Exiles in the Bible – Adam & Eve and the first instances ‘exile’ is used

[Study Aired September 27, 2024]

1: Adam and Eve are exiled from the garden of Eden

The first real typical mention of exile in the bible is found in (Gen 1:1-2) where we are told that the heaven and the earth that God created were incomplete. The earth “was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” What this heaven and earth are a shadow of is the marred vessel in the Potter’s hand that was shapen in iniquity and in need of being made anew right from the foundation of the world (Psa 51:5, Jer 18:4).

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

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

The universe is not teaming with life and the earth at this time in God’s creation is as much a representation of all the physical heavens as well, that have not been made anew in the Potter’s hand, not teaming with spiritual life, but rather ‘the dead burying the dead’ (Luk 9:60). In fact we are told in the final analysis that the physical heavens and earth will be destroyed, giving way to the new creation, and that destruction is again typical of the destruction of the first marred vessel that must be made anew in the Potter’s hand (Rev 21:1). The ‘new spiritual heaven and earth’ are words that represent the new creation that is going to be formed through Christ as God gives the abundant increase of new life, through Him (1Co 3:6). The natural precedes the spiritual (1Co 15:46), and Christ did create all the natural world including the universe that we live in, in a marred condition. This marred creation must precede the new spiritual heaven and earth, and the very Lord Jesus Christ who created the physical is going to have all men drawn to him (Joh 6:44) who is the author and finisher of the new heaven and earth that is formed through the faith of Christ and is a gift from God (Rev 21:1, Heb 12:2, Eph 2:8, Joh 3:5).

Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

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

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

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.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, 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;[where the dead bury the dead] and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit [by being baptized into his death as we die daily].

Adam and Eve were exiled from the garden of Eden not because of what they became, but rather because of what was made manifest in their already marred-in-the-hand-of-the-Potter condition. God’s plan of salvation started off with the marred clay that He purposed to put into exile where an experience of evil would unfold to humble mankind (Ecc 1:13 CLV) bringing us to see our need for our Creator. Our bodies, without Christ ruling in our heavens and earth, are servants of sin that have yet to be made free from our own iniquities, which is the natural self-righteous state that all flesh abides in (Php 3:9, Rom 7:24). The bondage of sin as we reside in sinful flesh that cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50) is what separates us from our Creator, but thanks be to God, the same marred vessel that is subject to vanity can also be subject to our hope of glory within, Jesus Christ, who knows how to cleanse our heavens and earth and form a new creation (Rom 8:21-22). This process of forming a new vessel that was marred in the Potter’s hand at the beginning, in the beginning, is the way that God has purposed His plan to unfold. Satan was part of that initial creation, the marred crooked serpent (Job 26:13) that was placed in the garden along with Adam and Eve and everything else that God created, and what are we told of this creation, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good“. It was all good, and everything that would unfold going forward was very good in that it would ultimately lead to the salvation of all of His creation when God is all in all (Gen 1:31, Rom 9:18-23, 1Co 15:28). This, all to say, that the exile that Adam and Eve went into, as all exiles in the word of God are, is part of God’s “very good” plan that mankind as a whole will one day acknowledge (Jer 14:20, Heb 8:12, 1Jn 1:9).

Ecc 1:13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, 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:

Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

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

Gen 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 

Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Jer 14:20 We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us oursins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2: The first time the word exile is used in the bible

To give some context to these first verses that involve the subject of exile, we need to understand the evil intention of Absolom the son of David. This fifteenth chapter of Samuel is all about the betrayal of Absolom to his father, and Ahithophel who was David’s trusted counsellor who was drawn away by Absolom’s flattering tongue that was seeking power and rulership over the kingdom of Israel. When David got wind of what Absolom was up to, he put a plan into action to flee from Jerusalem and avoid the imminent attack of his son. In the course of these events, king David instructed Ittai the Gittite not to flee with him from Jerusalem, reminding him that he was an exile and that he should stay in Jerusalem, which typifies our time in Babylon. Notice the response of Ittai which sounds very much like what Ruth said (2Sa 15:21, Rth 1:16-17). Based on what Ittai responded to David, he no longer needed to stay in Jerusalem and typified for us what God’s elect become after we go into exile and ‘come out of her my people’ (Rom 12:1-2, 2Co 6:17).

2Sa 15:19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile.

2Sa 15:21 And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.

Rth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

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 [how we come out of exile].
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. [1Jn 2:16-17]

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. [Joh 17:15, Joh 15:19]

Ittai declares whether in death or life (Rom 14:8), “even there also will thy servant be”, and Ruth declares “where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God”. Where we lodge is in heavenly places (Eph 2:6) that are obtained by being given the power to lay down our life and be led by the spirit of God (Rom 8:14-15), going where God would have us go as sojourners in this earth seeking a new country (Heb 11:14, Joh 21:18).

Rom 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

The main point I wanted to make with this section of the study is that there is an appointed time to go into that exile and to leave it. For God’s elect, we are blessed to ‘come out of her my people’ in this life (2Co 6:17), which means we are coming out of spiritual exile which can only happen through the much tribulation of this life, typified by the family and close associates who were against David who is a type of the elect. So that persecution is needful for us to grow, as it was for David, and moves God’s plan forward (Mat 10:21-23).

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents [Absolom], and cause them to be put to death.
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.
Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

This next section of Samuel is so encouraging and instructive for us as it typifies how God will provide a way for us to come out of this exile (2Sa 15:30-34), and despite ourselves if we are His, we will endure and be blessed to be dragged to Christ who is our strength in this life through whom we can endure all things (Php 4:13). The direction that David went is symbolic of our turning our eyes unto the author and finisher of our faith as we are spiritually raised in heavenly places (“went up by the ascent of mount Olivet” – 2Sa 15:30). David had a humble and contrite heart as he went up and wept, and had his head covered, which is a positive use of a man covering his head, David typifying the church in this instance who is likened unto a woman. He is barefoot which symbolizes his walking in the spirit and not being bound by the letter of the law (Act 7:33, Joh 1:27). All the people with him, each one had their heads covered as they went up weeping as well. This hiding or covering symbolizes for us today that we are hidden in the Lord (1Pe 3:4, Rev 2:17, 1Co 2:4-7, Col 3:3).

2Sa 15:30 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
2Sa 15:31 And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
2Sa 15:32 And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head:
2Sa 15:33 Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:
2Sa 15:34 But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

It is significant that although we are hidden in Christ as exiles, we are also completely exposed to God who exposes our old man of sin through the process of ongoing judgement that occurs when we are in exile and coming out of it (Col 3:3, Heb 4:13, 1Co 13:12-13, Psa 103:13-18).

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Psa 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
Psa 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
Psa 103:15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
Psa 103:16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
Psa 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;

The first time a word is used in the bible is often very significant, and the first use of the word ‘exile’ is no exception to this rule, found in (Gen 9:21 , Gen 35:7). This first use of the word ‘exile’ in (Gen 9:21) is very revealing as it is a type and shadow of the spiritual drunkeness that our old man experiences in Babylon. We all must go into Babylon to come out of her, and while we are there we are unknowingly in a spiritually drunken state.

Gen 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered^H1540 within his tent.

This next use of the word ‘exile’ in God’s word is in (Gen 35:7), and explains in type and shadow language that in order to come out of exile we must bury all the idols of our hearts, and by doing this we are demonstrating by our actions, and not just our words that we want to seek the Lord with all our hearts, and minds and souls, which will result in our finding him, or rather in His appearing unto us (Jer 29:13).

Gen 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
Gen 35:3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
Gen 35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Gen 35:5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
Gen 35:6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
Gen 35:7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared^H1540 unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

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

2Sa 15:19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile ^H1540.

H1540 Exile gâlâh BDB Definition:

1) to uncover, remove

1a) (Qal)
     1a1) to uncover
     1a2) to remove, depart
     1a3) to go into exile

1b) (Niphal)
     1b1) (reflexive)
          1b1a) to uncover oneself
          1b1b) to discover or show oneself
          1b1c) to reveal himself (of God)
     1b2) (passive)
          1b2a) to be uncovered
          1b2b) to be disclosed, be discovered
          1b2c) to be revealed
     1b3) to be removed

1c) (Piel)
     1c1) to uncover (nakedness)
          1c1a) nakedness
          1c1b) general
     1c2) to disclose, discover, lay bare
     1c3) to make known, show, reveal

1d) (Pual) to be uncovered

1e) (Hiphil) to carry away into exile, take into exile

1f) (Hophal) to be taken into exile

1g) (Hithpael)
     1g1) to be uncovered
     1g2) to reveal oneself

Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root

[Study Aired November 6, 2022]

Jer 52:1  Zedekiah was one and twenty 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.
Jer 52:2  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
Jer 52:3  For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Jer 52:4  And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.
Jer 52:5  So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
Jer 52:6  And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Jer 52:7  Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
Jer 52:8  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
Jer 52:9  Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.
Jer 52:10  And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
Jer 52:11  Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
Jer 52:12  Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
Jer 52:13  And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:
Jer 52:14  And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Jer 52:15  Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
Jer 52:16  But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
Jer 52:17  Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

This last chapter is a recounting of the fall of Jerusalem and the judgment of Zedekiah, his family, the high priests and all the people around the king, and all the administrators of the state, at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Then it tells us that Nebuchadnezzar had Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, burn the temple and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem. Then he tore down the walls of Jerusalem. Then it reviews the three different times Nebuchadnezzar carried the Jews away as captives to Babylon. This whole story of the judgment of Zedekiah typifies the judgment of Mystery Babylon the Great. It’s ‘Mystery Babylon’ because it is God’s own people who are being judged. The book of Revelation makes this very clear as it says ‘Babylon is the great city in which our Lord was crucified’ (Rev 11:8, Isa 1:21).

