

Last week’s study pointed to the transition of power that would be given to Elisha after Elijah went away, and it is a typical story written for the elect’s sake (1Co 10:11, 1Pe 1:12) of how the holy spirit would be sent to the church who were tarrying in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. They were told to wait on the Lord and the Lord, who does not change (Mal 3:6), will always be faithful to send the comforter to us as we learn to wait on Him, possessing our souls patiently (Luk 21:19) in Jerusalem above where we have been raised (Luk 24:49, Joh 16:7, Psa 27:14, Eph 2:6, Eph 3:10).

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: [“but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem“]

Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, [“but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem” (Heb 10:25)]

This section of the book of Kings typifies for us how we can work out our own salvation with fear and trembling as a result of having His life within us (Php 2:12, Col 1:27, Rom 8:9). With that life of Christ within us we can “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Pe 3:18) and learn to rightly divide God’s word through a lifelong process of “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” within us that is needful if we are going to be able to try the spirits outside ourselves (2Co 10:5, 1Jn 4:1). These heavenly endeavors spoken of in 2Corinthians 10:5 describe our spiritual wrestling match in this life, which is not against flesh and blood and is carried out in weak and contemptible earthen vessels that must die daily, “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” (Eph 6:12, Rom 8:13).

It is in Christ’s body, the church (Col 1:24, Eph 5:30), where we learn of ‘the principalities and powers in heaven‘ that we can rule over through Christ who is far higher than all those principalities and powers (Eph 1:21, Eph 2:6, Eph 3:10, Rom 8:37).

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

At this stage in Elisha’s journey, he is being separated from Elijah where great miracles are manifesting outwardly, as they did for Paul on the road to Damascus and the early church on Pentecost. When we no longer know Christ after the flesh, typified by Elisha not seeing Elijah after he departed in a whirlwind, then we begin to believe that Christ is abiding within us, and with that belief we can now do the work of God, works that will be typified by the actions of Elisha that we will be looking at in this study (Joh 6:28-29).

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

2Ki 2:11  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

The first thing we notice is that when we know Christ after the flesh and then don’t know Him in that regard, it takes great spiritual forces to separate us from that immature initial way of knowing Christ, and this separation is typified by this moment when Elijah and Elisha are still walking together both in their flesh and then “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven“. The chariot represents Christ who is the vessel of honor God gave to the church so He can increase and mature within us as a result of having our senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Heb 5:14). The discerning does not come about except there is power from God being given to help us through the process of having our senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Christ is that power in our heavens who makes this possible along with His word and His life within us, represented by “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire” that give us the ability to part way with our corrupt flesh, forsaking ungodliness and worldly lust (Tit 2:12).

Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Christ is the one represented by Elijah who has the preeminence in all things (Col 1:18) as Elijah, in type and shadow, was the first one to go on to perfection, which was typified by this separation from Elisha. The “chariot of fire, and horses of fire” represent the power of God’s word that separates us from our fleshly thinking via the judgment of God that is progressively explained in the four horses spoken of in the book of revelation (Rev 6:1). These “horses of fire” are a precursor to the horses talked about in Zechariah 6:1-5 and then later in Revelation 6:1 and reveal a progression of judgment that matures the body of Christ.

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 

Zec 6:1  And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. 
Zec 6:2  In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 
Zec 6:3  And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 
Zec 6:4  Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? 
Zec 6:5  And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

[It will be the matured resurrected first fruits of God having had the experience of  “These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth” accomplished in their heavens that will instruct others as to what these things mean saying, “Come and see.“]

2Ki 2:12  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 

Elijah told Elisha “if thou see me when I am taken from thee” then what you have asked me regarding receiving the double portion of spirit will happen (2Ki 2:10). In order to see Christ in whom we are hidden from the world (Col 3:3), we must have God’s spirit within us typified by the double portion that was given to Elisha, and so Elijah being taken away represents our now knowing or seeing Christ in the spirit, no longer needing to have signs of any nature (Joh 20:29) to convince us of our relationship with our Father and Christ and each other which now manifests within us (Joh 14:10, Joh 14:20) and brings forth the fruit of love that witnesses to this  outward relationship (Luk 6:43-46, Luk 17:20-21).

