Rev 22:1-5 The Throne of God and the Lamb Shall be in It

[Study Aired August 3, 2025]

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.
Rev 22:3 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:
Rev 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Introduction

Who is this “River of Life?” Who is this “Tree of Life?” When do we “see the face of God?” We will see in our study today that this River of Life is Christ within you and me at this very moment, if indeed Christ is in us.  We will also learn that if we “see Christ” and “know Christ”, then we see and know His Father. There are no chapter breaks in the original Greek. Therefore this last chapter is simply a continuation of John, signifying each of us, being shown “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

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.

Since chapter 22 is a continuation of  John being shown “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”, that means the River of Life and the Tree of life are both in this city, which is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

In our last study we saw that it is through this “foursquare” city with her twelve gates, and with the number twelve stamped all over it, that the dead of all time will, “in their own order” through this great city the holy Jerusalem, “be saved and come to a knowledge of The Truth.” This city, the bride, the Lamb’s wife, is the foundation and “the mother of all living” being signified by Eve and Sarah:

Gen 3:20  And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Heb 11:11  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Heb 11:12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

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 was cast into the lake of fire [To be purged of all sin and to “learn righteousness”].

Here are the Old Testament verses which proclaims that very same Truth:

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.

Isa 60:11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

We have been shown that “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” is “on a great high mountain”; she has a wall great and high, she has the glory of God, she is like a stone most precious, she is “clear as a crystal.” She has twelve gates and twelve foundations. This city, the Lamb’s wife, lies foursquare, and her length is as large as the breadth, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. Her wall is like jasper, clear as glass, her twelve foundations are garnished with all manner of precious stones. Her twelve gates are of twelve pearls, each gate one pearl. She has no temple, no sun nor moon, because God and the Lamb are all of these things within her. The nations of the saved bring their glory into her through her twelve gates. Her twelve gates are never closed by day, and there is no night there. The glory and honor of the nations is brought into “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” Nothing that defiles, works an abomination or makes a lie, enters into her; only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

That is why the world hates this woman so much that it wants her dead. She is “pure and clear”… without guile, and she refuses to compromise that purity just to please family and friends and to fit in with society. Here in this final 22nd chapter we learn more about what our Lord thinks of those to whom He has espoused Himself, and it is only Him that we are interested in pleasing.

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.

Being “pure and clear as crystal” is of great importance to our Husband, Christ. He and His Father dwell within us, and because they do, out of His throne and the throne of His Father within us proceeds “a pure river of water life, clear as crystal.”

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The timing of this statement by Christ is of great significance. It was “in the last day, the great day of the feast.” This day is also called “the eighth day.”

This river “proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Where is this throne of God? Who makes up this throne? From whom does this “river of water of life” proceed?

Christ has already made clear where His throne is and who is with Him in His Father’s throne.

Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Mat 23:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

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 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

“Heaven… is God’s throne… He that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God”, and these four beasts are “in the midst of the throne and round about this throne.” Who are these “four beasts?” As we saw in our study of chapter five, they, too, are just another type of this city. They are just one more symbol of God’s overcoming elect, the Lamb’s wife, and that is what they tell us.

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

God’s throne is in heaven (Mat 5:34). His throne is in this ‘city’, which we are told is the Lamb’s wife. Therefore the Lamb’s wife is ‘heaven’, and that is exactly what Hebrews 9 confirms to us:

Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these [the blood of bulls and goats] ; but the heavenly things themselves [this city, His wife, His throne, His elect] with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, [into this city, His wife, into us] now to appear in the presence of God for us:

As always the principle of “the dream is one” is in play throughout this Revelation of Jesus Christ, within us.

Gen 41:25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

It is Christ Himself who revealed to us from whom this river of living water proceeds and flows.

Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Since this river of living water flows from the belly of those who believe on Christ, it is therefore not at all adding to what is written to conclude that God’s throne is this city itself. God’s throne is the Lamb’s wife herself. God’s throne has the four beasts in its midst. God’s throne is you and me who have been ‘espoused to Christ, as the Lamb’s wife.’

2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Being the instrument of God through which this “river of water of life” flows, is simply part of being the channel through which life will be given to every man, woman and child who has ever lived. Being the “four beasts in the midst of and round about the throne” from which this “river of water of life” flows is just one more accolade Christ places upon His bride, His wife.

As this city which is Christ’s wife, Christ wants to honor us even more.

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.

Where does God reveal to us this tree of life originated?

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

We are God’s “house… His temple… His vineyard… His field…” and we are His “garden, His paradise.” They all begin in the earth, or “out of the ground… the tree of life also.” That is why Christ had to “empty Himself” and become a man in a vessel of clay, “out of the ground”, who could identify with and atone for the sins of all men.

Php 2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;
Php 2:8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; (ASV)

Mat 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

How do we to get to this “tree of life?”

Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

“The way” of this Tree of Life is only through these Cherubim, and a flaming sword. That sword is of course, the Word of God, and these Cherubim are those in whom that Word dwells. Here is another way of saying all of this:

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:

If “Christ is in us”, then we are His sword:

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

If Christ is in us, the “rivers of living waters” flow from our bellies:

Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

If Christ is in us, we are these Cherubim who hold the flaming sword which guards the way of the tree of life. If Christ is in us, we are these same Cherubim in the midst of and round about the throne of God. We are the twelve gates to this city. We are the twelve foundations of this city, garnished with many precious stones. We are the pure gold and the pure jasper, out of which the city is composed. We are this city itself.

We are told this ‘tree of life’ is in the midst of the street of this city, and on either side of the river of life.

Rev 22:2  in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Where else are we told we will find this “tree of life?” Here is where the tree of life is to be found:

Rev 2:7 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 tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it [the New Jerusalem], 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.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Here we have it. Here are three verses which tell us where the tree of life is to be found. Revelation 2:7 tells us that the tree of life is “in the midst of the paradise of God” and Revelation 22: 2 and 4 tell us that the tree of life is in the midst of the street of the New Jerusalem and on either side of the river of life which proceeds out of the throne of God in the New Jerusalem. Revelation 22:14 tells us that the tree of life is within the gates of the New Jerusalem.

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.

It should thus be obvious that “the paradise of God” is the third heaven and the New Jerusalem.

Now that we know where the tree of life is located, let’s see who is given to enter therein:

Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him [the thief on the cross], Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Here is what Paul tells us about this “paradise”, also called New Jerusalem (Rev 2:7; 22:2, 22:14), where we are told the tree of life is located:

2Co 12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
2Co 12:3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
2Co 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Paul is speaking of himself in the third person because he is dealing with the subject of his glorying in his revelations. Here is what he says in verse one:

2Co 12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

This is what he says in verse five:

2Co 12:5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
2Co 12:6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul is speaking of himself boasting only in the spirit of Christ within him, instead of boasting in his own carnal mind and in his flesh. It was “in the spirit” that he was caught up to this New Jerusalem where “the tree of life is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

Of course Revelation 2:7 tells us that only overcomers are given to enter into this “paradise of God.”

Rev 2:7 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 tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

So it should be apparent that in scriptural terms “the paradise of God” is “Jerusalem above which is the mother of us all.”

Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Our mother, like our Savior, signifies who we are in relation to those who will come to God through us when we become part of that city. Here is how Paul frames this concept:

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.

Obadiah has prophesied of this relationship many years earlier:

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Rev 22:3 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:

“The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it” because she is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” The honor bestowed on those who first make up this city, which is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”, is the single greatest honor that can be bestowed on any man. Here is what Christ tells us of those who are this city:

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.

It is those who have been through the fire of the Word of God in this age who will be in that “blessed and holy first resurrection”, who will also be the channel for showing God’s goodness and mercy to all the rest of mankind who are not part of that “blessed and holy first resurrection.” While it does not say so in Revelation 20:6, these are the same people who will be comfortably at home “in the everlasting burnings” of the lake of fire, which will cleanse and purify all the rest of mankind who are not part of that blessed and holy first resurrection. It was given to Isaiah to let us know where we would be at that time:

Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

If “the throne of God and of the Lamb” is in us, then surely “there shall be no more curse… in it.” Those who “go no more out” are those who will be used by God to bring all men into this “paradise of God”; this “mother of all living, [and] the mother of us all.”

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.

As we saw above, “God and the Lamb are the temple of it.” Because they dwell within us, we need no outward temple. We “know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.” That is the very meaning of having the name of our God written upon us.

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

Rev 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

“They shall see His face.” The spiritual meaning of all of this is explained clearly in these words of our Lord to His apostles Thomas and Philip.

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Joh 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

”Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” was certainly speaking of things that are not as though they were already accomplished. The disciples, at this moment, were just hours away from denying their Lord and forsaking Him and leaving Him to His fate upon the cross. Yet the Lord knew they would repent of that deed and become willing martyrs.

Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

“My Father’s house” is this holy New Jerusalem:

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 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.

It is in this “bride adorned for her Husband” that the “many mansions” are found.

Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

We have already seen why “there shall be no night there.”

Rev 21:23 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.

Here is the Concordant Literal Version of these words “for ever and ever.”

Rev 22:5 And night shall be no more, and they have no need of lamplight and sunlight, for the Lord God shall be illuminating them. And they shall be reigning for the eons of the eons. (CLV)

This is Young’s Literal Translation:

Rev 22:5 and night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and light of a sun, because the Lord God doth give them light, and they shall reign– to the ages of the ages.

Because both ‘ages’ are plural, this tells us that all the ages of all men of all time are included in this time of the reign of God’s elect. In other words, “the righteous… will dwell in the everlasting burnings and the devouring flames” of God’s Words in their mouths, and as His elect their time of reigning will extend through the millennium and on into the ages of the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death. We are this city which is the bride, the Lamb’s wife, by which all those who are not in that blessed and holy first resurrection, will be brought to God.

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

This is the harvest at “the end” spoken of in 1Corinthians 15:

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27 For he [the Father] hath put all things under his [Christ’s] feet. But when he [the Father] saith all things are put under him [Christ], it is manifest that he [the Father] is excepted, which did put all things under him [Christ].
1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him [Christ], then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

“Then comes the end” means “the harvest at the end of the year.”

Exo 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Exo 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest [Pentecost in the summer], and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end [the feast of Tabernacles, (Lev 23)].

As long as one soul who has ever been born is still dead, then death is not yet destroyed. Death will be destroyed through this thing called “the second death… the lake of fire” which will bring all in Adam to be made alive in Christ (1Co 15:22).

So we have seen in our study today that this river of life should be flowing out from within you and me at this very moment, if Christ is in us. We have seen that the tree of life is within you and me today, if Christ is in us today. We read where Christ told us that if we “see Christ” and “know Christ”, then we have already seen and already know Him and His Father, here today, spiritually while yet in these “vessels of clay.”

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Next week, Lord willing we will cover these verses:

Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
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 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

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The Spiritual Meaning of God’s Book From Stone to Spirit, Written Upon the Heart

[Study Aired July 1, 2025]

Introduction 

The Scriptures testify that God has a book—yet not one made with hands or filled by scribes, but a spiritual record authored by God Himself, bearing witness to those in whom His life is formed. From the earliest writings of Moses to the visions of John, the idea of God’s book appears repeatedly, carrying profound meaning for those who are given eyes to see and ears to hear. What does it mean to be written in heaven? What is the book of life, and why does Scripture warn that names can be blotted out? The answers lie not in fleshly reasoning, but in the revelation of God’s spirit. Let us discover what it means to be written in God’s book—and why this writing must occur within the heart.

A Book Not Made with Hands

When Moses interceded for the sins of Israel, he prayed with extraordinary boldness, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Exodus 32:32). The Lord answered, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:33). This response reveals that God’s book is His own possession and that entry into it is not inherited but granted according to His righteousness.

David echoes this reality: “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28). The book of the living is not a census of fleshly birth but a register of spiritual life—those who live unto God, as Christ said, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). To be “written with the righteous” is not to be listed in a religious institution, but to be joined to the life of Christ who is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).

The Writing Must Be Spiritual

How does one come to be written in this spiritual book? The answer lies not in outward observance but in inward transformation. As Ezekiel prophesied, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you… I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). This is not a fleshly surgery but a spiritual circumcision, as Paul teaches: “Ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands… by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11).

Paul further clarifies the nature of this writing: “Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ… written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). Here, the transformation is not symbolic but real—it is the indwelling of the Word, not merely in thought, but in being. This is why Paul could write to the Galatians, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The writing in God’s book is the forming of Christ in us.

From the Letter that Killeth to the Spirit that Giveth Life

When God first gave His law, it was written on tables of stone with His own finger (Exodus 31:18): “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Yet even before the commandments were delivered to the people, they were broken—Moses shattered the tablets in response to Israel’s idolatry. This outward breaking of stone reflects the deeper truth that the law, external and imposed, cannot impart life. Paul explains, “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The law reveals sin but cannot transform the heart. It is only when the Word becomes internal—living and active within—that we are changed.