This chapter ends with Jehoiachin, the predecessor of Zedekiah, being brought up out of prison by Evilmerodach, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, and making Jehoiachin more prominent than any of the kings that were with him in Babylon.

All of this is far more than a mere historical account of how the Lord judged His apostate people. All of this happened to them, and it is written for our admonition, and there are many spiritual lessons for us in all these things that happened to them:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Let’s see what admonitions there are for us in all the details of the Lord’s judgment upon Zedekiah the king of apostate Judah and Jerusalem:

Jer 52:1  Zedekiah was one and twenty 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.

Hamutal was one of the wives of righteous King Josiah who reigned for 31 years:

2Ch 34:1  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
2Ch 34:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

Jeremiah’s prophecy began in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign, and we are told “Jeremiah lamented for Josiah” when King Josiah died at the hand of Pharaohnecho:

2Ch 35:25  And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

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.

Josiah reigned 31 years, and Jeremiah’s prophecy began “in the thirteenth year of [Josiah’s] reign”. So, Jeremiah prophesied for 18 years under the rule of righteous King Josiah.

Josiah’s wife, Hamutal, was the mother of both Kings Jehoahaz and then later King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. Jehoahaz was the first of Josiah’s sons to take the throne following the death of his father at the hands of Pharaohnecho, at Megiddo. Josiah had been a righteous king, but he had ignored the Lord’s word to him from Pharaohnecho, who did not want to fight with Josiah. Josiah insisted and paid with his life. The reign of Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz lasted a mere three months before he was dethroned by Pharaohnecho and replaced by another son of Josiah, who was a half-brother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah:

2Ch 35:20  After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
2Ch 35:21  But he [Pharaoh] sent ambassadors to him [King Josiah], saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
2Ch 35:22  Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
2Ch 35:23  And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
2Ch 35:24  His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
2Ch 35:25  And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

2Ki 23:31  Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2Ki 23:32  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

The name of the son of Josiah, whom Pharaohnecho chose to replace Jehoahaz, was Eliakim, whose name Pharaohnecho changed to Jehoiakim:

2Ch 36:1  Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:2  Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:3  And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
2Ch 36:4  And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
2Ch 36:5  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

The mother of Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, was Hamutal, but Jehoiakim’s mother was another wife of King Josiah:

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.

These different mothers signify the different spiritual mothers of the churches of Mystery Babylon.

It was in the days of Jehoiakim, whose mother was Zebudah, that King Nebuchadnezzar came up against Judah and conquered Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar for three years, and then he rebelled against Him:

2Ki 24:1  In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.

So Jehoiakim had a different mother than Jehoahaz and Zedekiah, whose mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. Jehoiakim’s mother was another wife of King Josiah whose name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. Jehoiakim was also an evil king whose reign was eleven years; the same number of years as his half-brother, Zedekiah, later reigned. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah. It was during the reign of Jehoiakim that Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jehoiakim and carried him away captive into Babylon, just as Jeremiah had prophesied and had warned King Jehoiakim would happen if Jehoiakim refused to submit to the king of Babylon. Typical of me and you, Jehoiakim refused the counsel of the Lord’s prophet, and he paid the price for doing so:

2Ch 36:6  Against him [Jehoiakim] came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
2Ch 36:7  Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
2Ch 36:8  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

Jehoiachin had learned nothing from his father Jehoiakim’s rebellious ways inasmuch as he, too, “did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

2Ki 24:8  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
2Ki 24:9  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

Having witnessed what had happened to his father for ignoring Jeremiah’s admonition to “go out unto the princes of the king of Babylon” Jehoiachin was given the wisdom to follow Jeremiah’s words from the Lord, and thereby save his own life and spare the city:

2Ki 24:10  At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
2Ki 24:11  And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.
2Ki 24:12  And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] reign.
2Ki 24:13  And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
2Ki 24:14  And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
2Ki 24:15  And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2Ki 24:16  And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
2Ki 24:17  And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Jeremiah’s prophecies spanned 18 years of King Josiah’s thirty-one-year reign (2Kgs 22:1), the three-month reign of Jehoahaz, the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim, the three-month reign of Jehoiachin, and the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah. We are not told when Jeremiah died, but we do know that he and Baruch were both taken into Egypt by Johanan after the assassination of Gedaliah whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor to replace King Zedekiah. The eighteen years of prophesying under King Josiah, the three months under Jehoahaz, the eleven years under Jehoiakim, the three months under Jehoiachin, and the eleven years under Zedekiah add up to 40 1/2 years, besides the unspecified time spent with Gedaliah and Johanan.

Jehoiachin’s reign was the same length as that of his uncle, Jehoahaz.  Jehoahaz was the first son of righteous King Josiah to assume the throne of his father. Both Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin reigned for a mere three months. Jehoiachin’s father, who replaced Jehoahaz, was Jehoiakim whose reign lasted eleven years before he was carried away captive to Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jehoiachin with Jehoiachin’s uncle, his father’s half-brother, Mattaniah, whose name Nebuchadnezzar changed to Zedekiah.

The new king, Zedekiah, had heard all of Jeremiah’s prophecies concerning his brothers, Jehoahaz, and Jehoiakim and Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin. Zedekiah knew that Jeremiah had prophesied that the captivity would last seventy years. Therefore Zedekiah knew that Jeremiah had accurately prophesied the fate of each of his three predecessors, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin. Zedekiah also knew that Jeremiah has accurately prophesied the death of the false prophet, Hananiah. Hananiah had taken the yoke the Lord had told Jeremiah to wear off Jeremiah’s neck and had broken the yoke and contradicted what Jeremiah had been telling the people. The false prophet, Hananiah, was giving the people a false hope. The whole affair had been a very public event, and Zedekiah knew it all very well:

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,
Jer 28:2  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jer 28:3  Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:
Jer 28:4  And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jer 28:5  Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD,
Jer 28:6  Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.
Jer 28:7  Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;
Jer 28:8  The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.
Jer 28:9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.

Zedekiah “did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord”, yet he had no excuse for not listening to the words of the Lord through His proven prophet, Jeremiah.

This is what very publicly transpired in the fourth year of Zedekiah, and he knew exactly what had happened:

Jer 28:10  Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it.
Jer 28:11  And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Hananiah knew his false prophecy of a two-year captivity would be more far more popular than Jeremiah’s seventy-year captivity prophecy. However, Hananiah’s presumptuousness failed to change the Lord’s mind, and He sent Jeremiah back to make another very public prophecy:

Jer 28:12  Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 28:13  Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.
Jer 28:14  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.
Jer 28:15  Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
Jer 28:16  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.
Jer 28:17  So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Zedekiah knew exactly how the Lord felt about anyone who “made this people to trust in a lie”, and he knew that Jeremiah was not about to tell a lie in the name of the Lord, and yet…

Jer 52:2  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
Jer 52:3  For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Let’s reword that verse without adding anything to it or taking anything from it:

Jer 52:3 It came to pass through the anger of the Lord that Jerusalem and Judah, and her kings Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, all rebelled against the king of Babylon until the Lord had cast them out from his presence.

However one arranges the phrases of this verse, there is no denying that what the Lord is telling us is that it all took place “through the anger of the Lord”. For that to be true it would all have had to have been predestined, and that is exactly what the holy spirit wants us to know.

Isa 45:5  I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6  That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isaiah prophesied seventy years before Jeremiah, but the Lord had not and has not lost His sovereign power. Here is another much earlier verse in which He reminds us that “[He] hath made all things for Himself, yes, even the wicked” [kings of Judah] “for [their] day of evil”…  after the counsel of His own will”:

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

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:

Our will and our actions, good or evil, are His work in us, and the Lord wants us to be always aware of that wonderful Truth.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For [G1063: gar, “assigning a reason”, ‘because’] it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Heb 2:4  God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The Lord has always worked all things “both to will and to do of His good pleasure”. He did so with all the kings of Israel and Judah, and He made all these things happen to them, and He had it all written for our admonition (1Co 10:11). It all happened to reveal just how stubbornly rebellious against the words of our Lord our old man is.

Jer 52:4  And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

We are given all these details of the timing of Nebuchadnezzar’s campaign against Jerusalem for a reason. Look at where else we see this phrase “in the ninth year” in scripture, and notice that it was in “the ninth year’ of the king of Israel that “the king of Assyria took Samaria. The number ‘nine’ is always associated with judgment upon those being discussed:

2Ki 17:6  In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

It is the 99 sheep who thought they needed no repentance who will be judged for their self-righteousness:

Luk 15:7  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

There were also nine lepers who had no gratitude for what the Lord had done for them:

Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

King Zedekiah, his two earlier brothers, and Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin, who preceded King Zedekiah were all of the same mind of the “ninety and nine just persons who [thought they] need[ed] no repentance”.

Here is a study on the spiritual significance of the number nine.

It was on “the ninth day of the month that the city of Jerusalem was broken up and taken by the princes of the Babylonians:

Jer 52:5  So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

The reigns of both evil kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah were eleven years. This is also very instructive because the spiritual significance of the number eleven is the destruction and dissolution of all flesh. Here is the study on the number eleven.

Jer 52:6  And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Jer 52:7  Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
Jer 52:8  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

This is neither the way nor the reason we are commanded to “Come out of her My people” (Rev 18:4). The reason is that Babylon is still in the heart and mind of King Zedekiah and all his great men just as Sodom was still in the heart of Lot’s wife when she became a pillar of salt:

Jer 52:9  Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.