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Luk 6:43  For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Luk 6:44  For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
Luk 6:45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart [Col 1:27, Mat 13:46, Mat 6:21] bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Luk 17:20  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:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you [Joh 20:29].

This section of scripture where Elisha says “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof” is also typical of this section of scripture in Acts 1:9-11, and the last part of the verse which reads “And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces” is a type and shadow of the veil of the temple being rent, which temple we are (1Co 3:16) and can only be rent by Christ within us who gives us power over our flesh (Heb 10:20), or former conversation represented by Elisha’s old clothes that must be rent. The renting represents our putting off our flesh through Christ who is the faithful witness who makes this possible, and so it is in “two pieces” (Mar 15:38, Joh 8:36, Rev 3:14, Php 1:6).

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 
Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 
Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

Mar 15:38  And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: [Heb 12:2]

2Ki 2:13  He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 
2Ki 2:14  And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

After our flesh is rent, our own righteousness represented by the garment of Elisha (Isa 4:1), we are found in this ‘abased’ position represented by standing “by the bank of Jordan”^H3383 and begin to do the work of God symbolized by taking “up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him“. That it “fell from” Elijah is symbolic language of how the comforter is sent to us coming from heaven, from above (Joh 14:26, Jas 1:17)

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

It is with “the mantle of Elijah that fell from him“, representing the righteousness of Christ, that we can be given power to continue to search for the Lord with all our hearts (Isa 61:10, Rev 19:8, Jer 29:13).

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

We rightly divide God’s word like Elisha used this mantle of clothing to part the waters when he “smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” Smiting the waters is akin to these statements the apostle Paul made in 2 Timothy 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 9:27.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 

The water can represent our flesh or the word of God that must be tried within us through affliction, persecution, tribulation, and suffering, in order for these symbolic words to become a reality in our lives: “and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over“. The parting “hither and thither” is a witness to that symbolic language telling us that the word of God must be rightly divided in order for us to be baptized into Christ’s death (Rom 6:3) which baptism was also typified in the Red Sea when Israel crossed over (1Co 10:2, 1Co 10:11,  1Pe 3:21).

Christ is found in our lives by our being received of him through chastening and scourging that is represented by the smiting of the waters in this story (Heb 12:6). It is only when we cease from sinning as a result of suffering (2Ti 2:12) that we can go forward in our walk, and this increase is a gift from God who provides the water and the seed of which He gives increase (1Co 3:6). Notice that Elisha does what Elijah did first (2Ki 2:8, 2Ki 2:14) reminding us that Christ like us was tempted in all diverse manner and had to overcome all the pulls of His flesh and the powers and principalities in heavenly places as His body the church is able to do now through Him (Heb 4:14-16, Rom 5:10). With this gift from God we are becoming as Christ is (1Jn 4:17), and with the mind of Christ we can live to the will of God (1Pe 4:1-2) as this story typifies.

2Ki 2:8  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

2Ki 2:14  And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

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. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

2Ki 2:15  And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 
2Ki 2:16  And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 
2Ki 2:17  And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 
2Ki 2:18  And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho^H3405) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? 

The sons of the prophets see Elisha now at Jericho^H3405 which is a symbolic name that reveals that Elisha is now reflecting the light of Christ in type and shadow. The prophets saw him and said “The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha“. It rests on the prophets of old but it abides within God’s elect today (Rom 9:8). These prophets have been given a spirit of discernment and believe that Elisha is anointed and so “they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him“. What they’ve come to ask of Elisha however represents the idol of their own hearts and is not what Elisha wants to do. Elisha is told “there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master” which is a shadow of how we seek after the Lord with our own strength and not by being led by the holy spirit (Rom 8:14-16).

H3405 yerı̂ychô    yerêchô    yerı̂ychôh  yer-ee-kho’, yer-ay-kho’, yer-ee-kho’

Perhaps from H3394; its month; or else from H7306; fragrant; Jericho or Jerecho, a place in Palestine: – Jericho.

H3394 yârêach yaw-ray’-akh   From the same as H3391; the moon: – moon.