This transition is central to the gospel. Jeremiah foresaw the new covenant, writing, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Hebrews affirms this same promise: “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10). The emphasis is not on a rewritten law code, but on a rewritten heart—a heart that now moves in harmony with God because it is one with His will.

Written in Heaven

Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice that demons were subject to them, “but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). This writing is not visible to the eye but known to the Father, who sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7): “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” Hebrews speaks of “the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23), emphasizing once again that spiritual birth is the basis of entry, not religious affiliation or earthly lineage.

Those who are written in heaven are those in whom the life of the Firstborn—Christ—is being formed. As Paul says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Their hearts are no longer stone but spirit, no longer bound to the law of sin and death but moved by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.“

The Book of Life: Christ Formed Within

The book of life is not a static list, but the spiritual record of those in whom God’s life is actively dwelling. Paul speaks of “those… whose names are in the book of life” (Philippians 4:3). Jesus promises, “He that overcometh… I will not blot out his name out of the book of life” (Revelation 3:5). This implies that names can be added—and removed. What determines whether one remains in the book? Scripture answers: overcoming through Christ. Not outward success, but inward conformity.

In Revelation 13:8, we read of those “whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” These are the worshipers of the beast—those who walk in the flesh and are not born from above. Their names are not found in the Lamb’s book because they are not conformed to His image in this age.

Revelation 20:12–15 culminates this truth with a scene of judgment: “The books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life… and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This is the ultimate contrast between those who have the life of Christ and those who do not in this age. As John writes, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12). The book of life is the record of those who have the Son dwelling within and chosen as the elect of God.

The Books Opened: The Judgment of Hearts

When Scripture says the books are opened, it is not describing paper archives but the unveiling of every heart before God. Paul declares, “God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:16). Likewise, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13). The fire is not carnal torment, but the spirit’s discerning judgment. As Hebrews testifies, “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

These are the true “books” that will be opened—the thoughts, intents, and inner workings of the soul. Only the life of Christ formed within will stand in that day.

The Book of Remembrance and God’s Foreknowledge

Beyond the book of life, Scripture mentions a “book of remembrance… for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi 3:16). This shows that God’s writing is not merely judicial, but relational. He records not just deeds, but hearts—those who reverence Him and meditate on Him.

David testifies of this same intimate knowledge: “In thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). This is not a record of physical formation, but divine foreknowledge. As Paul teaches, “Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). The book contains not biographies, but the blueprint of God’s workmanship.

The Scrolls of Prophecy: Eaten, Not Just Read

Ezekiel saw a scroll “written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10). God told him, “Eat that thou findest… and I did eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness” (Ezekiel 3:1–3). John experienced the same in Revelation 10:9–10—sweet in the mouth, bitter in the belly. This duality reflects the Word of God itself: it brings joy to the spirit but requires the death of the flesh. As Hebrews says, “The word of God is quick, and powerful… a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

These scrolls are not historical artifacts; they are spiritual instruments of transformation. They must be eaten, digested, and lived. The bitterness comes because the Word judges us, chastens us, and conforms us to Christ.

The Lamb and the Seven-Sealed Book

Revelation 5 shows a book sealed with seven seals in God’s hand. No one is found worthy to open it—“but the Lion of the tribe of Juda… hath prevailed to open the book” (Revelation 5:5). This book is the hidden mystery of redemption; the counsel of God sealed until the Lamb unveils it. It is spiritual truth hidden from the wise and prudent, but revealed to babes (Matthew 11:25). “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

Jesus is “the volume of the book… I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:7–8; Hebrews 10:7). He is the fulfillment of the writing, the revelation of its meaning, and the very life it records. The entire testimony of Scripture points to Him—not merely as the author of life but as the life itself.

The True Rock and Everlasting Engraving

Even Job, in the midst of suffering, longed for permanence in truth: “Oh that my words were now written… graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever!” (Job 19:23–24). He did not know it, but he prophesied of Christ—the true Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4): “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” Upon Him God engraves eternal truth. And those who are in Christ are likewise engraved: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16).

The Final Word: The Book of the Lamb

Revelation 21:27 concludes with this declaration of the New Jerusalem: “And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth… but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” This is the culmination of all divine writing. The Lamb is both the book and the pen. To be written in the Lamb’s book is to be one with the Lamb—to follow Him, to suffer with Him, and to be conformed to His image.

As it is written, “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth… and in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:4–5).

Conclusion

To be written in God’s book is not to have one’s name etched in stone, but to have Christ’s life formed in the heart. It is to be transformed from stone to spirit, from law to life. It is to enter the kingdom of God, which is within (Luke 17:21). It is to pass from death to life, from the flesh to the spirit, from outward ritual to inward reality.

This is the book that will be opened. Not a scroll in heaven, but the inner heart of every man—read and judged by the living Word. May we be among those in whom He has written His name.

“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever” (Psalm 119:160).

Rev 13:6-9 Part 2, Whose Names are not Written in the Book of Life

[Study Aired January 19, 2025]

Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Introduction

Let’s begin this study by once again reminding ourselves that this entire prophecy begins with these words:

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

“Blessed is he that reads… hears, and keeps the things written therein” includes the words of today’s study as well as “every [other] word… of the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Rev 22:7). Unless there are qualifying statements like this:

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

The reason ‘overcomers’ do not experience the second death is that they are the first to die daily with Christ (1Co 15:31). The overcomers of this age are the first who are being crucified with Him (Gal 2:20), and we are the first to be presenting our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1) in this present time (Rom 8:18). In other words, God’s elect are the first to be judged now, in this present time and are therefore granted to be raised in “the resurrection of life… the blessed and holy first resurrection”, at the beginning of the thousand-year reign:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [G2920: ‘Krisis’, judgment, the “great white throne judgment/ lake of fire/ second death”].

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us [because we are dying daily first, Eph 1:12], what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? [At a later judgment, the great white throne judgment of Rev 20:11-15]

There are great benefits to being chosen to be the first to suffer and die with Christ in this present age:

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:
Eph 1:12  That we [who are in the first resurrection] should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
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,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest [the promise] of our inheritance until [in hope of (Rom 8:23-24)] the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit [being “sealed with that holy spirit of promise” (Eph 1:13)], even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. [“To wit… the blessed and holy first resurrection”]
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope [in a promise]: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

It is our faith in that promise of being “to the praise of His glory” in the first resurrection which will see us through the hardest trials which the Lord will send our way:

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the [trials of the] world, even our faith.

 The “lake of fire [which] is the second death” is the great white throne judgment at which all of mankind who are not being judged in this age will come up in what Christ called “the resurrection of judgment” (Joh 5:29):

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 [Psa 139:16] 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 [Those upon whom judgment “first began” in “this present time”] was cast into the lake of fire.

“Things present and things to come… all are yours” certainly includes this composite beast we have before us here in Revelation 13. We, in Adam, are all of mankind, and therefore we are this beast with seven heads and ten horns. The reason the fourth beast is not described as any particular beast on earth in Daniel, is because, as it is not revealed until here in Revelation, that fourth beast in us is the son of “our father the devil, the great red dragon”, who also has “seven heads and ten horns.” This connection was not revealed to Daniel, but it is revealed to us here in the revelation of Jesus Christ, within us. All Daniel could see was the four physical nations signified by the four beasts. He was not given to see the spiritual application of these four nations to all of mankind as children of the great red dragon:

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.

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.

As Joseph has instructed us, these visions in Daniel 2 and 7, and now here in Revelation 13, are all one and the same vision, and the Lord is “showing us what He is about to do” in our lives, just as he showed Pharaoh.

Gen 41:17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
Gen 41:18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
Gen 41:19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
Gen 41:20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
Gen 41:21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they [were] still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
Gen 41:22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
Gen 41:23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, [and] blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
Gen 41:24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told [this] unto the magicians; but [there was] none that could declare [it] to me.
Gen 41:25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Those are the same words by which the holy spirit introduced this prophecy to us:

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:
Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
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.

Truly the book of Genesis is hidden in the book of Revelation, and the book of Revelation is revealed in the book of Genesis. It would be just as true to say that the book of Genesis is revealed in the book of Revelation, and the book of Revelation is hidden in the book of Genesis.

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Whose names are written in “the book of life of the Lamb”

Why is this not simply called “the book of life”? There is a very good reason why we are discussing “the book of life of the Lamb” instead of simply “the book of life”. They are one and the same book, but “the book of the life of the Lamb” insinuates that “as He is, so are we in this world”, and our lives are the same as “the life of the Lamb… a living sacrifice… for His body’s sake which is the church”.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

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:

Rev 13:8 (EDT) And will worship him all those dwelling on the earth, of which not has been written the name in the scroll of the life of the lamb of that having been killed, from a casting down of a world.

Rev 13:8 (YLT) And bow before it shall all who are dwelling upon the land, whose names have not been written in the scroll of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world;

Both the Emphatic Diaglott and Young’s literal translation call this “the scroll of the life of the Lamb…” In other words, this is the scroll or the book which details the life of the Lamb and the life of all who are in the Lamb. This is the revealing of the life of Jesus Christ and the revelation of Jesus Christ in the lives of all who “read, hear and keep the things which are written therein”.

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
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.

Exactly who was “slain from the foundation of the world”? Is not that a crucial part of “the life of the Lamb”? Well, of course Christ was slain from the foundation of the world. But was Christ’s Christ, who He has sent as His Father sent Him; were they also slain from the foundation of the world?

First, let’s just ask if we are really “slain” as Christ was slain? What do the scriptures teach us? Here is how we are told to view ourselves, and our lives:

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

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.

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Those are but a few of the verses of God’s Word which tell us that we are to count ourselves as dead to this world, and alive in the spirit to God. But when were we “crucified with Christ” as far as God is concerned? Here is when that was done:

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

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;

There it is in 2Timothy 1:9: We were “in Christ Jesus before the world began”. If that is true, then we, too, were “slain before the foundation of the world… in Christ Jesus”. So the truth is this verse is again confirmed to be true:

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Summary

In summary we must remember that this is all leading up to the revealing of what is the seventh trumpet, and what is the day of God’s wrath against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness in our lives. All of the first six trumpets are followed immediately by the revelation of exactly what are the details of each of those first six trumpets. But this seventh trumpet, while first alluded to in Revelation 10:7, and while we are told that the seventh angel sounds his trumpet in chapter 11, the revelation of what this seventh trumpet is will not be revealed until chapter 16, where we are finally given the details of what is the effect of God’s wrath upon all of our sins in our lives.

In today’s study, as part of this long introduction to the detail of this seventh trumpet, we first saw that “he that hath an ear” is just Biblical, spiritual language for those “few chosen” who have been granted eyes that see and ears that hear “the mysteries of the kingdom of God”. “He that hath an ear” are the few who are blessed to be given to understand this revelation of Jesus Christ and to understand that this revelation of Jesus Christ is to be read, heard and kept by all who are “the Christ… the sent” of Christ and who are given to “keep the things which are written therein”.

We have seen that the beast who opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, His name and His tabernacle is first all of us, for this one simple reason which is contained in these four sections of scripture:

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.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man[kind] shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

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.

We also saw that because of the truth of these four sections of scripture, it is absolutely essential and it is incumbent upon us to recognize that while we blaspheme God, His name, His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven, that it must also be equally essential and incumbent upon us to recognize that we must be the ones who bear God’s name, by the way we live our lives in this world; that we are the temple of God, and that it is we who dwell in the heavens.

Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

We have seen that it is we who first make war with the saints, and we first must overcome them, just as Saul of Tarsus first “persecuted the church” and was himself first “a blasphemer”. We saw that we are first given complete power to rule over all the kindreds, tongues and nations which, as all the beasts which represent all the nations of Daniel 7, all just typify our flesh, which causes us to worship the dragon, who gives us our power by simply serving our flesh. Obedience to our true father is the worship both Christ and the devil really want, and obedience to the flesh is what is meant by the statement “the man of sin sitting in the temple of God showing himself that he is God”

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.

Once again, because “all thing are ours”, we are made to understand that after we have come to see ourselves as this beast and the man of sin, that we then must recognize that we must also become those saints against whom our beast was waging war, and we must acknowledge that we must live by every one of these words of God and do all these things.

Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

Finally, we have seen that we first worship the beast and “sin against our God”, causing our names to be blotted out of God’s book of the life of the Lamb.

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Then we saw that our names are reinstated and “written in the book of the life of the lamb”. Having our name reinstated is accomplished only when we are caused by God to repent, and watch as God, “through righteousness” and obedience, takes us back to himself after having blotted our name out of His book because of our sins against Him.

Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

We saw that this is an all-inclusive indictment against all men because “all have sinned”.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

We saw that since “all have sinned” and since God will “blot out of His book whosoever has sinned against Him”, it is obvious that all men are first in God’s book, are then blotted out due to their sins, which God “makes them” to commit, and then He visits us all, judges our sins in His wrath and places our names back into the book of the life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.

We have seen that this is accomplished only by Christ living His life in us, and living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God and living in us “the book of the life of the Lamb”, which Lamb we are in Christ.

We have demonstrated with the scriptures that this is the doctrine of all of scripture, and that this is the doctrine of “the sum of God’s Word” (Psa 119:160), as it is so stated in Isaiah 63…

Isa 63:17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return [back into “the book of life”] for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

… and in Jeremiah 33, even after we have all “sinned against God”, here is what eventually happens to all.

Jer 33:8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

This simply complements, and does not contradict, what God told Moses in Exodus:

Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

In our next study we will see why a second beast must arise “out of the earth” demanding that we worship the first beast that came “out of the sea”, and with the Lord’s mind we will see how these two successive beasts differ and what they signify about how the Lord is working with us. We will cover these verses of Revelation 13:

Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

[Study Aired January 17, 2025]

Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Introduction

Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear.

That is our last verse in today’s study, but we will deal with it first because this is the verse which will help us to understand the entire revelation of Jesus Christ, and it will especially help us to understand verse seven of today’s study.

The phrase “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” is repeated seven times in Revelation two and three. The phrase “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear” is found eight times in the four gospels. Every time we read those words we are being told that “many are called but few are chosen” and it is fewer than we want to think. Many will come a long way with Christ, but few will “endure to the end”:

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Many will even eat with us at the Lord’s table, and still not be granted to “endure to the end”:

Mat 22:1  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2  The kingdom of heaven [“within {us}” (Luk 17:20-21)] is like [Aorist tense] unto a certain king, which made [Aorist tense] a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3  And sent forth [Aorist tense] his servants to call [Aorist tense] them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. [Aorist tense]
Mat 22:4  Again, he sent forth [Aorist tense] other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold [Aorist tense], I have prepared [Aorist tense] my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5  But they made light [Aorist tense] of it, and went their ways [Aorist tense], one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6  And the remnant took [Aorist tense] his servants, and entreated them spitefully [Aorist tense], and slew them [Aorist tense (Rev 11:7)]
Mat 22:7  But when the king heard [Aorist tense] thereof, he was wroth [Aorist tense]: and he sent forth his armies [Aorist tense], and destroyed [Aorist tense] those murderers, and burned up [Aorist tense] their city.
Mat 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find [Aorist tense], bid [Aorist tense] to the marriage.
Mat 22:10  So those servants went [Aorist tense] out into the highways, and gathered together [Aorist tense] all as many as they found [Aorist tense], both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished [Aorist tense] with guests.
Mat 22:11  And when the king came in [Aorist tense] to see [Aorist tense] the guests, he saw [Aorist tense] there a man which had not on [Aorist tense] a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou [Aorist tense] in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless [Aorist tense].
Mat 22:13  Then said [Aorist tense] the king to the servants, Bind [Aorist tense] him hand and foot, and take him away [Aorist tense], and cast [Aorist tense] him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14  For many are [Present tense] called, but few are chosen.

This wedding dinner does not take place after the first resurrection. It is presently now taking place and “many are [presently being] called, but few are [being] chosen “in this present time” (Rom 8:18).

Christ tells us plainly that the multitudes who come to Him and hear His Words are not given “ears to hear or eyes that see” in Matthew 13.

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.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

“To [the multitudes who come to Him even until this very day] it is not given… to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God… neither do they understand”. So it is clear that “If any man have an ear, let Him hear” is telling us that only those “few… chosen” will understand what we are studying today, and only those “few… chosen” will be able to understand how it is possible for it to be given unto this beast to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and how it is possible for this beast to be “given power… over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations”, and to understand how it is possible that “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, yet some “few” are still being called saints whose names are “written in the book of life of the Lamb…”

That is right! The saints “dwell upon the earth.” The saints are born with the number, name and image of the beast, and yet their names are written in the book of life of the Lamb. How can both be possible?

Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

This is the “war in heaven” we covered in the seventh verse of the previous chapter. Who is it that stands with and for God’s name? What is God’s tabernacle? Who is it that “dwells in heaven”? We bear God’s name, we are His tabernacle, and we are seated with Christ in the heavens.

Rev 12:7  And there was war [Aorist tense] in heaven: Michael and his angels fought [Aorist tense] against the dragon; and the dragon fought [Aorist tense] and his angels,

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated [present tense] of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth [Aorist tense] to the end shall be saved [Future tense].

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

Eph 2:6  So that we came back [Aorist tense] from death with him, and are seated [Aorist tense] with him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus; (BBE)

Before we are “seated with Christ in the heavens”, we are all this beast, blaspheming God, His name, his tabernacle and those that dwell in heaven.

Rom 2:24  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

Remember it is we, signified by John, who are “standing on the sand of the sea” when we first come to see and recognize who this beast is. It is while we are here on the sand of the sea, “while we are yet sinners” (Eph 2:1) and while we are still in Babylon (Rev 18:4), while the “man of sin” is still “sitting in the temple of God saying that he is God” that we come to see that this beast is the “man who built his house upon the sand”. Both the sand and the sea are unstable and tumultuous.

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.

Last week we saw that the life of the apostle Paul was a life of “blaspheming God, God’s name, God’s tabernacle and those that dwell in heaven.” It was the apostle Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, who supervised the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. We saw that all of this was accomplished while Saul of Tarsus thought he was doing God a service. Saul of Tarsus was struck down on the road to Damascus, where he thought he was building on the rock, when in reality he was building his house on the unstable and tumultuous “sand of the sea”.

What were all of these things Saul of Tarsus was doing before he repented and became Paul the apostle? Let’s let him answer that question, and then tell me if it is possible for someone who has “blasphemed” to be  in the first resurrection:

1Ti 1:13  Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

“All things are ours”. We all blaspheme God “in ignorance and unbelief”, thinking we do God a service, while we are defending the doctrines of Babylon. But we never realize that in reality we are ignorant, and we certainly are not thinking of ourselves as unbelievers. This is who we are while we are in Babylon’s grip:

Rev 3:17  Because thou [who have “ears to hear” (Rev 3:22)] 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:

None of us tell ourselves we are blaspheming God deliberately. Like Saul of Tarsus we do so ignorantly, and like Paul we are all first Saul of Tarsus, thinking that we are “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” when in reality we are this beast blaspheming God, His name, His tabernacle and them who dwell in heaven”.

Rev 13:7  And it was given [Aorist tense] unto him to make [Aorist tense] war with the saints, and to overcome [Aorist tense] them: and power was given [Aorist tense] him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

This verse was once impossible for me to understand. How is it possible that we can be overcomers if it is given to this beast to “overcome the saints”? As is always the case, “the natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him”.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The question that occurs to any logical mind is, “How is it possible for the beast to overcome the saints, and be given power over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, and be given the power to have all that dwell upon the earth to worship him if there is anyone “whose names are written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”? Are not the names of the saints written in that book? If the names of the saints are written in the book of the life of the Lamb, then how is it possible to say “they are overcome by the beast”, and how is it possible to say that power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, and all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”? Do not the saints “dwell on the earth”?”

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

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 4:28  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

It is obvious that we all “dwell on the earth” before we are “seated in the heavens” (Eph 2:6). So how is any of this even possible? There is only one way that any of this can possibly be understood by “[any man] that has an ear to hear”, and that is to acknowledge the spiritual truth of these four sections of scripture:

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.

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man[kind] shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

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.

Remember that this beast is a combination of everything Daniel saw in four different beasts in Daniel 7. It is also a beast that “comes up out of the sea”, just as the beasts of Daniel 7 did. This one beast here in Revelation 13 is a composite of those same four beasts of Daniel 7. Let’s review that and ask that God will give us “an ear that hears”, because that statement, “If any man has an ear, let him hear”, tells us that what has just been said is impossible for the natural man to “read, hear or keep” (1Co 2:13-14, Rev 1:3)

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.

Compare these four beasts of Daniel 7, one of which has four heads and one of which has ten horns, with the one single beast we see in 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.

In Daniel, our understanding is limited and appears to be speaking of four separate and successive nations. Under these conditions Daniel is told:

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.

When is “the time of the end”?

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

The ends of the ages are come upon us, and so we are now told this concerning this revelation of Jesus Christ:

Rev 22:10  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

Here in this revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to John, that we have the same “seven heads and ten horns” on the same four beasts, but while they seem so disconnected in Daniel, here in the revelation of Jesus Christ, we see that all of those four beasts of Daniel 7 are really just the type and shadow of the spiritual reality which we see here in Revelation 13. These beasts are four merely as the symbols for all, or for the whole of mankind. The number “four”, as we have seen, is the scriptural symbol for the whole of whatever is under consideration.

Jer 49:36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.

Isa 11:12  And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

The number ‘four’ symbolizes the whole of whatever is under consideration. In this case, it is “four beasts”, or the whole of mankind, or all who are in Adam, and here we see that all of that is to be found spiritually within the one composite beast which we all are in Adam:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men [H120, ‘Adam’], that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Eze 34:8  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

“The shepherds fed themselves… and my flock became meat to every beast of the field” proves that the evil and wicked shepherds of God’s flock are “every beast of the field”. The destruction of God’s people by beasts is nothing less than their destruction at the hands of their own rapacious shepherds and ministers who “spare not the flock” (Act 20:29).

Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Since we are told that we must “keep the things written therein” (Rev 1:3), it becomes clear that these same four beasts in Daniel 7 and in Revelation 13 are the symbol of us while we are yet “in Adam”, and we see that all that is in Adam is really in us because we are all “beasts of the field” before we become God’s saints whose names are “written in the book of the life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world” and whose names are not “blotted out of the book of life”.

But whose names are written in the book of the life of the Lamb, and whose names are blotted out? Here is the Biblical answer to those questions and this is the answer to how we can be born with the image, name, number and mark of the beast and still be granted a part in that “blessed and holy… first resurrection”:

Exo 32:30  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people [who had just made the golden calf], Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
Exo 32:31  And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
Exo 32:32  Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
Exo 32:33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Exo 32:34  Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
Exo 32:35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

What are we to make of all of this? Who has not “sinned against God? The answer is:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Since “all have sinned” and since God will “Blot out of His book whosoever has sinned against Him”, it is obvious that all men are first in God’s book, are then blotted out due to their sins which God “makes them” to commit, and then He visits us all, judges our sins in His wrath and reenters the names of His “few” elect back into the book of the life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. That is the doctrine of all of scripture (1Co 15:22, 1Ti 2:4, 1Pe 2:20), and that is the doctrine of “the sum of God’s Word” (Psa 119:160).

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4  Who will [Job 23:13] have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth [1Ti 2:4], even that he doeth.
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me [“To be saved”]: and many such things are with him.

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?
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Nevertheless, even after we have “sinned against God”, here is what eventually happens to all who have “sinned against God”:

Jer 33:8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

That is what the Lord does to the few whose names are reentered into “the Lamb’s book of life”, while it can also be stated:

Exo 32:33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

“Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book”. It should be clear from this verse that all men will be saved in the end, because all men are apparently “written in God’s book… from the foundation of the world”, and “whosoever has sinned against God is blotted out, and only His few elect are reentered into His book in this present time, and in the day when He visits, He will visit their sin upon them”, all the rest who “are in Adam”, at the final judgment, the great white throne judgment, in the lake of fire, where He will “cleanse them from all their iniquity”.

That might be a radical doctrine but it is right here before our eyes if we are given “eyes that see”.

So these words of King David really are true:

Psa 107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. [Repeated in all 26 verses of Psa 136]

What does this all demonstrate? Here is what is proven by God telling Moses that He will blot out of His book “Whosoever has sinned against me.” It is the same four verses we keep repeating over and over to remind us that this revelation of Jesus Christ is as much a revelation of Christ in us as it is of Christ Himself, because we are “Jesus of Nazareth” according to the Words of Jesus of Nazareth.

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.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man[ kind] shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

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.

We will pause here and continue in our next study.

Jer 26:1-12 This Man is Worthy to Die

[Study Aired December 19, 2021]

Jer 26:1  In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,
Jer 26:2  Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:
Jer 26:3  If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
Jer 26:4  And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
Jer 26:5  To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
Jer 26:6  Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
Jer 26:7  So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
Jer 26:8  Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.
Jer 26:9  Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
Jer 26:10  When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’S house.
Jer 26:11  Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
Jer 26:12  Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.