We have already established that apostate Jerusalem signifies the “great harlot… Mystery Babylon the Great” (Isa 1:21), which brings this verse of scripture to mind as we are being given this story about the judgment of King Zedekiah, the king of apostate Judah and Jerusalem:

Jer 51:53  Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

That is exactly what Nebuchadnezzar did to Zedekiah and his apostate kingdom. Indeed, it is a very gory story, and it typifies the same thing which the story of the judgment of Jerusalem and its king typify. Both typify the destruction of “the great whore… Mystery Babylon the Great”.

As gruesome as it is, the Lord wants us all to know just how disgusted He is with those who cause His people to trust in a lie:

Jer 52:10  And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
Jer 52:11  Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

We all, like Samson and King Zedekiah, and the apostle Paul, must first come to realize just how spiritually blind we are before we can begin to be used by the Lord and given to see the things of the spirit.

Jer 52:12  Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
Jer 52:13  And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:

It was in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month that the house of the Lord and the king’s house were burned up with “unquenchable fire”:

Jer 7:20  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

While this is a fiery, miserable, and painful experience of evil, it works a work of grace through faith which is the spiritual significance of this all taking place in the fifth month.  Here is the link to the study on the number five.

The number ten signifies the very best of the flesh, which is what the physical temple and houses of the king and all the great men of the Lord’s apostate people also signify. Here is the link to the study on the number ten.

Jer 52:14  And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Jer 52:15  Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
Jer 52:16  But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

This is the verse that comes to mind when reading of all the apostate rich and established being replaced by the poor of the land:

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

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

There is little or no difference between the poor in spirit and the meek, and both are promised the earth and the kingdom of heaven.

Jer 52:17  Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

‘Brass’ (which was really copper) is the best of the base metals and is the metal which was handled by the Levites who assisted the priests in ministering to the people. All the implements of the brazen altar, the brazen sea and all the water basins and even the socket at the door of the tabernacle were all made of copper and were essential to the ministry of the priests who ministered to the people in their worship of the Lord. It was all carried away to Babylon signifying how even Mystery Babylon is an instrument in the hand of the Lord to “bring us unto Christ”:

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Mystery Babylon has taken all the Lord’s gold, silver and precious stones and is using them to cover all her idols, and false doctrines. Every false doctrine is a perversion of the Lord’s golden and silver words.

2Ki 24:13  And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

As with “all things”, the Lord is working this judgment of His apostate people after the counsel of His own will. This entire event took place “through the anger of the Lord”, with no input from anyone. Every character was nothing more or less than an instrument in the Lord’s hands like clay in the hands of a Potter, and that is exactly what the Lord Himself tells us of His people:

Jer 18:1  The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 18:2  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Jer 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

The Lord was using Nebuchadnezzar, whom He calls “My servant”, to judge His apostate people:

Jer 27:6  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

As we consider the gruesome judgment the Lord pours out on Mystery Babylon, let’s remember that even that great harlot is a work of His hands out of whom we must all come:

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

I pray we are all encouraged to know that even our sins and iniquities being the work of God tells us clearly that we are His workmanship, and that it is He who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure:

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 [our own] 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.

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

What a comforting Truth to know!

[Study Aired December 5, 2021]

Jer 25:15  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16  And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
Jer 25:17  Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
Jer 25:18  To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
Jer 25:19  Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
Jer 25:20  And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
Jer 25:21  Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
Jer 25:22  And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,
Jer 25:23  Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,
Jer 25:24  And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,
Jer 25:25  And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,
Jer 25:26  And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
Jer 25:27  Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
Jer 25:28  And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.

Jeremiah and all the prophets are types of the Lord’s elect. He spoke through the prophets then, and today, by His own testimony, He is speaking to this world within us through His elect:

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

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

It is a gift from the Lord to be able to read and believe that Christ has sent us “as [His] Father has sent [Him]”. Christ told us He spoke only the words His Father gave Him to speak, and His words were not his own words but the words of His Father:

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

What did Christ’s Father send Him to do? If He is sending us as His Father sent Him, what exactly is it He is sending us to do? Here is the answer to that question:

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

If we are sent by Christ as His Father sent Him then we, too, will “speak… nothing of [ourselves]; but [only] as [our] Father hath taught [us].”

The words of this prophecy are applicable to “all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth” (vs 26), but let us take note that this judgment ‘begins at the Lord’s own house… Jerusalem and the cities of Judah [in] this present time’ (1Pe 4:17 and Rom 8:18):

Jer 25:15  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16  And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
Jer 25:17  Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:

We must note that Jeremiah says this cup is in the Lord’s hand, while the book of Revelation tells us it is in the hand of the great harlot:

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Revelation tells us this cup is “full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication”, while Jeremiah tells us the cup in the Lord’s hand is “the wine cup of this fury at My hand… the sword that I will send among them”.

Upon closer examination, the book of Revelation agrees with the fact that the Lord’s fury is part and parcel  of the “abominations and filthiness of [Babylon’s] fornication”:

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

There it is in verses 8 and 10. “The wine of the wrath of her fornication” precipitates “the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation.” Those who are “keeping the sayings of the prophecy of [the revelation of Jesus Christ within us are given to] read… hear… and keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book [in] this present time.”

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [including the seven last plagues (Rev 1:3, 14:12, 15:8)] 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.

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

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

It is those who have “the patience of the saints… and the faith of Jesus” who are the first to endure the fiery judgment of the seven last plagues, which all men will endure “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.

If we fail to see the order of the Lord’s plan of salvation for “all in Adam”, then we will not even realize who are “they that are Christ’s” who are given a “crown of life… at His coming” which entitles them to be raised in “the resurrection of life” at the beginning of the thousand year reign of “the Lord and His Christ”:

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
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.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation [in “this present time” Rom 8:18]: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This “crown of life” is also called “a crown of righteousness”, which is given to all who are in “the resurrection to life” (Joh 5:27-29).

2Ti 4:6  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

The principle of “the sum of Thy word is True” gives us what the mind of God is concerning this apparent dichotomy and apparent contradiction. The King James Version seems to tell us that God does not tempt us, so we just naturally wonder why Jeremiah tells us that this cup of the Lord’s fury is in the Lord’s hand, and that we, as typified by Jeremiah are told, “Cause all nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.”

These verses indeed have an outward fulfillment in the lake of fire, but for us in “this present time” our concern is with “all the nations [within us] unto whom the Lord has send [His word]”.

Every ‘nation’ mentioned in the following verses, beginning with “Jerusalem and the cities of Judah”, signifies all the false doctrines which have taken up residence within us while we are under the bondage, and the hegemony of that “great whore… Babylon the great the mother of  harlots and abominations of the earth” (Rev 17 – The lies of the great harlot have colored and have tainted every doctrine she offers to us at that time of our lives. That is what is meant by these verses of Isaiah 3):

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
Isa 3:2  The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
Isa 3:3  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Every word of this prophecy must take place within us before we will be honored to judge this world or angels:

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? [in “this present time” (Rom 8:18)]

When the Lord takes “the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water” away from us He is beginning to judge His own people, His own house, first:

Jer 25:18  To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, [“beginning at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17)] to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

This 18^th verse undergirds, and is the Old Testament foundation for, this statement by the apostle Peter in the New Testament:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Being carried away into the Babylonian captivity of all her false doctrines is the beginning of the judgment of the Lord’s spiritual house as it was the beginning of the judgment of His physical nation. After the Lord’s house begins to be judged while still in Babylon, He then begins to drag us out of that harlot system. At that point the Lord gives His redeemed ‘house’ the commission to judge Pharaoh and “all the kingdoms of the world with Sheshach, the same Babylon He used to judge His people. Babylon, aka Sheshach, is not judged until all the nations she ruled over for so long are delivered from her grip.  Sheshach, signifying “Mystery Babylon”, will be the last to be judged by the Lord through the words of “His Christ” (Rev 11:15). That ‘judgment’ by Jeremiah’s words, typifies the Lord’s elect speaking all the words of this prophecy for the Lord. Just as the Lord used Jeremiah to judge the nations of the whole world in his day, He will also give the judgment of the kings of this whole world over to “the Lord and 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 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

What is accomplished by the judgment and the hail that come from our Lord?

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Notice how the whole world is judged by the Lord’s fiery words after His “judgment begins with… Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah”. The Lord twice states (verses 15 and 17) that His judgments and His wrath are upon “all nations”. Then Jeremiah lists all the known nations of “the whole world” of his day:

Jer 25:19  Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
Jer 25:20  And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
Jer 25:21  Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
Jer 25:22  And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,
Jer 25:23  Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,
Jer 25:24  And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,
Jer 25:25  And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,
Jer 25:26  And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

The word ‘all’ appears fourteen times in these eight verses of Jeremiah 25:19-26. To be sure we do not fail to get the point, verse 26 makes the clear statement that the Lord is speaking of and to “all the kingdoms of the world”.

Inwardly these verses are speaking to and about all the powers and principalities against which we wage war in our heavens:

Eph 6:12  Because our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principal offices, against the positions of authority, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual things of wickedness in the heavens. (ACV)

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

This is first and foremost “all nations” within us. “The wine of the wrath of her fornication” is all the twisted scriptures this great whore uses to keep us all in bondage to the fornication of all her false doctrines. “The kings of the earth” are all the secular leaders in our lives who are in the bondage of all of the lies and false doctrines of the religions of this world. “The merchants of the earth [who] are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” signify all the extremely wealthy, big-name religious leaders in every religion on earth who ‘peddle the Word of God’ as twisted “delicacies”, which signify spiritual lies and false doctrines for personal gain:

2Co 2:17 For we are not as the majority, who are peddling the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God in Christ, are we speaking. (CLV)

Here is the significance of the name ‘Sheshach:

Sheshach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheshach (Hebrew: ששך‎), whose king is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Jeremiah 25:26, is supposed to be equivalent to Babel (Babylon), according to a secret mode of writing practiced among the Jews of unknown antiquity, which consisted in substituting the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet for the first, the next to last one for the second, and so on. Thus the letters sh, sh, ch become b, b, l, i.e., Babel (see: Atbash cipher).^[1] This code is called the Atbash Cipher and was utilized to decrypt.