H7306 rûach roo’-akh  A primitive root; properly to blow, that is, breathe; only (literally) to smell or (by implication perceive (figuratively to anticipate, enjoy): – accept, smell, X touch, make of quick understanding.

These fifty prophets represent the way we can falsely apply grace in our search for Christ and reveal how we will not find him even as these prophets will not find Elijah who typifies Christ. God therefore answers us according to the idol of  our heart with all such endeavors as Elisha did with these prophets who continued to urge him to let them go search for Elijah by their own efforts (Eze 14:4). These words of the prophets, “Let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send” reminds us of the persistent spirit in Babylon to follow a man after the flesh (2Co 5:16, Heb 12:14).  Matthew 24:26 also mirrors this spirit shown to us by these prophets in regard to how the world says where Christ is, “Peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley.“

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

They were truly persistent and, trying to convince Elisha against his own will, the end result of that persistence is: “they sought three days, but found him not.” The fruit of that search yielded nothing; no stay of bread or water was found, represented by Elijah who is a type of Christ who they did not find. It also took three days to come to that conclusion as these actions represent judgment that was upon these ever-searching-but-never-able-to-come-to-the-knowledge-of-the-Lord prophets (2Ti 3:7).

When the search was over Elisha says, “And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?” But we do go, and all of our searching in Babylon is needful to create contrast for when we are given to find the pearl of great price, Jesus Christ (Mat 13:46). Then we can look back and clearly see the vanity of all our efforts of trying to only know Christ after the flesh.

Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

2Ki 2:19  And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. 
2Ki 2:20  And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.

The prophets reporting on the real condition of the city is a confession of sorts that the outside of the sepulcher is white, “the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth“, but the inside is dry and full of dead men’s bones: “but the water is naught, and the ground barren” (Mat 23:27-28).

Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 
Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

The new cruse with salt put therein that Elisha asked them to bring to him represents the new vessel God is making that was initially marred in the hand of the Potter (Jer 18:4), and the salt in the vessel is a symbol of the covenant of the Lord that He will heal the land so that it will become spiritually abundant in time. The salt also represents the fiery trials that must come upon the land in order to rid it of all impurities so that it can bring forth much fruit (Amo 3:6). Every sacrifice was salted with fire in other words (Num 18:19, Mat 5:13, Mar 9:49-50).

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.

Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

Num 18:19  All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

Mar 9:49  For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 
Mar 9:50  Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

2Ki 2:21  And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
2Ki 2:22  So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 

The waters being healed from that day forward “according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” is a reminder of what Christ has done for humanity, and how God “calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Rom 4:17). Christ’s life was sacrificed for us, and He represents these new living waters that were made possible by his presenting himself a living sacrifice to God which we now do through him (Rom 12:1-2). Christ is the salt of the earth within his people (Mat 5:13, 1Jn 4:17) and the words “I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.” spoken after Elisha “went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there“ is also expressed with these verses (Joh 6:55-56, Joh 4:10-11, 2Pe 1:8).

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed [Eph 5:30].
Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 

2Pe 1:8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is “according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” which symbolizes God’s word being sent forth to heal all the nations, first within the body of Christ upon whom His judgments are (1Pe 4:17), and then the rest of humanity in the great white throne judgment (1Pe 4:18, Rev 20:11-12) that this healing will be accomplished: “So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake“. It takes God’s judgments in our earth (Isa 26:9) in order for us to be healed which is what these symbolic actions of Elisha typify for us.

2Ki 2:23  And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 
2Ki 2:24  And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

It was as Elisha was heading up to Bethel, which means “house of God“, that God inspired these circumstances (2Ki 2:23-25) to demonstrate to us what happens when His judgments are in our earth. In the preceding verses we are told, “So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” and this healed water, which represents the undefiled word of God, was made so by the salt being put into “the spring of the waters“.

Then we are shown another outward example through Elisha who is a type of the elect of what God’s word can accomplish within us and how increase comes in our life through the destruction of false doctrines represented by these “little children out of the city” who “mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head”.

First, let’s establish this point that ‘children’ represent ‘doctrine’ in God’s word. In Luke 8:11 we learn “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God“, and the opposite of the “good seed” are “tares”, referring to doctrine in this parable in Matthew 13:38.

Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

These little children who come out of the city to mock Elisha in this story are a witness to the whole of Babylon that mocks us with their false doctrine, 4 being the whole and 2 representing the witness to the fact that there is no stay of bread or water in Babylon (42 children – Isa 3:1). It also shows us the utter carnality of Babylon as Mike describes in this FAQ:

Getting back to the story of Elisha and the children and the two bears, the number ‘forty two’ is closely associated with the works of the flesh. It is a multiple of six which is the number God has given to man, who was created on the sixth day along with the lion and the bear.  The fact that 42 is 7 sixes witnesses to the total carnality of these teenagers who were mocking the prophet of God. (Excerpt from Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word » Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty » The Two Female Bears and Forty Two Children (iswasandwillbe.com))

Elisha “turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD” which is what we can do when we submit to God and resist the devil (Jas 4:7) and repent of all the lies of Babylon, all the leaven of the Pharisees which is their doctrine (Mat 16:12) that tries to contaminate our spiritual house (Gal 5:9). We discern their falsehood by trying their spirits (1Jn 4:1) symbolized by Elisha who “looked on them”  and then cursed them “in the name of the Lord” (Zec 3:2, Jud 1:9).

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

Mat 16:12  Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 

Zec 3:2  And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 

Jud 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

The healing of the waters in our life through Christ is connected to this death of the forty-two children as they represent tares or false doctrine that must be plucked up and burned, and the means by which this is done in this story is by “two she bears out of the wood“. The woods are symbolic of the wilderness of Babylon, and the “two she bears” are a witness of Satan’s influence in the churches of Babylon [two she bears]. The power that God has over all such powers and principalities [two she bears] is demonstrated by the destruction of all these children. God uses the devil in other words as His sword (Psa 17:13) which is what happens here when Elisha “cursed them in the name of the LORD“.

All of this death happened because of the mocking that occurred to Elisha, and God tells us that this will happen to His elect as it did to Christ (Joh 15:20, Luk 23:31). The most noted case of mocking that comes to mind in God’s word was when Christ was mocked on the cross (Luk 23:36) as we are mocked and hated by all men for not running to the same excess of this world (1Pe 4:4) as we die daily and mortify the deeds of our flesh (Rom 8:13) being crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20).

The specific way that the children mocked Elisha was cruel and the insults were directed at his head saying “Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head“, so they were in type and shadow mockings that were directed at Christ his head. Elisha simply “cursed them in the name of the LORD” and the prophet of God knew this was not going to end well for these children (Amo 3:6-7). The obvious lesson is to honour your head (1Co 11:3), which we do when we don’t think above what is written (1Co 4:6) and cast “down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2Co 10:4-5).

2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

That he was bald can also signify both mourning and a new start on our road to Christ (Isa 22:12, Jer 48:37, Lev 13:40, Act 21:24)

Isa 22:12  And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 

Jer 48:37  For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. 

Lev 13:40  And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.

[www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-two-female-bears-and-forty-two-children/]
[www.iswasandwillbe.com/book-of-jeremiah-jer-471-7-the-day-cometh-to-spoil-all-the-philistines/]

2Ki 2:25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

After this destructive event of these children that represents the death of our old man and his false doctrines or tares, we are shown that Elisha’s life typifies the elect seed or vessel of honor that is dying to self and going to bring forth much fruit as a result of this process of dying daily (Joh 12:24).

The place that Elisha goes to now, after these events, will symbolize bringing forth much fruit in his life “mount Carmel”^H3760 and then after that he goes to “Samaria”^{H8111 H8104} to continue to be the watchman of God’s word that he represents.

H3760 karmel  kar-mel’

The same as H3759; Karmel, the name of a hill and of a town in Palestine: – Carmel, fruitful (plentiful) field, (place).

H8111shômerôn sho-mer-one’

From the active participle of H8104; watch station; Shomeron, a place in Palestine: – Samaria.

H8104 shâmar  shaw-mar’

A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: – beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).