Christ spoke only what His Father commanded Him to speak:

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Where did such faithfulness get Christ with the self-righteous, religious people of His day? Where did His fidelity to His Father’s words get Christ with the very people He had just fed with His loaves and fishes? This is what Christ got for being faithful to His Father’s words:

Mar 15:13  And they [the very multitudes Christ had fed and taught] cried out again, Crucify him.
Mar 15:14  Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.

Jeremiah typifies Christ since he, too, was faithful to the words he was commanded to speak to the Lord’s self-righteous, rebellious people.

Jer 26:1  In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,

Here is the timeline Jeremiah gives us at the very beginning of this prophecy:

Jer 1:1  The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Jer 1:2  To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
Jer 1:3  It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

This was not necessarily the first year of the reign of Jehoiakim. In Jeremiah 28 we are told that “the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah included the first four years and five months of his eleven-year reign.

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.
2Ki 24:19  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

Jer 28:1  And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

Unless we have qualifying words like “in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, we must be very careful not to say exactly how near the beginning of the reign of a king, or anything else, is signified by the words “in the beginning of …” We can safely say that it means the event under discussion occurred in the first half of his reign, which also happens to be an eleven-year reign, just as Zedekiah’s was an eleven-year reign:

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.

We need to remember that the phrase “in the beginning of…” can simply mean ‘in the first half of…’ when considering this statement in the book of Revelation:

Rev 10:5  And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Look at the verb tenses in verse 7:

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin^{G3195 [G5725}, present tense] to sound^{G4537 [G5721}, present tense]^G2532, the mystery^G3466 of God^G2316 should be finished^G5055 [G5686: aorist tense], as^G5613 he hath declared^G2097 [G5656: aorist tense] to his servants the prophets.

As is often the case, the first two verbs are in the present tense, signifying a present Truth, but the last two verbs are in the aorist tense, signifying that the two preceding verses are presently true, and they will continue to be true in the aorist tense.

In this case we are not given how long the trumpet sounded, but we are told that the seven trumpets are the seventh seal, and we are told that these seven seals must be opened by Christ in us, in our ‘heavens’, before we can begin to know the revelation of Jesus Christ within us, and before we can hope to “read… hear… and keep those things which are written [in this book]”:

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 time is at hand [to] read… hear… and keep those things which are written therein”, is the same as saying:

Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see [aorist tense] all these things, know [present tense] that it is [present tense] near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass [aorist tense], till all these things be fulfilled [aorist tense].
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away [future tense], but my words shall not pass away [aorist tense].

The point being made is that the beginning of the sounding of the seventh angel is in the present tense, because it is present in every generation who reads this prophecy, but ‘the mystery being finished’ is in the aorist (is, was, and will be) tense, and the ‘as he declared to His servants the prophets’ is also in the aorist tense, because the judgment of God was, is and will be being declared by His servants the prophets. Knowing the tense of each verb is essential in understanding the timing of what is being discussed.

In Revelation chapter 5 we read that this book is sealed with seven seals. What that says about this book and the things written in it is this:

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

If we are being dragged to Christ, then we, too, will be shown an open door to the heavens, and we will begin to have Christ revealed to us:

Rev 4:1  After this I looked [aorist tense], and, behold, a door was opened [perfect tense] in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [aorist tense] was as it were of a trumpet talking [present tense] with me; which said, Come up [aorist tense] hither, and I will shew [aorist tense] thee things which must [present tense] be [aorist tense] hereafter.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was [aorist tense] in the spirit: and, behold [aorist tense], a throne was set [imperfect tense] in heaven, and one sat [present tense] on the throne.

The meaning of the phrase “a door was opened in heaven” is that we are about to be given an exponential increase in knowledge of the things of the spirit. It will be things not heretofore known or understood; things like the spiritual significance of the four cherubim of Ezekiel 1 and 10 and things like the spiritual significance of the brazen sea, a woman and a manchild, etc.

With John, we begin to see Christ seated on the throne of our hearts and minds. Suddenly it seems that there is no one anywhere “in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth” who is worthy to open the book  which we were just told that we must “read…hear… and keep the things which are written therein.”

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.

We all have this experience. We are all dragged to see that the Word of God is our salvation, and yet we are sealed out of understanding what we somehow know is hidden within the Lord’s Words which we have not yet come to grasp. We want desperately to be given to read and hear and keep what we know is right here in our hands, and yet we still have not been given to know Christ well enough to begin to see the things of the spirit. That is the feeling we have which is expressed in these words:

Rev 5:4  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

Then, just as we are about to give up hope, the Lord sends one of His elect with His healing words:

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.

“The revelation of Jesus Christ” is not just the book of Revelation. It has been said… ‘The book of Revelation is hidden within the book of Genesis, but the book of Genesis with all of its secrets is revealed in the book of Revelation.’

Just one example is “the seed of the woman” of Genesis 3:15 revealed to be the manchild who will  rule the nations with a rod of iron with Christ for a thousand years in Revelation 12:5:

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

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.

The book of Revelation is simply the capstone of the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end of all the Words of God:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

This prophecy of Jeremiah is “the Word” of God, and the ‘Yahweh’ speaking these words is Jesus Christ Himself (Who is Jahweh?).

This is what Christ commands Jeremiah to tell His own self-righteous, rebellious people:

Jer 26:2  Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:
Jer 26:3  If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
Jer 26:4  And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
Jer 26:5  To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
Jer 26:6  Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

These words are addressed to all who claim to know Christ and to worship in the Lord’s house. Only the Lord’s elect are given to see and hear these words. Only they are granted repentance. However, these words will be given to those who are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, and they will be just as applicable at that time for those people as they are today for us.

What happened at Shiloh, many years before Jeremiah’s prophecy, must happen to the kingdom of our old man in this present time, and it must also be experienced by those who are in “the resurrection of damnation” (Greek: ‘judgment’), which will take place after the rebellion of all nations at the end of the thousand-year reign of “the Lord and His Christ”:

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
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 was cast into the lake of fire.

Here is what happened at ‘Shiloh’:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

These five verses, verses 2-6 of this chapter of Jeremiah 26, are summarized by this admonition in the first chapter of the book of Revelation:

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.

Revelation chapters 2-3 are an admonition against the seven churches of Asia. What Revelation 2-3 reveal is that “[we also] have not hearkened… to the words of [the Lord’s] servants the prophets”:

Notice to whom Revelation 1:3 is addressed:

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;

“The seven churches” are not just the Lord’s elect. They certainly include the Lord’s elect, and it is only His elect who will read, hear and keep the things which are written in the prophecy of this book. However, the seven churches are located “in Asia”, which spiritually includes all the churches of this world and all who are in covenant with God. That means that “the seven churches” signify all the religions of mankind because of the covenant the Lord made with Noah:

Gen 9:8  And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Gen 9:9  And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

All of mankind, whether aware of it or not, are in covenant with the Lord, and we have all broken that covenant. This situation gives the Lord the occasion He is seeking to judge all men of all time, “each in his own order”:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

Every man has “his own [appointed] order” in which we will all be “made alive… in Christ”.

Jer 26:7  So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
Jer 26:8  Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

I will repeat the words with which we opened this study… Christ spoke only what His Father commanded Him:

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

It was because Christ was faithful to the words His Father told Him to speak that He was at odds with the self-righteous, religious people of His day… the very people He had just fed with His loaves and fishes. This is what Christ got for being faithful to His Father’s words:

Mar 15:13  And they cried out again,  Crucify him.
Mar 15:14  Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.

That is exactly what had happened to the prophets who prophesied before Christ, who did not diminish the Lord’s words of judgment. If you and I are granted to remain faithful to His words, this is what we will also hear from the established churches:

Jer 26:9  Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
Jer 26:10  When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’S house.
Jer 26:11  Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
Jer 26:12  Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.

What happens to Jeremiah is exactly what Isaiah was inspired to tell us to expect from our families, friends and the historic established churches in every generation:

Isa 30:8  Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
Isa 30:12  Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
Isa 30:13  Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
Isa 30:14  And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water  withal out of the pit.
Isa 30:15  For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

“Prophesy not unto us right things” means ‘Do not speak to us about the Lord’s judgments. Speak only about all His blessings He has promised us. Tell us He did everything for us on the cross.’

“Because you despise this word” means we all just naturally hate and despise the Lord’s judgments and His way of thinking. How could He fail to ask us what He should do with His creatures? It just isn’t ‘fair’ to our old man to be condemned to destruction. We despise that He has declared “that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 15:50).

We will continue this story, and see how we can expect to be treated by our Babylonian bound brothers and sisters in our next study, Christ told us what to expect if we refuse to diminish His words concerning His judgments upon our own old man and upon all the smooth, lying, self-righteous lies of the adversary:

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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.

If the Lord gives us the ability to value “the kingdom of heaven” and to see what is not visible to the natural man, then we will “Rejoice and be exceeding glad [to be] persecuted [with] the prophets [which were] before [us]”, and we will appreciate the truth of these verses:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

We are not naturally capable of appreciating those words, but to Christ within us “the kingdom of heaven” is “a pearl of great price” for which we will sell all we have to “lay hold on eternal life”:

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.

Here are our verses for our next study:

Jer 26:13  Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.
Jer 26:14  As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
Jer 26:15  But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
Jer 26:16  Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.
Jer 26:17  Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
Jer 26:18  Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
Jer 26:19  Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.
Jer 26:20  And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:
Jer 26:21  And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
Jer 26:22  And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
Jer 26:23  And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
Jer 26:24  Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

[Study Aired April 1, 2021]

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 
Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 
Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 
Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 
Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheep skins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 
Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

God’s elect are called to “subdue^G2610 [G5662=aorist tense] kingdoms” (of verse 33) within, the “power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” of Ephesians 6:12. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us and who is able to give us victory over those nations within because He is “far above” all these things mentioned; the powers, the might of this world, the dominion that nations hold for the time being, and every name that is named in this world, and those who are yet to be resurrected. Christ is above them all and will subdue them all through His body, bringing all the world and all angels into subjection unto Christ (1Co 6:3) who is subject to our Father who will be all in all when all is said and done (Rom 8:37, Eph 1:21, 1Co 15:28).

It is by putting on the whole armour of God that “ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph 6:13), and it is within all these incredible examples of faith of which we will read in Hebrews 11:32-40 that we can learn more clearly what Christ’s faith can produce in us by looking at these examples of (1Co 10:11) “suffering affliction, and of patience” for our sakes (Jas 5:10, 2Co 4:15). All these examples we will look at obtained a good report through faith, and that was accomplished for our sakes, “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect“. Their trials, their suffering, their overcoming in the natural all portray for us what God can and will accomplish within the elect through His chastening grace which will abound in our life through Christ (Tit 2:12-13, 2Co 9:8, Rom 5:20).

Putting on “the whole armour of God” of Ephesians 6:10-20 is how we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling knowing that it is God who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:12-13). God wants us to see and grow in our confidence in His power by looking at these old covenant examples of faith so we can be reminded of what is possible through Christ today. We will see how our labours are not in vain in him as He receives us through His chastening grace which abounds toward us so we can learn that we truly are more than conquerors through Christ who takes us through the fiery trials of this life as the God of all comfort which He is (1Co 15:58, Heb 12:6, Pro 3:11, Dan 3:25, 2Co 1:3-4).

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;
Eph 6:19  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Eph 6:20  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets”  …and all those whose books are being written by God through the faith of Christ today (Rom 5:1-5, Rom 3:20-23, 1Jn 5:4-5).

Those/our books are intertwined in each member that makes up the body of Christ and contrasted with those who are not found in the book of life, just as these six men represent fleshly types and shadows of Christ’s faith which justifies us (Rev 20:12-15).

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

[The reason we are studying Hebrews 11:32-40 is to learn of that pattern of patience and faith which was exemplified through so many before us (Jas 5:10)].

Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us [Rom 8:28].

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets [Jas 5:10];
Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith [“by faith of Jesus Christ“].
1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

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 was cast into the lake of fire.

How interconnected this body is remains to be revealed to the world. However, when the first resurrection occurs, the “mystery which hath been hid (Col 3:3) from ages and from generations” (Col 1:26-27) will be revealed in fullness, and the world will then be brought to understand how this was all made possible by God’s power in our lives (Php 3:7-12, 1Co 15:52, Mal 3:18).

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages [Col 3:3] 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:
Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily [Php 2:12-13].

Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9  And be found in him, [Rom 12:4-5] not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith [(1Ti 6:12):  You and I have the words of eternal life (Joh 6:68)]
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings [1Co 10:16], being made conformable unto his death [Col 1:24];
Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus [Php 2:12-13, Rom 5:10].