The city “Sheshach” does not appear on any map nor in any other documents, save the book of Jeremiah. The Atbash Cipher was applied and out of “Sheshach” came the word “Babel”. This is supposed to be confirmed by a reference to Jeremiah 51:41, where Sheshach and Babylon are in parallel clauses. There seems to be no reason to doubt that Babylon is here intended by this name.^[2]

Wikipedia is certainly not scripture, but the scriptures themselves demonstrate that Babylon is the correct signification of the name ‘Shesach’. “How is Sheshach… how is Babylon”:

Jer 51:41  How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!
Jer 51:42  The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.
Jer 51:43  Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.
Jer 51:44  And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
Jer 51:45  My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.
Jer 51:46  And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

This admonition is repeated in:

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Each of the nations mentioned in Jeremiah 25:18-28 inwardly signify the depth of the thorough apostasy of the Lord’s elect before He begins to judge us and to drag us out of Babylon. All those lying false doctrines begin to be destroyed within us with the brightness of the coming of the Truth of the doctrines of Christ when the Lord finally opens our eyes to see and accept Him and His mind and His doctrines, instead of the false doctrine of “the springs… of Babylon”:

Jer 51:34  Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
Jer 51:35  The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.
Jer 51:36  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

Here is another way of saying the Lord “will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry”:

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

If we are granted to endure to the end, we will have the Lord’s waters springing up within us:

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.

When we are made to accept the mind of Christ, the mind of our old man begins to die every day as we come to know Him better day by day:

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

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed [my… our old man], whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

We will come back to this thread here in 2^nd Thessalonians 2 after we read our last two verses:

Jer 25:27  Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
Jer 25:28  And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.

“Ye shall surely drink” is just another way of saying that the only way to access the Tree of Life is to go through the fiery swords of the cherubim which “guard the way of the 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.

When we are carried away into Babylon and are in Babylon for a symbolic “seventy years” we do not see ourselves as the rebellious, deceived apostates that we are. Instead, this is how we see ourselves at this stage of our experience:

Pro 5:3  For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

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

The spirit of the adulterous woman of Proverbs 30:20 is the same spirit in the church at Laodicea. Spiritually the church at Laodicea is “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”, but her spiritual blindness keeps her from seeing her wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked condition, and this instead is how she views her own spiritual condition:

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:

That is truly spiritual blindness and “strong delusion”.

Getting back to the message of 2^nd Thessalonians 2, we are told:

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Being in Babylon is being in “strong delusion”. In this state we think we are just the exact opposite of what and where we really are spiritually “because [we] say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that [we] are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev 3:17).

It is because we “know not” our spiritual condition that the Lord must judge us first and show us what we really are. We will never “come out of [Babylon]” if we cannot even acknowledge that we are in Babylon and are the victims of the lies of a great spiritual whore, who literally hates and despises the doctrines of Christ.

The Pharisees who asked Christ if He thought they were blind, certainly did not consider themselves to be spiritually blind. Yet, as types of you and me, they were as blind to their spiritual condition and their spiritual position as the adulterous woman of Proverbs 30:20 and the ‘wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked church at Laodicea’:

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Failing to see and acknowledge our deception is the self-righteous “stumbling block of iniquity” which keeps us locked up in Babylon the great for so many wasteful years. We simply are not yet given to “acknowledge [our self-righteous] iniquity”, so we remain blinded to our own blindness:

Jer 3:11  And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Jer 3:12  Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Jer 3:15  And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

The Lord has given us “pastors according to [His] heart”, and ‘His heart’ feeds us the knowledge of His ways. “His ways” are the way of His fiery judgment which ‘fire’ every man must endure if he wants to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life:

Deu 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Dan 4:37  Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

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.

“The fire [which] shall try every man’s work” is the words of Christ:

Joh 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Christ is the Yahweh of the Old Testament who talked with Adam and Eve, talked, and ate a meal with Abraham, wrestled with Jacob, and talked face to face with Moses. We know this Yahweh is Christ because we are very plainly told that it was Yahweh who did all these things:

Gen 2:16  And the LORD [H3068: ‘Yahweh’] God [H430: ‘elohiym’] commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Gen 18:1  And the LORD [H3068: ‘Yahweh’] appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Gen 18:3  And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Gen 18:4  Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
Gen 18:5  And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
Gen 18:6  And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
Gen 18:7  And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
Gen 18:8  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Gen 32:24  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Gen 32:27  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Gen 32:28  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Gen 32:29  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
Gen 32:30  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Exo 33:11  And the LORD [H3068: ‘Yahweh’] spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

These are the words of our Lord Himself which reveal that He is the Yahweh of the Old Testament:

Joh 5:37  And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

Lest any of us think that John 5:37 applies only to those Jews to whom Christ was speaking, the fact is that the Lord had already made clear that “no man has seen God [the Father] at any time…”

Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Clearly Christ is the ‘Yahweh’, the ‘Lord’, the ‘God’ of the Old Testament who had been seen and heard by so many in that dispensation. It is ‘Yahweh’ who gave His words to Jeremiah:

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD [H3068: ‘Yahweh’] God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

It is ‘Yahweh… Christ’ who is teaching us that His ways are judgment, and that we are blessed to be judged in “this present time”:

Deu 32:3  Because I will publish the name of the LORD [H3068: ‘Yahweh’]: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
Deu 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD [H3068: ‘Yahweh’]  , 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.

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 [H3068: ‘Yahweh’] came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

It is only “when [the Lord’s] judgments are in [our] earth [that we] shall learn righteousness”. If we are the “blessed and holy” of the Lord (Rev 20:6), then His judgment has begun with us in this present time, and all of mankind of all time are awaiting our manifestation to this dying world:

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.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

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.

That is our study for today. Lord willing, we will finish this prophetic chapter which speaks to us to “edification, exhortation, and comfort” (1Co 14:4) next week. Here are our verses for that study:

Jer 25:29  For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
Jer 25:30  Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Jer 25:31  A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
Jer 25:32  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
Jer 25:33  And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
Jer 25:34  Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.
Jer 25:35  And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.
Jer 25:36  A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.
Jer 25:37  And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
Jer 25:38  He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.

[Study Aired June 17, 2021]

1Ki 1:28  Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king.
1Ki 1:29  And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
1Ki 1:30  Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.

The title of this study in Kings reminds us that Christ, who brings us to our wits’ end in order that we cry out to our Lord who is our safe haven, is our blessed assurance in this life, typified by these words announced by King David who represents Christ our hope of glory within: “Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me.”

These words were finally uttered after Nathan and Bathsheba were called by King David. It takes a sober heart and vigilance to overcome the adversary, and all these qualities were being symbolically demonstrated for us in this story via Nathan and Bathsheba who had recognized the enemy in their midst, our flesh, symbolized by Adonijah, and humbled themselves before the king who would then exalt them in due time (1Pe 5:6-9).

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Waiting on the Lord is hard, but it is through that patient continuance in well doing as we possess our souls patiently and cry out to God that we will be heard and delivered if we fear Him and not men and the physical situations that He brings our way for our sakes (Psa 107:20-30, Psa 27:13-14, Rom 2:4-11, Luk 21:19-23, Heb 5:7, Luk 12:5, 2Co 4:15).

Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them [Joh 20:21], and delivered them from their destructions.
Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble [Job 5:7].
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then [not before] they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven [Christ and his Christ (Joh 20:21)].

Psa 27:13  I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living [Christ and his Christ].
Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; [Psa 107:20-30] not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; [righteous judgment (1Pe 4:17, 1Pe 4:12)]
Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing [“wait I say on the Lord“] seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; [the negative fleshly “in Judaea” Jew and the negative fleshly yet carnal Gentile (Joh 3:36, 1Co 3:17)]
Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good [Php 2:12-13], to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile [the positive spiritual Jew and positive spiritual Gentile]:
Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of persons with God.

[there is no Jew nor Greek (Gal 3:28), but God sees all flesh as gentile and sees the new creation being formed within us, Christ, in whom we are accepted (Eph 1:6), as the spiritual inward Jew who is our hope of glory within (Rom 2:29, Col 1:27)].

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luk 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem [Jerusalem above where we are raised (Gal 4:26, Eph 2:6)] compassed with armies [Psa 107:20-30], then know that the desolation thereof is nigh [Mat 24:15, 2Th 2:8-10].
Luk 21:21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains [Psa 121:1-2]; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. [God’s elect are being told come out of her my people (Jerusalem below) touch not the unclean thing and I will accept you (2Co 6:17)]
Luk 21:22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Luk 21:23  But woe unto them that are with child  [the immature, the rejected anointed, unless God permits (Heb 6:1-3) us to go onto maturity], and to them that give suck [babes in Christ who are not getting off the milk (Rom 2:4, 1Co 3:2-5], in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. [How will we run with horses (Jer 12:5) represented by “great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people” if we are yet babes?]

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering [Psa 107:20-30]; not knowing [1Pe 4:12] that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. [Heb 6:1-3]
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
1Co 3:5  Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

[Running and being wearied with footmen is what happens when we “walk as men”. Running with horses, representing the greater fiery trials of life through which we endure, is the blessing God gives to those who are called to endure until the end of this life as we overcome by the patience and faith of the saints, which is a gift of God (Jer 12:5, Rev 14:12, 1Jn 5:4, Eph 2:8).]