Audio Links

Introduction

We saw last week that the lion, bear, leopard and the fourth dreadful and terrible beast of Daniel, are all to be found in the one single beast of Revelation 13 where the fourth great and terrible beast is there in Revelation, called a dragon.

We saw that according to Ecclesiastes 3:18,  “the estate of the sons of men, [if] God… manifests it to them, is that… they themselves are beasts.” Revelation 13 demonstrates that all the beasts of Daniel 7, symbolizing all the world-ruling empires of Daniel’s days, are now all within the single beast, which is each of us.

Note  how physical are Old Testament types:

Dan 7:16  I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
Dan 7:17  These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Dan 7:18  But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

The kingdoms of all four beasts are “the [one single] kingdom [which] the saints take and possess for ever.” We can now see that this kingdom is the same kingdom which Christ tells us is the new heavens and earth within us as God’s elect:

Luk 17:20  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:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

We saw that the “old serpent, the devil, and the dragon” are all the same evil spirit within each of us as God’s tool to work all things after the counsel of His own will. We saw that from the beginning the function of the adversary was to destroy Christ and His Christ.

We have also seen through the blessing of Judah and the use of a lion in several verses in Proverbs, that the lion can and does typify the function of God’s elect in relation to preying upon our sinful  flesh and upon the dragon within us.

Just like Aaron’s rod which became a serpent and devoured the serpents of Egypt’s magicians, so the lion of the tribe of Judah devours “your adversary the devil… as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

We now continue our study of the ravenous beasts of scripture.

A lion as both positive and negative

No story in scripture shows both the positive and negative application of a lion more that the story of Samson taking a wife of the Philistine city of Timnath.

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.
Jdg 14:5  Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
Jdg 14:6  And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
Jdg 14:7  And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
Jdg 14:8  And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, [ there was] a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
Jdg 14:9  And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
Jdg 14:10  So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.
Jdg 14:11  And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
Jdg 14:12  And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
Jdg 14:13  But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
Jdg 14:14  And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

This riddle of Samson should bring to mind the words of Joshua in response to the ten spies who “gave a bad report” of the land:

Num 14:6  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
Num 14:7  And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
Num 14:8  If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey [The milk and honey we enjoy in the promised land as babes in Christ].
Num 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not [“Out of the eater came forth meat”].

Joshua and Caleb felt like Samson when the spirit of the Lord came on him:

Jdg 14:6  And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him [the lion] as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

All the works of  ‘the lion’ against us become “bread for us.” “Out of the eater comes forth meat, and out of the strong comes forth sweetness.”

A lion devours God’s sheep and is capable of even devouring a lone unarmed shepherd. It is a rare shepherd indeed who is capable of slaying a lion and a bear that come into his father’s flock. A shepherd who can slay a lion and a bear can also go on to slay giant Philistines in the land.

1Sa 17:34  And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
1Sa 17:35  And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
1Sa 17:36  Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
1Sa 17:37  David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

What all ravenous beasts look for in their prey

One characteristic common to all beasts of prey is their attraction to the very young, the weak and the old. In other words, ravenous beasts of prey prefer the weak and will avoid the strong if they can. All such beasts want their prey to come to them. They are all patient until they make their move.

Bears  and leopards are more solitary and stalk their prey over a long area, while lions work together and surprise their prey. In every case they all prey upon the weak.

Psa 10:8  He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
Psa 10:9  He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
Psa 10:10  He croucheth, and humbleth [Hebrew: bowed down] himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

The adversary within preys upon us when we are spiritually poor.

Pro 28:15  As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

Don’t be spiritually poor. Be “very rich in silver and in gold…”

Gen 13:2  And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

Those whose riches are in heaven have a lion which destroys the things of the flesh while taking strength and nourishment from doing so.

Pro 30:29  There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
Pro 30:30  A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
Pro 30:31  A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

The lion and all beasts of prey are just instruments in the hand of a loving Father who will bring us all to overcome and devour the sinful flesh which “in time past” we have all been. When we finally come to see this, then even the ravenous lion, leopard, and bear are seen to be what they are, instruments of God used to destroy our sinful flesh:

Isa 5:29  Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

Even Samson was devoured by that adversary who “as a roaring lion seeks whom he may devour:”

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Jdg 16:15  And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
Jdg 16:16  And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
Jdg 16:17  That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
Jdg 16:18  And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
Jdg 16:19  And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
Jdg 16:20  And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
Jdg 16:21  But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Jdg 16:28  And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Jdg 16:29  And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
Jdg 16:30  And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with [all his] might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that [were] therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than [they] which he slew in his life.