Paul tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12), and Christ tells us that fear is to be directed toward God (Luk 12:5). The world cannot see that we are working out that salvation for each other as the body of Christ, each joint supplying in love that is accompanied with Godly fear (Eph 4:16, Joh 13:35). We are a body interconnected which sees and believes how important our fervent prayers are for each other as we covet them and build each other up with our faith-filled prayers that will avail much (Jas 5:16). Each of us can then be “offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith”, for this fact: “I joy, and rejoice with you all” (Php 2:17-19, Php 4:4).

As we look at this last section of Hebrews chapter eleven, we can rejoice knowing that all these stories were not written to terrify us (Php 1:27-30), but rather to give us great assurance of what God can accomplish through the body of Christ as these types and shadows, these patterns,  point to the promise of how Christ will cleanse the temple that we are (Heb 9:23).

Php 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Php 1:28  And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Php 1:30  Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices [Rom 12:1, Eph 1:6] than these.

He will finish the work of faith that he has started within us (Php 1:6) by framing those worlds within our heavens (Heb 11:3) to His glory as we’re given the faith to believe and be persuaded of these typical stories that were written for our sakes upon whom the end of the world is come (1Co 10:11-14).

They “without us” (vs 40) have experienced great trials of faith, but not for salvational reasons in their age, “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” These things happen to them so we can have this confidence in our Lord now, confidence that we will indeed be able to drink the cup, that we will overcome the great stresses that will come and have come upon the body of Christ, even as we remember the words of our Lord in Matthew 10:19-22. We continue to build each other up in our most holy faith (Jud 1:20-21) that is strengthened through our coming together often in His name with His truth that if we are granted to continue in will set us free (Joh 8:31-32).

Jud 1:20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

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.

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

These six men, each with their own story of faith, along with all the prophets remind us that God has used the same spirit of faith over and over to teach us through these examples what is required to overcome the powers and principalities which are constantly at the door of our hearts, trying to bring us into bondage (Gen 4:7). The power given them to do battle is always instructive for us as we learn what God can accomplish with certainty in the spiritual warfare we are fighting within our heavens and overcoming by the grace through faith process that we are privileged to be experiencing through Christ (Tit 2:12, Rom 5:10, Heb 9:23, Eph 2:8). As we look at each example, a great sense of urgency should form in us as we consider today “that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” (Rom 13:12-14, Eph 6:10-11, Rev 12:12, Rev 19:7-8).

Excerpt from Clarks commentary in regard to these six men:

Gedeon – Who by faith in God, with 300 men, destroyed a countless multitude of Midianites and Amalekites, and delivered Israel from oppression and slavery (Joh 8:36). Judges 6, 7, 8.

Barak – Who overthrew Jabin, king of Canaan, and delivered Israel from servitude (Joh 8:34). Judges 4.

Samson – Who was appointed by God to deliver Israel from the oppressive yoke of the Philistines; and, by extraordinary assistance, discomfited them on various occasions (Rom 8:37, Php 4:13, 2Ti 2:3). Judges 13-16.

Jephthae – Who, under the same guidance, defeated the Ammonites, and delivered Israel (Judges 11, Jdg 12:1-15). [Jepthae’s name is taken from H6605 (Joh 8:36)]

H6605 pâthach paw-thakh’  A primitive root; to open wide (literally or figuratively); specifically to loosen, begin, plough, carve: – appear, break forth, draw (out), let go free, (en-) grave (-n), loose (self), (be, beset) open (-ing), put off, ungird, unstop, have vent.

David H1732  King of Israel, whose whole life was a life of faith and dependence on God; but whose character will be best seen in those books which contain an account of his reign, and the book of Psalms, to which, and the notes there, the reader must be referred. It is probable he is referred to here for that act of faith and courage which he showed in his combat with Goliath. See 1 Samuel 17.

[My comments now: It is the beloved son who has been promised that they will overcome through Christ which is why David’s name is what it is pointing to the victory that God will give His elect over the giants in our land within. [Mat 3:16-17, Rom 6:3-4, 1Jn 3:1-2].

H1732 dâvid  dâvı̂yd
daw-veed’, daw-veed’
From the same as H1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse: – David.

H1730 dôd  dôd dode, dode
From an unused root meaning properly to boil, that is, (figuratively) to love; by implication a love token, lover, friend; specifically an uncle: – (well-) beloved, father’s brother, love, uncle.

Mat 3:16  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

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.

Samuel – The last of the Israelitish judges, to whom succeeded a race of kings, of whom Saul and David were the two first, and were both anointed by this most eminent man. See his history in the first book of Samuel.

H8050 shemû’ê  shem-oo-ale’  From the passive participleof H8085 and H410; heard of God; Shemuel, the name of three Israelites: – Samuel, Shemuel.

H8085shâma‛  shaw-mah’  A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell, etc.): –  X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear (-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim (-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever [heareth], witness.

H410‘êl ale  Shortened from H352; strength; as adjective mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity): – God (god), X goodly, X great, idol, might (-y one), power, strong. Compare names in “-el.”

[We see the singleness or oneness that is in God when we are blessed to hear the word of God and be obedient to it, words that describe what Samuel’s name meant (Mar 12:29, Jer 22:29, 2Co 11:3)]

The important point to remember regarding the prophets is how their lives witness to us how our flesh can be put off through God’s power, typifying how God’s spirit can give us the power to mortify the deeds of our flesh as we continue in the truth so that we can be set free by “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” as we “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Joh 8:31-32, Tit 2:12). Prophecy is defined as “edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1Co 14:3, 1Th 5:11) and so the lives of these prophets encourage and exhort us and minister unto us when we see how the events of their lives unfolded for our encouragement today “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” (1Pe 1:12).

God’s elect are called to a life-long process of being cleansed and washed through the longsuffering and patient process of repentance to which God has called us that requires the patience and faith of the saints to put off our flesh and become a new creation through Christ (Jas 5:10, Rom 2:4, Rev 14:12, 2Co 5:17, Lev 12:3). God has to give us the desire to overcome and be obedient unto death (Heb 5:8) and chastens and scourges every son He receives in love (Heb 12:6) so that we can become zealous in our service to the living God as was typified by Hezekiah who tore down all the “high places” in the land (2Ki 18:4) and was obediently zealous toward the Lord in doing so (2Co 7:11).

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.

Jas 5:10  Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

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?

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

2Ki 18:4  He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 

Each of these above examples of overcoming specific events in the flesh are patterns that we observe and learn. They all have their counterpart in the spirit, and become profitable unto us if we are granted to see how these ensamples apply to how our heavens are being cleansed today by God’s word (Heb 9:23).

To say, “Thy will be done and not our own” requires faith (Luk 22:42) that will subdue the kingdoms of this world within us which are being overcome so God’s kingdom within (Luk 17:21) will reflect the righteousness of Christ within us as we obtain the promise of eternal life by overcoming or stopping the mouths of “lions” that represent all the false doctrines proceeding from the mouth of Satan and his ministers which come to us as angels of light (2Co 11:14). We overcome them with Christ’s sharp two-edged sword in our heavens (Rev 19:15, Heb 4:12). The violence of fire represents the “strange fire” that men put on the altar of God that represents false doctrine once again (Lev 10:1). Escaping the edge of the sword is another way of saying we quench all the fiery darts of the devil by the faith that God gives us (Eph 6:16). God makes His strength perfect through our weakness (2Co 12:8-9) so we can wax “valiant in fight” and turn “to flight the armies of the aliens” – those armies representing alien and strange doctrines which would otherwise darken the sun and prevent us from seeing the truth clearly if it were not for the army of the Lord that does battle (Joe 2:11, Rev 9:2-3).

Joe 2:11  And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

The “better sacrifices than these” is being accomplished through each joint that supplies in love (Eph 4:16) what is needed to help tear down the powers and principalities we are warring against (Eph 6:12) as we come together often as a living sacrifice to the glory of God (Rom 12:1-2).

Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 
Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 
Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheep skins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

If a person is wise, noble or great in this life, that is a gift of God to be so, and John was just such a person and was acknowledged as such by Christ himself (Mat 11:11). Part of why John was so highly spoken of by Christ was that he understood how great Christ was and was humble in his spirit (Joh 1:27).

Mat 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Joh 1:27  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

We behold our calling and see “how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1Co 1:26).  How is it then that “he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”, meaning John? We are greater than John because of our Father who has given us the power through Christ (Col 1:27, Rom 9:8) who is the end of the law (Rom 10:4), to remove the “latchet” of Christ’s feet that represents the law. Removing the latchet which John felt he was not worthy or able to do in his age [coming out from under the law] can be contrasted with the command that Christ should wash Peter’s feet. Peter objected to this until Christ made it clear that he could have no part with Him unless He did this (Joh 13:8-10, Joh 13:14-16, Col 1:27). We would have no part in the first resurrection if we didn’t bear each other’s burdens (Rom 8:17, 2Ti 2:12) and so fulfill the law of Christ which was symbolized by the foot washing where Christ washed the disciples’ feet and told them to do the same (Joh 13:14-16, Joh 13:35).

We can see that desiring to be in a “better resurrection” spoken of in Hebrews 11:35 is only typical of those who are striving for “the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:14). Speaking of that first resurrection, we are told that the way is made to be hard, and we will be scarcely saved, not to discourage us, but to remind us that we are more than conquerors through Christ (Act 14:22, Rom 8:37). The world will know one day that our deliverance was of God and not of ourselves (1Pe 4:18) just as the typical deliverance of which we are reading in Hebrews 11:35-37 was certain to happen and was accomplished by God’s power.

We are called to be armed with the mind of Christ so that we can be found in that blessed and holy first resurrection the truly “better^G2909 resurrection”^G386 with nobility that does not stem from our own might or power but by God’s holy spirit which makes it possible for us to accomplish what would otherwise be impossible (Mat 19:23-24, Zec 4:6, Rom 8:9).

G2909  kreittōn krite’-tohn    Comparative of a derivative of G2904; stronger, that is, (figuratively) better, that is, nobler: – best, better.

G2904   kratos krat’-os   Perhaps a primary word; vigor [“great”], (literally or figuratively): – dominion, might [-ily], power, strength.

G386  anastasis an-as’-tas-is   From G450; a standing up again, that is, (literally) a resurrection from death (individual, general or by implication (its author)), or (figuratively) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth): – raised to life again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising again.

All of these seemingly horrible and unbearable events of Hebrews 11:35-37 are written to remind the body of Christ today that through Christ we can endure all things (Php 4:13), and can be armed with his mind, and as a result, always be able to “Always [be] bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” so that our walk and the fiery trials (1Pe 4:12) promised to accompany that walk can nourish and purify our life, which is what the foot-washing event was all symbolizing for us today (2Co 4:10, 1Pe 1:7).

Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 

We should therefore not be surprised if we must be nomadic and wander “in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” which means we have no place to lay down our head in this earth being as Christ (1Jn 4:17-19) as we seek a heavenly country whose builder and maker is God, even while we are hid in the Lord (Psa 31:20, Col 3:3) Who is the mountain to Whom we look as our refuge in this life (Luk 9:58-60, Heb 11:14-16, Psa 121:1).

Luk 9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Luk 9:59  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

A “good report”^G3140 is obtained through faith and represents the mature witness that we become through Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of that report of faith in each of our lives (Heb 12:2, Php 1:6). Christ is the one who increases within us as we decrease so we can become mature sons (Joh 3:30, Eph 4:13).

good report G3140 martureō   mar-too-reh’-o  From G3144; to be a witness, that is, testify (literally or figuratively): – charge, give [evidence], bear record, have (obtain, of) good (honest) report, be well reported of, testify, give (have) testimony, (be, bear, give, obtain) witness. [“ambassador for Christ” (2Co 5:18 21, Joh 3:32, Joh 5:37), “and you are witnesses^G3144 of these things” (Luk 24:47-48)]

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 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:

Joh 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease.

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in 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:

“These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise” because they could not look into the things we can read, hear and keep as a result of not having God’s spirit within them (Rom 8:9). Boasting is excluded by faith, and therefore we should be bearing each other’s burdens and not be competing with each other in any way knowing that God simply called us to receive this incredible blessing at His hand (Rev 1:3, Rev 5:5, Rom 11:18, Rom 3:27, Gal 6:2, Php 2:3-4, 1Pe 3:9).

Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee [The strong ought to support the weak, in other words (Rom 15:1)].