Ultimately God’s word will be shown to be the sword which it is that divides (Luk 12:51), and if we are granted to be given the power to stand on that word (Mat 7:24, Psa 127:1) and do all things decently and in order (1Co 14:40), as Bathsheba and Nathan did, not shunning to declare the whole counsel of God (Act 20:27) by going to King David, who typifies Christ, then it will be certain in these perilous times of our lives that God will do the greatest work of molding and changing us into the image of His son, if only He would grant us the faith to help us in our unbelief (Mar 9:24, Luk 22:32, 1Jn 5:4) so that we can endure the temptations of this life and hold fast to our crown (Jas 1:12, Rev 3:11-13). Going to the king (Christ – Heb 4:16) is in fact how we don’t let any man take our crown, and that is the direct correlation being shown to us in this story where Nathan, a prophet of patience, and Bathsheba, a type of the church, both humbled themselves before the king in order to secure the lineage of King David, which event typifies for us how the gates of hell will not prevail against the church (Mat 16:17-19).

Luk 12:51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.(Psa 46:1)

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him [1Co 10:13]

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it[Psa 107:30].

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
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.
Rev 3:13  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. [“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev 1:3, Mat 13:16]
Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Assuredly the Lord is going to give the increase for the bride of Christ who will be made ready (Rev 19:7) through the fiery trials (1Pe 4:12) we have been promised which will mature us and give spiritual increase as we’re nourished and strengthened through those trials that will “stablish, strengthen and settle” us (1Pe 5:10) so that we can endure unto the end and be saved (1Co 3:8, Mat 24:13).

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.

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 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

1Co 3:8  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

1Ki 1:28  Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king.

This opening statement of King David (1Ki 1:28) tells the elect something about our standing in Christ. When “king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba” (Rev 11:12) we are reminded that many are called, but few are chosen (Mat 22:14) in this life to stand “before the king” (Luk 18:8, Rev 6:17, Mat 24:37, Luk 17:28-29).

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand [Eph 6:3]?

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.

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom [2Co 6:17, Rev 18:4] it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. [We come out from among them by going through the seven last plagues now (Rev 15:8)]

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind [2Pe 2:7, Jas 1:2-3], and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

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

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

[All the faith that will be needed to cast the pride-filled mountain of man’s heart into the sea to destroy it is that very small mustard seed to which Christ likened the kingdom of God which is within God’s little remnant today Mat 17:20, Mar 11:23, Mat 13:32]

Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mat 13:32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

God must bring us to acknowledge our sins by giving us an introspective heart that examines ourselves daily and sees the need to die daily (1Co 11:31, 1Co 15:31), which was all being typified for us by Nathan and Bathsheba. When God writes His law in our hearts (Eze 36:26) we will have a “contrite spirit” that “trembleth at my word”, again represented by Bathsheba and Nathan who “came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king” without glorying in their flesh (Isa 66:2, 1Co 1:28-29, Heb 4:16).

1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

1Ki 1:29  And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
1Ki 1:30  Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.

David’s statement “And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress” is being said this way in the new covenant: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation [“redeemed my soul out of all distress“], that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by^G1223 Christ.” (2Co 1:3-5).

G1223 dia
dee-ah’
A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In composition it retains the same general import: – after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . . fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through (-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same general import.

“The king sware” to remind us that God’s elect would be comforted through our suffering and that He would never try us beyond what we can endure. That’s part of the exceedingly great and precious promises that have been given to us and were being typified by the old covenant vows that came forth from the mouth of the king (1Co 10:13, 2Pe 1:4).

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

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

“Even as I sware” is another old covenant vow coming from king David that represents the new-covenant promise Christ uttered to our Father to give us hope and certainty in what God has promised will happen to God’s elect, typified by this moment in history: “unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day“. God’s elect will certainly reign on thrones with him, and even now, in earnest, we “sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Mat 19:28, Eph 2:6, Rev 4:2, Rev 21:5).

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 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

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

Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

“Even so will I certainly do this day” tells us that when the day of the Lord begins in the lives of those whom God has ordained from the foundation of the world to bring forth fruit begins (Joh 15:16), it begins with a declaration that comes from the mouth of Christ who tells us none that the Father has given me will be lost, and so David says “unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying…” giving all glory to God for the rulership that would be given to Solomon even as Christ gave all glory unto the Father for His workmanship that we are (Joh 6:39, 1Co 1:30-31, Joh 15:5, Joh 5:30).

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Joh 6:39  And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

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

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

When Christ said “let there be light” (Gen 1:3), light came out of darkness, and when we read “even so will I certainly do this day“, we are being reminded that God’s determination to cause the elect to obtain “an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph 1:11) is as certain as the rising of the sun (Mal 4:2, Joh 8:36), and it is to the praise of His glory who has given us the power through Christ to be the first who “trusted in Christ” as we’re given power to mortify the deeds of the flesh (Eph 1:12).

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 should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

We’ve only looked at three verses tonight, but they are critical to setting the stage for the rest of this chapter and beyond, as a declaration of overcoming being made with these words: “Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead“, which demonstrates for God’s elect that He is faithful and that we are more than conquerors through^G1223 him that loved us (Rom 8:37).

This Psalm explores the pulls that the world has on the heart of the elect as we “come out of her my people” (Jer 51:45, Rev 18:4), and how God is the one who demonstrates His Sovereignty in our lives by trying us with much tribulation, diverse trials (Jas 1:2), persecution (2Ti 3:12), and whatever has been written in our books, including the symbolic seven times we fall in the wilderness (Pro 24:16) for the perfecting of the saints today.

Act 14:22 Confirming^G1991 the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

We are confirmed^G1991 and strengthened through those trials, and are received as sons and daughters who are being purified in a fiery relationship that we are called unto today (Joh 6:44, Mat 22:14, Heb 12:6) in advance of the rest of humanity.

It is such a blessing to have our hearts cleansed ‘today’, even though it is hard on the flesh. The promise is that “God is good to Israel”, the Israel of God who we are, because we are His workmanship being worked with and judged today as we go through this process of sanctification first for the rest of the world which will follow.

Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. [Eze 36:26]
Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

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.

As we walk according to this rule of knowing that we are becoming a new creation [Col 1:27, 1Jn 3:3], we are blessed with the fruit of that new creation, which is a peace that passes all understanding (Php 4:7). We are no longer envious of the world around us but rather say with Paul “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal 6:14, Col 1:24).

We come together as the body of Christ (Heb 10:25, Mal_3:16) to be reminded of our high calling where we find ourselves confirming^G1991 each other of this race that we are running together (1Co 9:24, Gal 3:16, Act 20:28, Jud 1:21, 1Co 9:27), becoming established in the Lord, helping each other in this perfecting process (Eph 4:12), so that having done all we can stand together and not be envious of a dying world that prospers only in the flesh and not having the stay of bread and water with which God has blessed us so that we can be quickened today with His spirit (Eph 6:13, Php 1:6, Joh_6:63).

con·firmed (adjective) dictionary definition
(of a person) firmly established in a particular habit, belief, or way of life and unlikely to change: “a confirmed bachelor”; synonyms: established, long-standing, committed,

dyed-in-the-wool, through and through;
G1991 strengthening , confirming , confirmed
– Original: εu⁷⁸⁷ πu⁹⁵³ σu⁹⁶⁴ ηu⁹⁶¹ ιu⁷⁶⁹ ζ^u969 – Transliteration: Episterizo
– Phonetic: ep-ee-stay-rid’-zo
– Definition:
1. to establish besides, strengthen more 2. to render more firm, confirm
– Origin: from G1909 and G4741
– TDNT entry: 17:53,1
– Part(s) of speech: Verb
– Strong’s: From G1909 and G4741; to support further that is reestablish: – confirm strengthen.
Total KJV Occurrences: 4
•confirmed, 1 Act_15:32
•confirming – 2 Act 14:22; Act 15:41
•strengthening – 1 Act 18:23

In order for us to have a “clean heart”, we need to go through much tribulation, and God shows us clearly in scripture how he will always prepare us for that tribulation: by confirming or strengthening us through the church by each member that supplies (Eph 4:16).

Psa 73:1 A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

If we are being cleansed today, God’s goodness is being shown to us (Rom 2:4). Truly this is God’s goodness to simply work with us as His first fruits. We will, God willing, be those powerful first-fruit seeds that will be used to convert the world. This is seen even in the very use of the name “Asaph” at the very start of this Psalm.

Asaph comes from the verb (asap), [that] means to gather or collect, and is most commonly either associated with the harvest or a gathering of men (Gen 29:22, Exo 3:16, Isa 10:14). It may also mean to gather up or remove (1Sa 14:19, Isa 57:1, Jdg 19:15). The familiar phrase “he was gathered to his people” as an interpretation of a person’s dying is also constructed through this verb (Gen 25:8, Deu 32:50). For a meaning of the name “Asaph”, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Collector. BDB Theological Dictionary has Gatherer. (excerpt from http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Asaph.html#.VvFY0xg0OC0)

These verses come to mind, knowing that the Asaph of this psalm is a shadow of the elect in this regard:

Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

With these verses we see that this is God’s goodness to gather His people together; and everyone who is dragged to Christ and His body are cleansed in the process or made to have a clean heart (Joh 6:44, Psa 1:5).

Psa 73:2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
Psa 73:3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

God shows us what is in our heart, how we naturally want those things which are not good for us, even when we know to do what is right. God shows us that we can never win this conflict over sin unless the Lord sets us free and delivers us (Rom 7:19, Isa 63:17, Joh 8:36).

We get the sense with this language in verses 2 and 3 that sin is at the door (Gen 4:7) and that our feet and our steps can easily be drawn into the foolishness or wickedness of this world except for the grace and faith of God. A simple search of the Strongs numbers for “feet”^H7272 and “slipped”^H8210 tells us just how serious it is:

Psa 73:2 But as for me, my feet^H7272 were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped^H8210.