We have seen in this study what happened to Samson in us when we underestimate the power of the adversary. When we underestimate his constant, ever presence within us, strength over our flesh, he will have us for lunch.

So what are we to do? Should we fear the adversary? Not at all! Here again is what we are to do:

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Who is a sober, vigilant person? Who is it that knows how to neutralize “that old serpent the devil and Satan?” It is the person who loves God and keeps His commandments. That is who will have no fear:

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Here is how we handle the adversary within us:

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

There is never a time to lose control when dealing with the adversary:

Jdg 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

God’s elect never rail or accuse. They simply speak the Truth and the Truth destroys darkness and lies with ease.

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.

The word ‘duty’ is not in the ielHebrew. The message is that man is not whole until he comes to know God:

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Next week we will see what the scriptures reveal is the fate of the four beasts of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. It is a wonderful ending.

[Next installment of this series is here.]

Introduction

All beasts in scripture are used to illustrate the different characteristics of the one beast with which our Lord is working:

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.

This study, as with all our studies, will concern itself with how we can see within ourselves a leopard, a bear, a lion and the dragon, and what these beasts are within us:

Because these three ravenous beasts are mentioned together so often in scripture, we will cover them together but will concentrate on the king of beasts, the lion.

A lion is a ravenous beast, but a lion is more than simply any other ravenous beast. A lion is at the very top of the beast food chain. As such, the lion in scripture is just that; a ravenous beast at the top of the beast food chain, both for good and for evil. In scripture both Christ and Satan are called lions. As is always the case, there is far more written about the lion as Satan than the lion as Christ, but as is also always the case, the lion as Christ destroys the lion as Satan.

The four beasts of Revelation 13

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.
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.

The “things of the spirit” in the New Testament reveal that all the physical things of the Old Testament are all part of “the revelation of Jesus Christ… the kingdom of God… within you.” Whether it is Egypt or the promised land, it is now within. Whether it is Abraham’s wealth or Joseph’s rulership over all the land of Egypt, it is all now within each of us. The deeds of all the patriarchs and the kings and the prophets, good and evil, are all within. So, too, are all the nations of the Old Testament. They are one and all within that one single beast which comes up out of the sea. That one ravenous beast has seven heads, yet it is still just one beast.

The Four Beasts of Daniel 7

Dan 7:1  In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters.
Dan 7:2  Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3  And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
Dan 7:4  The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
Dan 7:5  And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
Dan 7:6  After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
Dan 7:7  After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

This fourth beast is indeed different from the beasts before it, simply because this fourth beast is likened to both a dragon and a lion:

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.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

When we come to see where heaven is, we then will understand that all four beasts, including the “great red dragon”, are within us. They are all within that one single beast with seven heads and ten horns. Satan is not ‘without’ or outwardly. He is within each of us as our Father until Christ replaces his influence over our flesh.

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 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Who are Christians who believe in Christ and yet have no place in their hearts for Christ’s Word? Here are whose children we all are at that point of our walk:

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.

Is this ravenous lion and dragon really in us at one time?

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

“We all had our conversation in times past as the children of disobedience, children of wrath, of our father the devil, by nature children of wrath even as others.”

What has been the goal of this “old serpent the dragon” since the garden of Eden?

Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

That’s right! It was the serpent who enticed Cain to kill Abel, Joseph’s brothers to kill Joseph, Pharaoh to kill Moses, and Herod to kill Christ. Since Christ’s physical time on earth it has been the function of that great serpent from Eden to destroy Christ’s Christ, His elect. Both Abel and Christ were slain, but the “manchild” has always been in heaven at the throne of God, while the mother of God’s elect is “in the wilderness” rebelling ten times against our Lord.

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.
Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.
Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The man child, Michael and his angels, and the dragon and his angels are all “warring in heaven,” warring in our minds.