Rom 3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

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

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

1Pe 3:9  Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing [Luk 6:27-38]; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Luk 6:27  But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Luk 6:28  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Luk 6:29  And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
Luk 6:30  Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Luk 6:31  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
Luk 6:32  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
Luk 6:33  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
Luk 6:34  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
Luk 6:35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Luk 6:36  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Luk 6:37  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luk 6:38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

[They, too, will receive the blessing of salvation. Their lives were not lived with such suffering in vain, but they were sacrificed for our sakes as ensamples “that ye should inherit a blessing“]

That provision of “some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” is only accomplished through God’s holy spirit, and the “some better thing for us” is nothing short of a “promise” of being in that blessed and holy first resurrection if we are His royal priesthood which He is framing with His word in our heavens, preparing us to be kings and priests (Rev 20:6, 1Pe 2:9, Rev 19:16).

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.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

​H​i Mike,

I​n ​R​evelation it states that anyone whose name isn​’​t found written in the book of li​f​e is cast into the lake of fire. However,​ what about those whose names have been BLOTTED OUT? ​A​re the​y​ ca​s​t in​to​ the lake of fire with the name that was blotted out, or do they get new names?

Thanks, S____​

Hi S​____​,

Thank you for your question. You asked, “What about those whose names have been blotted out? Are they cast into the lake of fire with the name that was blotted out, or do they get new names?”

The short answer to your question is…yes, they are cast into the lake of fire with the name that was blotted out, because it is those whose names were not found in “the book of life” who are cast into the lake of fire:

Rev 20:12  And [at the white throne judgment, vs 11] 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 was cast into the lake of fire.

Notice “the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,” plural, because each of us is a book which the Lord wrote of us before we were born, “neither having done any good or evil”:

Rom 9:11  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

“The children”, Jacob and Esau, both did evil because that is the experience God has given all men to humble them by it, so there is much evil written in all of our books before we were ever born:

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. (ASV)

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it. (CLV)

It is the evil written in each of our “books” that is being judged here at the great white throne:

The names of all who sin against the Lord will be blotted out of the book of life. A group know in scripture as the “few chosen… firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” who are given a part in the “blessed and holy… first resurrection”, are the only ones whose names are in the book of life. That blessed and holy first resurrection occurs at the beginning of the thousand year reign, and all who are blessed to have part is that “resurrection to life” (Joh 5:28-29), will have “overcome the wicked one” in this present time (1Jo 2:13-14). All who are raised up from the dead after the thousand year reign are cast into the lake of fire/second death, at the time of the great white throne judgment:

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 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.

We know this is so because Paul calls Satan “the god of this world” (Greek: G165, ‘aion’, age) in:

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world [age] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

It is none less than Christ Himself who reveals to us that “the world”, this age, ends when Satan is dethroned and Christ and His Christ are placed upon the throne of “the kingdoms of this world”:

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world [G2889: kosmos, world] are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

When the kingdoms of this ‘kosmos‘, this world, become the kingdoms of the Lord and His Christ, the god of this age is dethroned and a new age begins with “the Lord and His Christ” on the throne. We know this is the right order of events because Christ “will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth” (ITi 2:4), in the lake of fire/second death (Rev 20:14-15). We know this is the Truth because are told that “[Christ] is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world”.

And then He tells us:

Mat 12:32  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world [G165: aion, age], neither in the world to come. [Greek for ‘world’ here is again G165: ‘aion’, age]

Christ knew that any apostate who lives from this age over into the thousand year reign, ‘age’, would not be forgiven or even given to repent until the great white throne judgment after the thousand year reign.

Paul confirms Christ’s words of Matthew 12:32 with this statement in:

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

They will “neither be forgiven in this age, neither in the age to come”, but they will be made to repent, and they will be forgiven and will have their sins covered by the blood of the Lamb as part of the great multitude which no man can number, who will come up out of great tribulation and wash their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, via the work of the lake of fire/second death/white throne judgment.

Rev 7:9  After this [after the numbering of the 144,00 “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb”, Rev 7:4 and Rev 14:4] I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev 7:11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

I hope this helps you to see that being blotted out” has to do with the book of life, before the thousand-year reign of the Lord and His Christ, and not the books which are opened after the rebellion which follows the thousand-year reign.

YbiC, Mike

Isa 34:10-17 The Destruction of Babylon Within the Lord's Elect - Discussion

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Isa 34:10-17 The Destruction of Babylon Within the Lord's Elect

Isa 34:10  It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
Isa 34:11  But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
Isa 34:12  They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
Isa 34:13  And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
Isa 34:14  The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
Isa 34:15  There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
Isa 34:16  Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
Isa 34:17  And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

You will notice that 'Babylon' is not mentioned as such in this chapter. What is mentioned is Esau, also called Edom, and in this chapter Esau is also referred to as Idumea.

Isa 34:5  For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
Isa 34:6  The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.
Isa 34:7  And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
Isa 34:8  For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

It is characteristic of the scriptures to use many different names to speak of the same person or thing. Christ Himself is a perfect example of this characteristic of the Word of God. He is referred to as "the seed of the woman, I Am, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of The Valley, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of God, the Beginning and the End, the Son of Man, the son of David, the bright and morning star, the Word of God, and many, many other names and titles.

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Son 2:1  I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

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.

Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star. 

Rev 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

These are but a few of the names and titles given our Savior. He is also called "the Christ". But we are informed that "the Christ" also has "His Christ":

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against 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 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

"His Christ" also has many names which, for lack of time, we cannot list at this time.

However, the same is also true of Babylon. As "the seed of the serpent", Babylon is all who are "of [their] father the devil". "The son of perdition" and "the man of sin" are both Babylon within every man. Babylon is typified by both "the king of Tyre", and by "the king of Babylon". In this chapter of Isaiah Babylon is referred to as Idumea, one of the several names of Esau, who was Jacob's elder twin brother.

The name "Idumea" in these verses is translated from the Hebrew word 'edom', and is far more often so translated simply as Edom, a name for Esau.

Here is the e-sword breakdown of the English translation of this Hebrew name:

H123
אדום  /  אדם
'ĕdôm  /  'ĕdôm
Total KJV Occurrences: 91
edom, 87
Gen_25:30, Gen_32:3, Gen_36:1, Gen_36:8, Gen_36:16-17 (2), Gen_36:19, Gen_36:21, Gen_36:31-32 (2), Gen_36:43, Exo_15:15, Num_20:14, Num_20:18, Num_20:20-21 (2), Num_20:23, Num_21:4, Num_24:18, Num_33:37, Num_34:3, Jos_15:1, Jos_15:21, Jdg_5:4, Jdg_11:17-18 (3), 1Sa_14:47, 2Sa_8:14 (3), 1Ki_9:26, 1Ki_11:14-16 (4), 1Ki_22:47, 2Ki_3:8-9 (2), 2Ki_3:12, 2Ki_3:20, 2Ki_3:26, 2Ki_8:20, 2Ki_8:22, 2Ki_14:7, 2Ki_14:10, 1Ch_1:43, 1Ch_1:51, 1Ch_1:54, 1Ch_18:11, 1Ch_18:13, 2Ch_8:17, 2Ch_25:20, Psa_60:1, Psa_60:8-9 (2), Psa_83:6, Psa_108:9-10 (2), Psa_137:7, Isa_11:14, Isa_63:1, Jer_9:26, Jer_25:21, Jer_27:3, Jer_40:11, Jer_49:7, Jer_49:17, Jer_49:20, Jer_49:22, Lam_4:21-22 (2), Eze_25:12-14 (4), Eze_32:29, Dan_11:41, Joe_3:19, Amo_1:6, Amo_1:9, Amo_1:11, Amo_2:1, Amo_9:12, Oba_1:1, Oba_1:8, Mal_1:4
idumea, 4
Isa_34:4-6 (3), Eze_35:15, Eze_36:5

One more way of referring to Esau, Edom, or Idumea, is the name Mount Sier, Sier being the name of the country which was conquered by the descendants of Esau:

Gen 32:3  And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

Gen 36:8  Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

Esau, Edom, Mount Seir, Idumea, are one and all "the people of my curse, to judgment... [in] the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion."

Isa 34:5  For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

Isa 34:8  For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

The Lord Himself reveals the ultimate "people of [His] curse to judgment in the day of the Lord's vengeance":

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. (ASV)

Judgment and vengeance are the very words used in the book of Revelation which are applied to the judgment of the Babylon the great, the false doctrines of all religions which are found within every man:

Rev 6:9  And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Rev 6:10  and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?(ASV)

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.

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.

The division of this "great city" into three parts tells us this is a process of judgment which will take time, and yet it is said to be but "a short work":

Rom 9:28  For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

1Co 7:29  But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

The book of Job demonstrates clearly that the 'hand' and the 'great wrath' of Satan is actually nothing more than "the hand of the Lord":

Job 1:8  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 1:9  Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10  Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Job 2:3  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
Job 2:4  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Job 2:5  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 2:6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
Job 2:7  So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Job was being judged because of his own self-righteousness, and until that process of judgment began, Job thought he was rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, just as every one of us thinks of ourselves before the Lord begins to deal with us:

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.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

While Job thought of himself as righteous and spiritually rich and increased with goods, the Truth was that he, as a type of us, was in reality, spiritually 'wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked'. It took the fire which is the Truth of Christ's doctrines to burn all that deception out of Job's heart and mind.

So is the Lord's work within each of us:

Isa 34:10  It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
Isa 34:11  But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
Isa 34:12  They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.

"The smoke thereof shall go up for ever" refers to the time needed to burn up whatever will burn up in the fire. "From generation to generation" tells us this same process takes place within God's elect in every generation. "None shall pass through it for ever and ever" does not mean that there are no deceived people in Idumea or Babylon. The exact opposite is true. The cormorant, the bittern, the owl and the raven are one and all symbols of the false doctrines of the false prophets which are the false spirits and false doctrines of all the 'men of renown; men famous in the congregation' of all the congregations of mount Seir/Babylon:

Num 16:2  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
Num 16:3  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

Ezekiel tells us that when a prophet is deceived, as Korah and his allies are, it is the Lord Himself who has them in that spiritually blinded condition:

For that reason, this is the spiritual position of Idumea, Babylon at this very moment:

Eze 35:1  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 35:2  Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
Eze 35:3  And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
Eze 35:4  I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

Babylon, Idumea, Mount Seir, are all types of the religious kingdom of our old man. Each doctrine of that kingdom is a city within mount Seir, and everything that breathes in mount Seir must die and be "made... most desolate":

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

Here are some of the 'cities' we have built up in Mount Seir/Idumea/Babylon: the doctrines of the trinity, the immortal soul, eternal hell fire, and the false doctrine of free will, and all the other lying doctrines which must be fabricated to underpin all of these false doctrines, including the false doctrine of 'Every man will experience the purifying fire of the second death, and every man will experience the blessings of the first resurrection'. That false doctrine is nothing but a variation of Korah's false doctrine:

Num 16:3  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

The Lord does indeed love every man. But His love for all does not nullify this promise:

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Every one of these false, lying doctrines are "high places" which all dispose us to hate and despise and murder the Lord's "two witnesses" the Lord's "kings and priests" (Rev 1:6) who pour out of themselves "the crown of the anointing oil" upon the Lord's people:

Lev 21:12  Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Zec 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts

Zec 4:12  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13  And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

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.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

The doctrines of the trinity, the immortal soul, eternal hell fire, and the false doctrine of free will, and all the other lying doctrines of Mount Seir - all these false doctrines within us furnish the occasion the Lord is seeking to utterly destroy and "make most desolate" the religious kingdom of our old man and his lies, which are all within our evil hearts:

Eze 35:5  Because thou [Mount Seir/Idumea/Babylon] hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
Eze 35:6  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith [since] thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
Eze 35:7  Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.
Eze 35:8  And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword.
Eze 35:9  I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze 35:10  Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there: [Physically, Israel and Judah; spiritually, the Lord's "two witnesses" - Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11]
Eze 35:11  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
Eze 35:12  And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
Eze 35:13  Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
Eze 35:14  Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Eze 35:15  As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

"Your cities shall not return" means we will never again be able to believe the lies and false doctrines which the Truth has exposed. Briars, thorns, nettles and brambles, wood, hay, and stubble, like most things in scripture, are many different names for all the lying doctrines of Babylon and they are all spiritually very combustible. These are the symbols of the lying doctrines of Mount Seir, which the fiery words of the Truth of Christ's doctrines will consume as the Truth comes into our lives. Where all these combustibles grow and increase, they will always serve as a home and a fortress for dragons, owls, wild beasts, the satyr, the screech owl, the great owl, the vultures - just more names for the same lies and false doctrines. These lies and false doctrines are all welcome in 'Mount Seir', where they will all be given rest and nourishment in all the lies of spiritual Idumea and Babylon.