Pro 1:16 For their feet^H7272 run to evil, and make haste to shed^H8210 blood.

Isa 59:7 Their feet^H7272 run to evil, and they make haste to shed^H8210 innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

Looking at all three verses here side by side, we see clearly that the Lord is telling us that we only go forward in His righteousness (Mar 10:18) “by the grace of God” (1Co 15:10).

Psa 73:4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
Psa 73:5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Psa 73:6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Psa 73:7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
Psa 73:8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
Psa 73:9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

These few verses talk about the condition that God has always allowed men to have in the flesh, a condition that causes us to think that “there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm“. There is a sense of power and control that, if we are not given to judge correctly, will blind us as well, causing us to have a false sense of security and purity “not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.”

Men press into the kingdom with the wisdom of man (God; and that spirit really does make us think we are rich and increased with goods described in these terms in this psalm “eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish” (Rev 3:17, 1Co 2:5).

There are important lessons for us in these verses about the wicked of this world who we are not to be envious of:

”there are no “bands”^H2784 in their death [no fetter as there was in Joseph’s life, no affliction, persecution or tribulation as we discussed in the first verse. In other words God is not working with them to put off the first man Adam’ – Rom 5:12, 1Co 15:50].

“They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men” [they do not have much tribulation as we are required, neither do they have to endure the seven last plagues and consequently cannot have access to the altar that we eat at (Heb 13:10, Rev 15:8].

Pride and violence encompass our hearts when we are not being judged, and we wear them as a chain or like a garment [they are part of our natural beastly make up of the first man Adam that can only be loosed through judgment: see Isa 58:6 in comparison for bands of wickedness].

When we have too much, our eyes stand out with fatness obscuring our vision, and because our hearts have so much, we don’t see our spiritual poverty and need to cry out to God Rev 3:17). This greed is made manifest and is judged throughout scripture, and these are just three examples: Eze 34:3, Psa 119:70, Psa 17:10. 

At this point we are drunk spiritually and utter what we ‘want’ like a drunk (Pro 23:33, Rev 18:3). In our corrupt and wickedly oppressed state we speak loftily because we are of our father the devil (Isa 14:13-16, Eze 28:13, Oba 1:3, Psa 10:5-6).

So we can see the correlation of this corrupt heart that is as Satan’s. We “walketh through the earth” just as Satan does to this very day (Job 2:2) when we “set [our] mouth against the heavens”.

Psa 73:10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them
Psa 73:11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Psa 73:12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

What we come to know is that the riches of the earth are for these “vain men”and are but fleeting (Pro 23:5, Mar 4:19). It is necessary to bring evil into the light and to show us what we are (Isa 45:7). This vain and darkened heart of man is an inseparable part of the teaching mechanism that God uses so that light can then come out of that darkness:

God does prosper the wicked and “waters of a full cup are wrung out to them“, and uses this prosperity to blind them and to remind us how blind we are when we first receive the true riches of God’s word, which we wrap around the idols of our hearts until the Lord burns that out of us (Eze 14:4, Jer 17:10).

”Is there knowledge in the most High?” Of course there is! We just don’t get it until we get it by the grace and faith of God. Then we say “how unsearchable” are those riches, and “what a blind fool I was!” (Rom 11:32-33)

Job 11:7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
Job 11:8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Job 11:9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
Job 11:10 If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?
Job 11:11 For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
Job 11:12 For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.
Job 11:13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
Job 11:14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
Job 11:15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear;

What we come to know is that the riches of the earth are for these “vain men”and are but fleeting (Pro 23:5, Mar 4:19). It is necessary to bring evil into the light and to show us what we are (Isa 45:7). This vain and darkened heart of man is an inseparable part of the teaching mechanism that God uses so that light can then come out of that darkness:

Job 35:13 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

Job 36:22 Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?

Job 36:26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.

Job 40:19 He [Behemoth] is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. [meaning Amo 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us].

Hello again, Mike,

I seem to be emailing you a lot lately. I hope you don’t mind. I came across this scripture recently when looking over the Mosaic law –

Deu 25:11-12 … When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draws near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smites him, and puts forth her hand, and takes him by the secrets: Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her…

I can remember reading that as a carnal Christian many years ago thinking it was a bit of a joke and quite frankly, a weird addition to the law. However, understanding now that: “… Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual…” (1Co 15:46) I can now finally see the spiritual application of these words that were originally intended for a carnal nation.
The two men striving together are none other than Adam and Christ WITHIN each of us. The woman who puts forth her hand is the church. Being a rebellious harlot (Jer 3:6-8), she comes to the aid of Adam – “the beast” that is within us – and does so by striking at the seed of Christ which is both his word and his elect. It is interesting the word translates here as “secrets”.
However, we must “cut off her hand”, which is just bible- speak/ rhetoric for dissolving her authority and power in our spiritual lives. Another way of saying “come out of her my people” (Rev 18:4) and “we have an altar, where of they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle” (Heb 13:10), and lastly: “you cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1Co 10:21)
I think you mentioned in a recent bible study that it is amazing how often the bible repeats itself but uses different parables to say the same thing. I couldn’t agree more!
Anyway, just wanted to share this with you. God’s word and his doctrine just continue to open up more and more as I do my best to remain faithful to Christ and realize it is ALL within.

B____

Wow!

That is an incredible revelation of Jesus Christ! With your permission I want to post this for the benefit of the rest of the body of Christ.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I would like to utilize you as a ‘sounding board’ regarding my thoughts on this scripture below (Php 1:12-18). It is a scripture that has been on my mind of late, and I have been meditating on it as well as studying it in the context of the sum of thy words is truth. Your comments are welcome.

It reminds me of the parable of the unjust steward. For years I thought it was the strangest way to get the primary point across, which is Christ exhorting us to diligence with all foresight in our Christian walk; ‘to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove’. It sure seemed like He was encouraging us to cheat our masters in order to protect our own hide (which I knew did not line up with the rest of scripture). Thank God He has opened my eyes to understand better, and likewise you have taught and commented on this parable to my edification already.

It seems Paul is saying in this verse and in the context of the rest of this chapter that all things (good and evil) work out for his good and the furtherance of the gospel including his chains (trials), so that whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this (Christ being preached) I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

It seems like he is saying regardless of the motivation or even the fullness of the truth being preached, he rejoices that Christ is being preached (in other words, it’s all of God, even the false doctrines preached in Babylon, all the evil being done, etc.); yet I am fully aware of all the scriptures that require a disciple to study to show oneself approved, test the spirits, to be like the Bereans, to not let false doctrine into your spiritual house, give a first and second admonition to those that teach heresy, to expose those that contradict, etc.

So I ask myself: Is Paul saying he is rejoicing in the fact that the words of Christ are being preached even by those not doing it out of Christian love (i.e. keep His commandments and teach rightly)? Is he saying, at least it’s better than the rest of the sea of humanity who have not even been given to have faith in the bible and outwardly hate Christ and His standards?

So, when I see high profile athletes give glory to Jesus Christ publicly, I do rejoice in their testimony. Even though I have not heard them teach or preach, I discern they believe in another gospel, another Christ (just like me not long ago since we come out of the same Babylonian system, and I certainly understand that God has them where they are). In my job, I often advise senior citizens on their Medicare and government options, and often they will share their testimony with me. I rejoice in their testimony, yet I realize they are not open to the True Gospel, and I am careful not to cast my pearls; so my enthusiasm is greatly diminished.

Yet when I see someone who claims to have come out of Babylon promote the web- sites of various Babylon ministers (which I once promoted myself), I do not rejoice, and I do feel compelled to ask why to them; and I do feel compelled to expose their contradiction, etc.

When I see a TBN minister, I don’t rejoice at their false teaching even though they are at least preaching Christ while at the same time teaching another Christ and another gospel.

My conclusion:

Regarding my personal scenarios and feelings, I believe it is the Spirit of God leading me with what to say and what to feel as I do not want to hurt a babe in Christ nor give more to someone than they can handle as I constantly try and judge my motives in each situation.

Regarding Paul to Philipians 1, I conclude that why he did not hesitate to judge the body (turn one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh and learn not blaspheme, exposed contradiction, and stand as a witness for the gospel even when his own under shepherds and disciples turned away from him, etc.), he still rejoiced over anyone’s attempt to preach Jesus, knowing God was in control and that gave him peace even when that preaching went against him.

Any thoughts?

M____

Christ Is Preached

Php 1:12 Now, brethren, I desire you should know that the things which have happened to me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel:
Php 1:13 So that my bands are made manifest in Christ, in all the court and in all other places.
Php 1:14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, growing confident by my bands, are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.
Php 1:15 Some indeed, even out of envy and contention: but some also for good will preach Christ.
Php 1:16 Some out of charity, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.
Php 1:17 And some out of contention preach Christ not sincerely: supposing that they raise affliction to my bands.
Php 1:18 But what then? So that by all means, whether by occasion or by truth, Christ be preached: in this also I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. (DRB)

Wow, M____!,

You are right on target with this email. We all must believe in “another Jesus” and a false shepherd before we come to know “the true shepherd.”

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him

I have said many times that Babylon is under the law and is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Being under the law, we differ nothing from a slave, but it is a necessary step which both the chosen elect and the many called must take at their own appointed time.

Gal 4:1  Now I say, [That] the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Gal 4:2  But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

“We when we were children were in bondage” in Babylon. It is true that God’s elect are still “carnal babes in Christ” even when we first think we have “come out of Babylon”. We want to expose Babylon, and we are bitter that they took our tithe money and fed us lies, and we want to make everyone see the Truth we now see. “Ye are yet carnal.”

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

All of that is necessary to bring us to see our own immaturity and repent and remember that we, too, only yesterday were where they are, and we are all  exactly where God has us by His own design.