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.

What is that “law which wars against the law of my mind?” The answer is right here in this same epistle. It is an enemy that requires “the whole armor of God:”

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

“High places” is a terrible translation of the Greek word ‘epouranios‘. This word is much better translated simply as ‘the heavens’. What these verses tell us is that “the war in heaven” of Revelation 12 is war “against spiritual wickedness… again principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,” all within the heavens within each of God’s elect.

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Satan is a serpent, a dragon and the devil, and as we noted earlier, Satan is also likened to a roaring lion. Satan is not outward. He is within each of us.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

According to the Interlinear and the Concordant Version, the definite article goes with ‘adversary’ instead of ‘devil’ here, but in Matthew 4:4, the article is with ‘devil’. Here is the Concordant Version:

1Pe 5:8 Be sober! Watch! For your plaintiff, the Adversary [antidikos], is walking about as a roaring lion, seeking someone to swallow up;(CLV)

Mat 4:1  Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil [diabolos].

There are many adversaries and many devils, but there is also in the scriptures the devil and the adversary. In both cases the words ‘devil’ and ‘adversary’ are adjectival nouns, which tells us that both the adversary and the devil are spiritual wickedness within, which God sends at His bidding to “work all things after the counsel of His own will.”

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

I hope we are all coming to see that every word we study, both in their positive and in their negative application, are one and all to be understood as being within each of us. If you come away from this study on the spiritual significance of the lion, the leopard, and the bear in scripture and you do not see them all as being that old serpent the devil, a roaring lion within each of us, then this study will have been of no value to you. We all must “live by every word of God,” and those words are to be lived within us all.

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of 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 22:7  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Since Christ’s words “never pass away”, we all must live them all:

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

That includes “every word” spoken about lions – both positive and negative – in scripture.

The positive application of lions in scripture

The first time the word ‘lion’ appears in scripture is in relation to Judah as a type of God’s elect. Judah and Jews, like every other word of God’s Word, have both a positive and a negative application in God’s Word. For example:

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

Here is Jacob’s blessing of Judah, just before Jacob’s death:

Gen 49:8  Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
Gen 49:9  Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
Gen 49:10  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Gen 49:11  Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Gen 49:12  His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

“Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee” is the same promise Joseph was given in His dreams. In this blessing Judah is both a young and an old lion.

“The vine… the choice vine” is, of course, Christ. In this prophecy, Judah is “washed in wine, in the blood of grapes,” again the blood of Christ:

Mat 26:27  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The lion’s strength and carriage typify the strength and carriage of God’s elect.

Pro 28:1  The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Pro 30:29  There be three [things] which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
Pro 30:30  A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
Pro 30:31  A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

The story of King Balak hiring the prophet Balaam to curse Israel

King Balak had hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel, and the holy spirit compelled Balaam to bless Israel. In that blessing Israel is likened to a lion that “eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain” of God’s enemies.

Num 23:20  Behold, I have received [commandment] to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
Num 23:21  He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God [is] with him, and the shout of a king [is] among them.
Num 23:22  God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
Num 23:23  Surely [there is] no enchantment against Jacob, neither [is there] any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
Num 23:24  Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

We have seen in this study that the lion, bear, leopard, and the fourth dreadful and terrible beast of Daniel, are all to be found in the one single beast of Revelation 13 where the fourth great and terrible beast is there called a dragon. We have seen that according to Ecclesiastes 3:18,  “the estate of the sons of men, [if] God might manifest it to them, is that they might see that they themselves are beasts.”

Revelation 13 demonstrates that all the beasts of Daniel seven, symbolizing all the world-ruling empires of Daniel’s days, are now all within the single beast, which is each of us.

We have seen that the serpent, the devil and the dragon are all the same evil spirit within each of us as God’s tool to work all things after the counsel of His own will, and that his function from the beginning is to destroy Christ and His Christ.

We have also seen through the blessing of Judah and the use of a lion in several verses in Proverbs that the lion can and does typify the function of God’s elect in relation to preying upon our sinful flesh.

We will continue our study of the ravenous beasts of scripture next week.

[The next installment of this study can be found here.]