Isa 34:13  And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
Isa 34:14  The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
Isa 34:15  There [in Mount Seir/Babylon] shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow [False doctrines beget more false doctrines]: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
Isa 34:16  Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
Isa 34:17  And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

The lies of Idumea/Mount Seir/Babylon will continue to flourish within our hearts and minds for as long as it is needed to give the Lord the occasion He is seeking to destroy death. That is the amount of time Mount Seir will continue to hate the Lord's people and all they say and teach. It has all been 'written in His book', and it will continue "until the iniquities of the Amorites are fulfilled:

"The book of the Lord" informs us the Lord has predestined all of the works of both Israel and of Idumea/Babylon:

Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites ["written in His book"] is not yet full.

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. (ASV)

So much for the false doctrine of mankind having a will that is not being worked by God "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:

This prophecy of Idumea here in Isaiah 34 ends in the same way the revelation of Jesus Christ ends. It ends with the Lord reminding us that no one can come to the Father except the spirit of God drags that person to Himself:

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [Greek: drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

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.
Joh 6:64  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Joh 6:67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Joh 6:69  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Joh 6:70  Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
Joh 6:71  He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

This is how the prophecies of the book of Revelation end:

Rev 22:10  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Rev 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Rev 22:17  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.
Rev 22:18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 22:20  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 22:21  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

And this is what the Lord tells us of His elect:

Psa 71:3  Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

That concludes all 17 verses of the judgments upon Idumea within us as they are revealed here in Isaiah 34.

Next week, Lord willing, we will rejoice in the words of our salvation into which His judgments bring us. Here is Isaiah 35:

Isa 35:1  The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Isa 35:2  It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
Isa 35:3  Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Isa 35:4  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Isa 35:5  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isa 35:6  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
Isa 35:7  And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
Isa 35:8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Isa 35:9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

​Hi Mike,

R​eading about Egypt and A​ssyria and I​srae​l being blessed…but what of Isaiah 65:20 (sinners accursed…likely E​gypt…yet again…with child)

T​his confuses me…

T___

Hi T​____​,

I will say that your confusion arises from a lack of understanding of these verses of scripture:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 

We are this “kernel of wheat”, and it is our old man, “the first man Adam, Esau, King Saul, Judas”, you and me, who must die before our new man Jacob, Joseph, King David, all of whom supplanted their predeccessor, as types of Christ in us supplanting the old you and the old me to become a new man, which is the very same thing as a new kernel of wheat coming forth from that very dying process. Every gardener knows exactly what Christ is saying here.

One does not and cannot go back and change the sins of the past. King David did not divorce Bathsheba, and you need to give your past over to where it already is, meaning a work of Christ in your life to bring you to where you now are. You and your husband are fine where you are. You just need to “go and sin no more lest a worse thing come upon  you”.  “Sin no more” in no way means that you must never again break the speed limit. What it does mean is that sin should no longer have dominion over you:

Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Read this FAQ and the links within it to begin to understand the meaning of the words ‘olawm‘, (​Hebrew​) and ‘aion‘ (​Greek​) and to learn what the function of grace is in our lives.

Will I Make it to Heaven?

It is my prayer for you that you will be given to see what I have shown you about all the people of the Old Testament:

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.

I understand how radical this all is,​ but it is right there in scripture: “Not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister.” Everyone in the Old Testament will be raised up and purified in the lake of fire along with everyone since Christ who has never been given eyes to see or ears to hear the mysteries of “the kingdom of God [which] is within you” (Luk 17:19-20).

Your days were all written in God’s book before there were any of them (Psa 139:16 [​ASV]​), and your sins are not your sins, but the product of the “marred vessel… in t​he Potter’s hand” (Rom 7:17-25 and Jer 18:4).

I pray you will take the time to read the links I have given you. They will help you immensely, if the Lord permits.

YbiC, Mike

The Lord Will Smite With A Scab The Crown of The Head of The Daughters of Zion

Isa 3:16  Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
Isa 3:17  Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.
Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
Isa 3:19  The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
Isa 3:20  The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

In our last study we were given the contrast between what could be expected by the righteous and by the wicked:

Isa 3:10  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Isa 3:11  Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

God has determined that His people will all first be spiritual daughters of spiritual harlots, who will lead His people astray and away from Him, before they become true to Him via the fiery trials which He ordained for us all before we were born and before any of our days were lived. He has every life written out for every person before any of us ever come to this earth:

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

But a harlot is not faithful to her husband, and no harlot is subject to her husband’s leadership. If she were, she would not be a harlot. Yet it is out of this great harlot system, symbolized by both Egypt and Babylon, that God’s people must come. It is out of that system we are all delivered.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Rev 18:21  And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

We are the Lord’s ‘Zion’, but first we are a harlot who will not submit to Him or His laws. And that is what we are being told in today’s study:

Isa 3:16  Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

The first thing to know about this harlot we all are, is that we do not realize what our spiritual condition is. At first we actually have ourselves convinced that we are without need of anything and without sin:

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

An adulterous woman always justifies her adultery. But that does not make her actions any the less unfaithful:

Pro 7:21  With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
Pro 7:22  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
Pro 7:23  Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

Spiritual adultery is typified by physical adultery for the very reason that it is so appealing to our flesh. “Her much fair speech” tells us that Christ died for our sins so we can continue in our sins. “Her much fair speech” appeals to our natural sheepish instinct to be accepted of our friends and families rather than to refuse to fight for God, family and country physically and take up our cross and fight for God, family and country spiritually. It is her “much fair speech” which tells us we are not following Christ if we do not keep the days, months, times and years of the traditions of men (Gal 4:9-19 and Col 2:8-17). It is the promises of much physical wealth if we tithe to her which is part of her “much fair speech” to which we have all yielded. It is her promise of being accepted of our families and communities which are “the flattering of her lips [and her] walking and mincing as she goes and making a tinkling with her feet”, because our “walk”, in scriptural terms, is our way of life. The doctrines of this adulterous harlot are ashamed of the doctrines of Christ. Her doctrines have us taking great pride in the very things that bring us to shame.

The apostle Paul warns us of the pull of the shameful doctrines of the “haughty daughters of Zion [who] walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes” in these words:

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

The false doctrines of the harlot daughters of Zion are labeled “the enemies of the cross of Christ”. That is the perfect description of the damning doctrine of “the substitutionary atonement”, which teaches that Christ died in our stead so you and I need not die. The teaching is that Christ did everything for us, and all we need to do is to accept His sacrifice in our stead. To teach that Christ must also die daily within us (1Co 15:31), that we, too, must die to this world, is twisted into salvation by our own works. It matters not that the scriptures tell us that the works of those in whom Christ dwells are to be accounted only as “His workmanship… not of [our] works”.

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.

The false doctrine of “the substitutionary atonement of Christ” is a very alluring ‘tinkling… ornament’ indeed, but it is a lie which will rob us of our very salvation in this age, as these verses of scripture demonstrate:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

We are just naturally repulsed by the doctrine of the cross of Christ in our own lives. It is ordained by God that we will first be a friend of this world, and we will first want to fit in with this world. That is what we all first do. In time though, we must be brought to see just how unfaithful we are by doing so because:

Jas 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The revelation of Jesus Christ puts this same message in these terms:

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:

We “know not that [we] are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”. Like Adam and Eve we are blind to our own nakedness until the time comes to be given eyes to see our own naked condition:

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.

But we are not at first interested in “gold tried in the fire [or] white raiment”, simply because we still don’t think we need anything. At this time we still believe that we are righteous in and of ourselves. Like self-righteous Job we think we have our own integrity, and we are not about to humble ourselves and confess that we are ‘wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked’. At this point we are still clinging to what we suppose to be our own righteousness:

Job 27:5  God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
Job 27:7  Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

Just as the Lord dealt with Job, so He deals with his wayward wife:

“Their secret parts” means ‘their nakedness’. Nakedness is a spiritual word for the sins we commit as a result of believing the lies of the adversary and the great harlot and her daughters.

Gen 3:10  And he [Adam] said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

2Ch 28:19  For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.

Eze 23:29  And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

Rev 16:15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

‘Smiting with a scab the crown of the head’ is the beginning of the revelation of our nakedness. It is chastening from our own Lord, and it is not accomplished at the snap of the fingers.  Being smitten “with a scab [on] the crown of the head” is just “the beginning of [the] sorrows” which are the predestined chastening of the kingdom of our rebellious old man who has  become “one flesh” with the great harlot and her daughters:

1Co 6:16  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

Becoming disenchanted with the harlot with whom we have become “one flesh” is not something we do without first being put through the fiery trials which are necessary to bring us to want to become free of her hold upon us. As always we must endure the judgment of that permissive way of life. That experience is likened to fire throughout scripture:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shallbe made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

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.

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

“The day [which] shall [make] manifest… every man’s work… by fire” is the same ‘day’ spoken of in our next verse:

Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 

“That day” is the day of judgment which is even now upon those who are being judged in this age. “The day” and “that day” are spoken of throughout scripture referring to the time of the judgment of the kingdom of our old man inwardly and of the kingdoms of this world dispensationally and outwardly. That is the nature of the Word of God which speaks of things that are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). The “tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon” all draw our attention to the harlot and not to her husband whom she despises.

Speaking earlier to these very same “daughters of Zion”, addressing them as ‘Judah and Jerusalem’, Isaiah said this:

Isa 1:1  The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Isa 1:6  From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 
Isa 1:7  Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

The Hebrew word ‘saharon‘ appears only three times in the Old Testament. Isaiah 3:18 is the only place ‘saharon‘ is translated “round tires”. The words “like the moon” are added by the translators.

H7720
שׂהרן
śahărôn
Total KJV Occurrences: 3
ornaments, 2
Jdg_8:21, Jdg_8:26
round tires, 1
Isa_3:18

Here are the two other entries of this Hebrew word ‘saharon‘ as they appear in Judges 8:

Jdg 8:21  Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments [H7720: saharon] that were on their camels’ necks.

Jdg 8:26  And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments [H7720: saharon], and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.

Bravery

There is nothing ‘brave’ about these ‘ornaments’ which deceive and distract us. The Hebrew word ‘tiphara‘, which is translated ‘bravery’, appears 50 times in the Old Testament.

Here are the various ways this word is translated in the King James Version:

H8597
תּפארת  /  תּפארה
tiph’ârâh  /  tiph’ereth
Total KJV Occurrences: 50
glory, 22
1Ch_22:5, 1Ch_29:11, Psa_78:61, Psa_89:17, Pro_4:9, Pro_16:31, Pro_17:6, Pro_19:11, Pro_20:29, Isa_10:12 (2), Isa_20:5, Isa_46:13, Isa_60:7, Isa_60:19, Isa_62:3, Isa_63:15, Jer_13:11, Jer_13:18, Eze_24:25, Zec_12:7 (2)
beauty, 10
Exo_28:2, Exo_28:40, 2Ch_3:6, Psa_96:6, Isa_13:19, Isa_28:1, Isa_28:4-5 (2), Isa_44:13, Lam_2:1
beautiful, 6
Isa_52:1 (2), Isa_64:11, Jer_13:20, Jer_48:17, Eze_16:12, Eze_23:42
honour, 4
Deu_26:19, Jdg_4:9, Jer_33:8-9 (2)
fair, 3
Eze_16:17, Eze_16:39, Eze_23:26
glorious, 3
1Ch_29:13, Isa_63:12, Isa_63:14
bravery, 1
Isa_3:18
comely, 1
Isa_4:2

The words ‘glory’ and ‘glorious’ account for half of these entries and similar words account for all the rest, except for the word ‘bravery’ here in Isa 3:18. ‘Glory’ is the way it should be translated here in Isa 3:18. When we are told, “the Lord will take away the [‘tipharah‘ – glory] of their tinkling ornaments”, what we are being told is that God will manifest just how shameful these doctrines of this harlot are. These ornaments are symbols of all the lies which a harlot “with her much fair speech… [uses to] cause [us] to yield, [and] with the flattering of her lips [to] force [us]” to ignore the words of Truth (Pro 7:21). These ornaments are the “smooth things” we demand to hear from this harlot while we are under her spell.

This is what takes place within us, and this is what takes place outwardly in this world:

Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: 
Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

We are by nature “children who will not hear the law of the Lord”. Being “one flesh” with the harlot we naturally espouse her lies with the same zeal with which she expresses her lies. We do so because we “know not that [we] are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev 3:17).  We believe the lies she has told us, and therefore we are in total opposition to Christ and His doctrines. We willingly change, ‘Love thine enemies’ to ‘Fight for God, family, and country’. We just naturally change “You shall not do so unto the Lord your God” to ‘Christmas and Easter are not pagan because we keep them in honor to Christ’. We defend every type of perversion because the laws of the land dictate that we must, and we are more than willing to change “We ought to obey God rather than men” to ‘We ought to obey men rather than God’. Like the brazen harlot we are, we insist on keeping Christ’s name even as we continue to wear our lying harlot’s attire with all of its lying ornaments,  and we insist on eating our own lying food, rather than the truth of the ‘bread’ of the Word of God.