I have also pointed out that God’s elect all come out of Babylon and are all “of the flesh” and are “the son of the bondwoman” before being transformed into the son of the freewoman.

Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman [was] by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
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.

It was in verse three of this same fourth chapter of Galatians that Paul revealed that “we were in bondage…” So God’s elect all come out of Babylon as the scriptures declare.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

When the Lord reveals to us the vital part that Babylon plays in our being chosen, we cannot but love and appreciate those openly Christian athletes and even the ministers of Babylon. It is on their backs that God’s elect are His elect. All things truly are for the sake of God’s elect.

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.

Thanks for sharing this with me. You have put this in very personal terms, and I will share this with our readers.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Introduction

There are only twenty four hours in a day. That is true for us all, and for most of us, eight of those twenty four hours are spent asleep in bed, and another eight of those twenty four hours, are spent at an eight- hour job. That leaves us with only eight remaining hours in which we are caused to make decisions which demonstrate for ourselves and our God where our hearts really are. What we do with our time demonstrates where our hearts really are.
Not everyone lives a life that is structured around eight hours of sleep and eight hours of work. But the principle is the same. Whether we work an eight hour day, are self employed, or are retired, what we do with our time reflects where our heart is. If our hearts are set on the things of this world, then the things of this world will dominate our minds. “Redeeming the time” is simply an admonition to “seek first the kingdom of God.”
But what does “seek ye first the kingdom of God” mean for a young man and woman, rearing children and providing for the needs of those children? How do a retired couple with grandchildren “seek first the kingdom of God?” How do we “redeem the time because the days are evil?” How can we “understand what the will of the Lord is” in all of the various stages of life?

What does “come out of her my people”mean?

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

God, at our appointed time, gives us all a desire to serve Him with our whole heart. We then want to “come out of her” as we understand those words. But God also sends a false and lying spirit along with that desire which will at first lie to us and tell us to serve God in ways that are contrary to His word. Here is what we are told God is working in our lives.

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

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

We all experience “the day of evil” which dominates our lives as “the wicked” until Christ’s words come into our life and destroys “that wicked one.”

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

The spirit that brings us that “experience of evil” is “an evil spirit from the Lord,” and that spirit wants to destroy and chance of Christ becoming our king. That spirit wants to kill us before we are ever given the throne with Christ.

1Sa 19:9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with [ his] hand.
1Sa 19:10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

Of late that very same spirit is telling some people that we all need to leave our wives, forsake our children, and go serve the Lord in fasting and prayer and in the study of God’s Word. I personally, have never done that, but I have struggled with the scriptures which seem to say that, and Sandi and I met in a church organization which periodically sent out solicitations to its members for financial support. At one point a letter was sent to all the faithful which urged us all to sell anything we could to support the work of that church. We were even urged to mortgage our homes if necessary, to contribute to “the work of God.” After all, it was pointed out, this is what the scriptures teach:

Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

There it is, that is scripture, and we can put many others with those verses which instruct us that ‘if we want to gain our life we must lose it’ and ‘if we love anyone or anything more than Christ we are not worthy of Him.’ So how can we know that we love God more than this world, and how do we go about losing our life to gain it? What does “sell whatsoever you have” mean? How do we redeem the time, and how do we seek first the kingdom of God?
The answer is, as is always the case, we must become familiar with “the sum” of God’s Word. “Whatsoever thou hast” is contrasted with what God has for us. We have no truth; He is The Truth. We have nothing to offer Him, and He offers us Himself, the Truth. So we cannot know His doctrine or ever even know what is the Truth if we do not become familiar with “the sum of God’s Word.” Here is why.

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We are freed from all the bondage of all the lies of the Adversary and the flesh, when we “know the Truth.” So it now becomes imperative that we know what the Truth is. Here is what the scriptures consistently teach us is the Truth:

Psa 119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever. (ASV)

We must become familiar with Christ, who is the sum of Thy Word, if we are to know the Truth.

What happens when we think we know the Truth?

I have related the story of my own father who, one year before he would have retired from the company for which he worked; one year before he would have gotten a pension, he was “told by the Lord Himself,” to leave it all behind, and to go and live with a group of people in eastern Tennessee who were living in a “blessed area” which would be spared the ravages of an impending drought which was prophesied to afflict this entire nation back in the late 70’s. Of course, that did not happen, and the people who had believed that prophet lost all they had invested in going to that “blessed area,” and my poor father lost the pension he would have gotten, as well as any and all of the money he had spent while he was in Tennessee. But “the Lord Himself” had told Daddy to go to Tennessee, and who was I to argue with “the Lord Himself.”
This is a very sad story, but it is really no different than believing that you will die if your leave your house, when there is no logical reason to be that fearful. It is no different because both are the result of believing a lie. We all believe lies that rob us of knowing who God and Christ are, and until that lying spirit is removed, Christ is “withheld” from our lives.

2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [ Greek, restrains, same Greek word translated ‘withhold in verse 6] will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

“The mystery of iniquity was already working.” Does that sound like something peculiar to the very last generation of humans on earth before the millennium begins? How absolutely absurd. John said the antichrist was already here in his day.

1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

You and I are blessed to know that as far as it concerns us, “the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

How can we possibly “seek first the kingdom of God,” when we don’t even know what is “the kingdom of God… within you.” The past few weeks have shown me that this same story is being repeated in the lives of several of the people who come to the website, and the spirit which leads these sincere brothers and sisters to follow such teachings is the same spirit we dealt with in our past. It is the same lying spirit that tells us that we could start choking, or being smothered, or have a wreck, or die some terrible death if we so much as leave the house. It is the same lying spirit, that tells us that financial success is what is important to God. Any lie will suffice so long as we believe it, and it will rob us of the Truth we need to truly “come out of this world… redeem the time, and seek first the kingdom of God.” These lies are no different than believing in voodoo or black cats bringing bad luck or any other of the thousands of superstitions which are out there grievously afflicting mankind.

How can we “know the Truth?” and know how to properly “seek first the Kingdom of God?”

As we have seen already, Christ tells us how we are freed from all these false doctrines and all these lies. Anything less than this is not freedom. Christ has promised us:

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

So long as we believe the lies, we have reason to fear, because we are actually living under the wrath of God.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

“The Son” is “the way the truth and the life.” Therefore He is also “the sum of thy word. So it is entirely possible to conquer panic attacks, overcome all the vices of the flesh, and still not “know the truth,” and still have ‘the wrath of God abiding on us.’

Mat 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Isa 42:24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.
Isa 42:25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid [ it] not to heart.

That is us while yet believing the lies of the Adversary. Until we come to know Christ, we do not know the Truth, and we cannot know the peace that He is. Conversely we can also endure many trials, go through the fiery furnace, and still have peace, if we know who is working all things after the counsel of His own will, and we know that all things He is working, are for our good.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [ his] purpose.

“We know” these truths, and when we know that all things are working together for good, then we know that much about who is our Lord. The Adversary is always striving to make us believe his lies and to doubt that it is even possible to “know the Truth.” But until we do know the Truth we do not know Christ, because He is the Truth, and He is life. If we do not know Him then we do not have or know what is life. You and I have been given the authority to know life:

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power [ exousia, authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
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.

Christ is, of course, that Truth, and when we ‘know the Truth,’ what we know is Christ. That is how “the kingdom of God is within you.” If “Christ is in you” then “the kingdom of God is within you.” But wasn’t it Christ who told that rich young ruler to “sell all you own, and take up your cross and follow me?” That sure sounds like very plain English. Does it not mean what it says?
The answer to that question is an unequivocal, no, it does not! “Sell all you have and take up your cross and come and follow me,” obviously does not mean what it says. Like the book of Revelation, it means what it means, not what it says. Where, pray tell, do we see any of Christ’s apostles carrying a literal cross around with them as they followed Christ? The disciples obviously realized that Christ was not making a literal statement because not one of them had sold their homes or forsaken their wives and children, to carry around a literal cross and follow Christ. The argument is often made that the cross is figurative, but the rest of the verse is not. That is the same argument that dominates the dispensational approach of those who attempt to explain the message of the book of Revelation. The seven headed beast, it is conceded, may indeed be figurative, but the seven kingdoms and ten kings upon that beast are literal kingdoms and literal kings. What total inconsistency! Why is the single beast figurative of a man but the heads and horns upon that single beast are all literal kings and kingdoms, instead of being part of that one beast?

Rev 17:9 And here [ is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [ and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

The four horsemen may be figures of religion, wars, famine and death, but those four things are literal. Why are the horses figures but the things they figure are real? Why are the seals, trumpets, and vials, conceded to be figures, but none of the within those figures are figurative? Why especially is this the case, when we are told from the beginning that the whole book is a book of signs and symbols?

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.

If this book is literal, then how do we “keep the things written therein?” How is “the time at hand” if this is a dispensational book about events at the very end of this age? Those are very simple and legitimate questions which are shouting out to those with eyes to see the words of these verses. These questions deserve honest answers, but these questions will never even be posed to the multitudes of Babylon in this age.
The whole point is that we cannot “seek first the kingdom of God when we do not know that that kingdom is actually within that beast which must go into perdition and die daily so that that beast can be “destroyed with the brightness of His coming and a new man can be formed in that beast, which new man will be conformed to the image of God’s Son. We cannot “seek first the kingdom of God” when we are either seeking material wealth and placing the deceitfulness of riches above the kingdom of God, or by forsaking all contact with the physical world. We can only “seek first the kingdom of God” by knowing the sum of God’s Word, for that is Truth, and Truth is who Christ is. We can only seek first the kingdom, by seeking first the king. That king “is the Truth and the life,” and “the Words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” Eternal life and the kingdom of God are one and the same. They are Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is His Word. Get to know God’s Word and you will get to know God and Christ and if you know Christ and His Words, you have eternal life, and you have found the kingdom of God within you.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
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 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Not only can you “know the Truth,” but we must know the Truth because Christ is that Truth, and He is Life, and the king of “the kingdom of God within you.”