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.

Our last two verses list even more of the lying ornaments which we just naturally prefer over the glory of the truth and the nourishment of the food and the covering of the garments of righteousness, which we are given by our Lord.

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 
Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
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. 

Our last two verses are in contrast with “the fine linen [which] is the righteousness of saints”:

Chains

The Hebrew word translated ‘chains’ is ‘netiyphah’, and it actually means:

H5188
נְטִיפָה
neṭı̂yphâh
net-ee-faw’
From H5197; a pendant for the ears (especially of pearls): – chain, collar.

It is from the word:

H5197
נָטַף
nâṭaph
naw-taf’
A primitive root; to ooze, that is, distil gradually; by implication to fall in drops; figuratively to speak by inspiration: – drop (-ping), prophesy (-et).

So the Hebrew word ‘netiyphah‘, is much more accurately translated as ‘a pendant for the ears’, instead of ‘chains’. But what is interesting is that the root of this Hebrew word, which means ‘pendant for the ear’, means to ‘drop… words’, in the form of prophecy.

Here is where ‘nataph‘, the root of the word ‘netiphah‘, appears in the Old Testament:

H5197
נטף
nâṭaph
Total KJV Occurrences: 20
drop, 7
Pro_5:3, Son_4:11, Eze_20:46, Eze_21:2, Joe_3:18, Amo_7:16, Amo_9:13
dropped, 5
Jdg_5:4 (2), Job_29:22, Psa_68:8, Son_5:5
prophesy, 5
Mic_2:5-6 (4), Mic_2:11, Zec_13:3
dropping, 1
Son_5:13
drops, 1
Job_36:27
prophet, 1
Mic_2:11

Here are just one of these verses which is representative of every one of these 20 listed verses:

Pro 5:3  For the lips of a strange woman drop [H5197: nataph] as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
Pro 5:4  But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
Pro 5:5  Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

That is how the words of a harlot ‘drop’, and this, in contrast, is what Christ and His bride think of the words which ‘drop’ from each others’ mouths:

Son 4:11  Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

The words of the harlot and the words of Christ both seem like “honeycomb”, depending upon whom we are given ears to hear.

One more verse will demonstrate what is the root meaning of this Hebrew word which means ‘ a  pendant for the ears’. In this verse is both ‘nataph‘ and its root word ‘naba‘:

Amo 7:16  Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy [H5012, ‘naba’, to prophesy] not against Israel, and drop [H5197, nataph] not thy word against the house of Isaac.

If we are given pendants for the ears of a harlot, her lies will “drop as honey comb” on our ears, bringing us death. If we are given pendants for the ears that hear the truths of Christ, then His words too, will “drop as honeycomb” upon our ears, bringing us life.

Bracelets

The Hebrew word for bracelets is:

H8285
שֵׁרָה
shêrâh
shay-raw’
From H8324 in its original sense of pressing; a wrist band (as compact or clasping): – bracelet.

So the symbol agrees with the translation, but when we look at the root, we are again given a much deeper understanding of the spiritual significance of the Hebrew word ‘sherah‘. The root from which this Hebrew word ‘sherah‘ comes is:

H8324
שָׁרַר
shârar
shaw-rar’
A primitive root; to be hostile (only active participle an opponent): – enemy.

Here are the entries for this root word for ‘bracelets’:

H8324
שׁרר
shârar
Total KJV Occurrences: 5
enemies, 5
Psa_5:8, Psa_27:11, Psa_54:5, Psa_56:2, Psa_59:10

It appears five times, and it is translated consistently as ‘enemies’. As with every word, both ‘sherah‘ and its root ‘sharar‘ have both a positive and a negative application.

This verse is typical of all five verses where this word is used:

Psa 5:8  Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies [H8324: sharar]; make thy way straight before my face.
Psa 5:9  For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

When the Lord is leading us” in [His] righteousness”, we are the enemy of the kingdom of our old man. But when our inward parts are “very wickedness, [our] throat is an open sepulcher”, and we are the enemy of the kingdom of God within us:

Jas 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 

All of the ornaments we wear declare our spiritual state. If we use God’s ornaments to serve and honor the “idols of [our] hearts”, then God will answer us according to those idols (Eze 14:1-0). But if we come to Him and we come to His word with a broken and contrite heart, then He will give us pendants for ears that hear, and bracelets that will be Christ in us working His righteous works through our hands.

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.

Mufflers

The Hebrew word for ‘mufflers’ is:

H7479
רַעֲלָה
ra‛ălâh
rah-al-aw’
Feminine of H7478; a long veil (as fluttering): – muffler.

Isaiah 3:19 is the only verse in all scripture where this word appears, but it is the feminine form of:

H7478
רַעַל
ra‛al
rah’-al
From H7477; a reeling (from intoxication): – trembling.

H7477
רָעַל
râ‛al
raw-al’
A primitive root; to reel, that is, (figuratively) to brandish: – terribly shake.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

These three words appear just one time each in scripture, but they all carry the meaning of fluttering, reeling, trembling, shaking terribly.

The destruction of Nineveh typifies the destruction of the kingdom of our old man. Nineveh is used of God to destroy the kingdom of our old man while we are living the life of a harlot in rebellion against Christ, our true husband. But Nineveh typifies the ten horns and the ten kings on the head of the seven-headed beast we all are before we are destroyed. As these ten kings, we fight against our Lord at His coming, and it is through the “terrible shaking” and the destruction of the kingdom of our old man that the kingdom of Christ and His Father are birthed within us:

Isa 2:19  And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 

Isa 2:21  To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 

The destruction of the kingdom of our old man is a shaking which is the worst shaking of our life. We cannot enter into the temple in heaven until we have experienced that great earthquake. It will never be equaled because it signals the end of that kingdom within us, just as the kingdoms of this world will also come to their end:

Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
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 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.

That is the result of the coming of Christ to take away “the chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers” of the idols and doctrines of our rebellious old man (Isa 3:19)

Bonnets

“Bonnets” are head coverings, and like ‘pendants for the ears’, they have both a negative and a positive application.

Here is the Hebrew word translated ‘bonnets’ here in Isa 3:20:

H6287
פְּאֵר
pe’êr
peh-ayr’
From H6286; an embellishment, that is, fancy head dress: – beauty, bonnet, goodly, ornament, tire.

Here are the entries for this word in the Old Testament:

H6287
פּאר
pe’êr
Total KJV Occurrences: 7
bonnets, 2
Isa_3:20, Eze_44:18
beauty, 1
Isa_61:3
goodly, 1
Exo_39:28
ornaments, 1
Isa_61:10
tire, 1
Eze_24:17
tires, 1
Eze_24:23

‘Tires’ and ‘bonnets’ are both headdresses. The only entry which is not translated as some sort of headdress is the word ‘beauty’ in Isa 61:3. More about Isa 61:3 later.

Here are an examples of the positive application of this Hebrew word ‘peer‘:

Exo 39:27  And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,
Exo 39:28  And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly [H6287: peer] bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,

Eze 44:18  They [Aaron and his sons] shall have linen bonnets [H6287: peer] upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

“Anything that causes sweat” is anything that gives any credit to our flesh for anything. And that includes our sins.

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

We are not even capable of sinning against God without “[His] hand and [His] counsel… working all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph 1:11).

Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28  For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

The “fine linen [which] is the righteousness of saints”, does not “cause to sweat” because it is Christ’s faith and His righteousness, which works within us, and neither our faith nor our works are attributed to us or to our flesh:

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. [“It is God which” causes us to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling”, verse 12]

Rev 19:8  And to her [the bride of Christ, us – 2Co 11:2] was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

It was interesting to discover that an oft quoted verse of scripture is apparently not translated as accurately as it could be. As I pointed out earlier, the only time the Hebrew word ‘peer‘ H6287 is contrasted with ashes in this verse of Isaiah 61:

Isa 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty [H6287: peer – fancy or glorious head dress] for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Ornaments of the legs,

The Hebrew word for ‘ornaments of the legs’ is:

H6807
צְעָדָה
tse‛âdâh
tseh-aw-daw’
Feminine of H6806; a march; (concretely) an (ornamental) ankle chain: – going, ornament of the legs.

It is with our feet and our legs that we walk. Our walk is either in the service of our flesh, and therefore in the service of the adversary, or else it is in the service of Christ and His Father.

Here are the only three entries in scripture for this Hebrew word:

H6807
צעדה
tse‛âdâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 3
going, 2
2Sa_5:24, 1Ch_14:15
ornaments of the legs, 1
Isa_3:20

The two other places in scripture where this word is used, 2Sa 5:24, and 1Ch 14:15, are both telling the same story about David doing battle with the Philistines. The Philistines typify us in Babylon. We are in the land of promise without being baptized in either the Red Sea or the Jordan, and we are there without the benefit of being circumcised. David typifies Christ, “the Son of David” within us, battling against our old man and his kingdom.

Notice how this word translated “ornaments of the legs” is used in these two accounts of David warring against the Philistines:

2Sa 5:23  And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
2Sa 5:24  And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going [H6807: tse‛âdâh] in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
2Sa 5:25  And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

When our ‘goings’ are obedient to the Lord’s words, we, too, can ‘smite the Philistines”, and when they are not obedient, God will take away our ‘goings’.

As always, while it is a different Hebrew word in this verse, the message is always the same. Whether we are obedient or disobedient is actually a work of God within us:

Pro 20:24  Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

The tablets

To deal with this symbol of “the tablets” as one of the many things the Lord is taking away from us as we “fall into the ground and die”, I am compelled to show you this entire verse with all the Strong’s numbers.

Isa 3:20  The bonnets,^H6287 and the ornaments of the legs,^H6807 and the headbands,^H7196 and the tablets,^{H1004 H5315} and the earrings,^H3908

Notice there are two numbers after the phase “and the tablets”. That phrase “the tablets” is another instance of a translation which is out of line with how these Hebrew words are generally translated.

The first number is 1004, and it has nothing to do with ‘tablets’, as we define that word in modern English.

Here is Strong’s definition of that word:

H1004
בַּיִת
bayith
bah’-yith
Probably from H1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.): – court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as would contain, hangings. home[born], [winter]house (-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within (-out).
Total KJV occurrences: 2053

As you can see this word is very common throughout the Old Testament, and it is generally translated as ‘house’.  That is a far cry from the modern English word ‘tablets’. 

When we look at the root of this word, it means “to build”, and it is used to speak of building a family as well as a house. In fact the word ‘house’ in the Old Testament often refers to a family, as in “the house of David… the house of Saul”, etc.

Here is a verse in which this word ‘bayith‘ is translated two different ways in the same verse:

  1Ch 10:10  And they put his armour in the house [H1004: bayith] of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple [H1004: bayith] of Dagon.

Now let’s look at the definition of the second Hebrew word which has been translated with this single English word ‘tablets’:

H5315
נֶפֶשׁ
nephesh
neh’-fesh
From H5314; properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental): – any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead (-ly), desire, X [dis-] contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortality, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.
Total KJV occurrences: 753

As you can see this, too, is a very common word, and it is most commonly translated as ‘soul’, as in:

Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul [H5315: nephesh].

Putting these two Hebrew words together, what we are really being told is that God is taking away from our rebellious old man his very life and the clay house in which he dwells. All of it is in complete accord with these two sections of scripture:

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.

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

There is no hope extended for our rebellious old man or for our physical bodies of flesh and blood. Millions of sermons to the contrary will not change the Truth of those two verses of scripture. That which is flesh is flesh, and that which is spirit is spirit, and while we are indeed sown a natural body, we are raised a spiritual body:

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered [Nicodemus], Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

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.

The earrings 

The word translated ‘earrings’ here in Isa 3:20 is the Hebrew word:

H3908
לַחַשׁ
lachash
lakh’-ash
From H3907; properly a whisper, that is, by implication (in a good sense) a private prayer, (in a bad one) an incantation; concretely an amulet: – charmed, earring, enchantment, orator, prayer.

Here is an example of this word ‘lachash’ in a good sense:

Isa 26:16  LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer [H3908: lachash] when thy chastening was upon them.

Our verse we are ending with is an example of the negative application of this word ‘lachash‘. “The Lord will take away… the errings… [the incantations or the prayers we pray in opposition to our Lord while we are in Babylon.

Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away…
Isa 3:20  The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings [the incantations],

In short, the Lord is burning out all the wood, hay and stubble, and in doing so, He is bringing forth a new man who will, in the end, be in a glorified spiritual body.

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.