Dear IWWB,
   
The Lord has been showing me that he is in control, and that’s how I found the website. I am honestly seeking to understand the truth. I have been in fellowship with a group for the past 30 years that although is unorthodox still has some things which are not true. I do believe I am being called out of it which is strange because they believe in coming out of her my people, also. I do not want to teach and I understand the truth of women not teaching, but it does say they can ask. I do have questions but not to debate or contend. I would love for someone to help me understand how to leave the fellowship. I understand that many will believe I have been blinded and that’s OK, but I do not want to hurt or hinder the young people, or anyone.
    Please believe I am sincere and help me. The fellowship I have been with do not believe in tithe, and they believe in overcoming. Still, I can see how God has worked things and it seems inevitable that I will leave. I appreciate how busy you are and thank you for your time. Also I thank God for leading me here as I have prayed so much for God to give me eyes to see and ears to hear. My desire is to follow Him and I know He put that in me.
Thank you for all your hard work.
T____

Hi T____,
Thank you for your question, and thank you for your dedication to the word of God. You are willing to let God be true and every man a liar, and with that spirit, you will definitely be “coming out of Babylon.”

Rom 3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

You tell me :
“I have been in fellowship with a group for the past 30 years that, although is unorthodox, still has some things which are not true.”
“Things which are not true” are what scripture refers to variously as ‘idols of the heart’ and ‘heresy’ coming from ‘false prophets.” Having believed and taught such false doctrines for many years, I will be the first to say that your friends’ deceptions are very likely not intentional. It is, nevertheless, a “trespass against you” which you are scripturally required to address in a scriptural manner.
The scripture which guides our actions at a time like this is Christ’s admonition to ‘go to your brother’ himself and let him know why you have come to this point in your spiritual walk.

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

It is a tall order to tell your teacher that he is wrong, and I hope that you have no illusions of converting anyone, but you must bear witness against the falsehoods which you have come to recognize as the voice of “another Jesus.”

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

You cannot simply walk away after 30 years of fellowship. You are scripturally admonished to be a witness against the doctrines which God’s Word has shown you to be false doctrines. If you have not yet seen these truths in God’s Word, then you do not yet really have a grasp of God’s mind. But if you have been given eyes that see and ears that hear, then the fact that you were shown those verses of God’s Word on iswasandwillbe. com, or from any other source, is totally inconsequential. The message is what matters. It is not the messenger:

1Co 3:5  Who then is Paul, and who [ is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

Do not even think about going to your pastor or to anyone else until you have your facts straight. Know God’s Word for yourself, then bear witness to that truth.
But a ‘witness’ and a ‘teacher’ are not one as the same as any judge in any courtroom will tell you. The woman at the well and Mary in the garden both witnessed for Christ, but neither of them were teachers “in the church” as so many who cannot accept God’s Word want you to believe. What the Lord wants you to do at this point is to do what the woman at the well did and tell your friends to “come and see a man…” That ‘man’ is “the word of God.”

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Both men and women are to bear witness to the light, so know the light of God’s Word, and you will be an effective witness.
The very best thing to do is to write a letter expressing your love for all you have come to know, and at the same time, tell them why this love you have for them necessitates that you separate yourself from the doctrines of the church. Be sure to explain that the only way that you know that you love your brothers is if you obey God’s Word. This is a very important part of understanding what the Bible means when it talks about the subject of brotherly love. Here is the verse which makes this point so clearly:

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Tell these brothers and sisters that you cannot claim to love them while you are ignoring God’s commandments. Then you must take the time to carefully explain how the doctrines of the church are breaking the commandments of God.
Take all the time you need to express and explain your reasons for being drug by God Himself out of the fellowship of this church.
This may be the hardest thing you have ever done, but it will be but the beginning of your preparation to make many hard decisions.
God is not calling followers of man. He is calling His elect to be leaders of men, and the role of a leader is to make and execute very hard decisions.
I hope I have said something that will give you some guidance at this difficult time of your life. You said:
“I do not want to hurt or hinder the young people, or anyone.”
I am sure you mean every word of that, but the worst thing you could do is to fail to take a stand. Your stand for Christ and His doctrine, will embolden those in whom He is working, and those are ‘hurt’ will be only those who cannot receive the Truth.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Blessings Mike,

I have several questions:

1. Are any of your articles in e- sword modules?

2. Can you point me to articles about going to church.    a. It’s clear that most in any churches these days are still babes in Christ and part of Babylon.    b. I assume we should still be among them but not part of them?    c. We should still go to the church that the Lord has placed us in?

I tried to leave 10 years ago but the Lord very clearly told me at that time to stay and help fix the problems.  This isn’t the first time I haven’t believed what the rest of the congregation believes. But sometimes is still feels strange leading the people in worship and knowing you’re not on the same page.

3. Is there anyone in calling distance in Rochester, NY of the same mind?

Thank You very much,

D____

Hi D____,

Thank you for your questions. I will answer them in the order you have asked them.

Your first question is:

“1. Are any of your articles in e-sword modules?”

The answer is no, not yet. If you know anyone who is capable of, and willing to do that, I would love to see Rightly Dividing, After The Counsel of His Own Will and many other articles on iswasandwillbe. com in e-sword modules. But as of yet they are not.

Your second question is:

“2. Can you point me to articles about going to church.”

The answer to this question is to type the words ‘coming out of Babylon’ into the search box at the upper right corner of iswasandwillbe.com , and you will be given 132 responses. Not all 132 are relevant to your question, but many of those letters will help you to understand what the scriptures teach about going to church.

Here is part a. of your second question:

“a. It’s clear that most in any churches these days are still babes in Christ and part of Babylon.”

Any church incorporated under the authority of men is a daughter of the great harlot. Christ will never ask men for their permission for anything of which He is the head.

Here is part b. and c. of your second question, which I will answer as one question:

“b. I assume we should still be among them but not part of them?    c. We should still go to the church that the Lord has placed us in? I tried to leave 10 years ago but the Lord very clearly told me at that time to stay and help fix the problems.  This isn’t the first time I haven’t believed what the rest of the congregation believes. But sometimes it still feels strange leading the people in worship and knowing you’re not on the same page.”

It is true that we are among those who are still in Babylon, and we will be in their midst as long as we live:

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

But Rev 18 complements this verse; it does not contradict it:

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

What happens to those who do “come out of her?” Again, the gospel of John complements the book of Revelation and vice-versa. This is what happens to those who come out of Babylon:

Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils [ Greek – Sanhedrin], and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world [the worldly religious establishment, Not  Pilate and the “world” of Rome].

Mat 24:9  Then shall they [ God’s own people] deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

It has always been our own spiritual brothers who persecute us the most. It is always our fellow “seed of Abraham” brothers who hate their elect brothers. It has been so ever since Cain slew Abel, his own brother.

Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him [Joseph] more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

The last thing I want to do is to offend any of my readers. But what concerns me even more is failing to be faithful to the Truth of God’s Word.  You say you were told to “stay and fix the problems.”  That was what you were to do when you were at that point of your walk. Christ is indeed “working all things after the counsel of His own will,” including the fact that you were led to believe that you were to “stay and fix the problems.” But as you grow in the grace and the knowledge of your Lord and savior you will find that the Jesus of God’s Word doesn’t even pray for, much less “stay and fix the problems” of Babylon. Babylon was “raised up [in each of us] “for this very purpose,” to be destroyed and “die daily,” and to be replaced by a “new man.” The old man  must “pass away.”

Joh 17:9  I pray for them [His elect]: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

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

Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

The Jesus of God’s Word, prays after this manner:

Mat 6:7  (a) But when ye pray…

Mat 6:9  (a) After this manner therefore pray ye…
Mat 6:10 (b) Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

Neither Babylon nor the kingdom of God are physical or exterior. Both are spiritual, both are interior, and they oppose each other. The one is to grow within us until it “fills the whole earth,” and the other is “the earth,” which opposes the heavenly realm within us and is doomed to be “utterly burned with fire” and to destruction, never to be rebuilt. Let me explain how I know this is true.

Why did Christ speak in parables? He tells us that He spoke in parables so that those in Babylon would not see or understand what He was saying:

Mat 13:1  The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
Mat 13:2  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables,

Every word Christ spoke to those in Babylon was in parables.

Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:  

That is one way to prove that the story of Lazarus and the rich man is a parable. Christ was speaking to His disciples and the Pharisees. He was speaking to the same “multitudes” to whom He spoke in Mat 13. This is what we are told as an introduction to the story of Lazarus and the rich man:

Luk 16:14  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

“Without a parable spoke He not unto them” tells us that the story of Lazarus and the rich man given to “his disciples… and the Pharisees… who… heard all these things” had to be a parable.  But why? Why was Christ so purposely careful to speak to the multitudes of His disciples and the Pharisees only in parables? Christ’s closest disciples could not understand this at that time, so Christ explained it to them. He told them that His parables were designed to keep the multitudes from “understanding the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” This tells us that all of Christ’s parables are about “the kingdom of heaven.”  Those who still cannot understand the purpose for Christ’s parables still do not understand that Babylon was raised up for the very purpose of hating and killing Christ and His disciples:

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.

It is given to God’s elect to “come out of her my people,” but unto those who stay, it is not given. Am I saying that Christ was contradicting Himself when he said “I pray not that you take them out of the world but that you keep them in the world?”

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

No, Christ was not contradicting Himself. “Keeping them from evil” is the “coming out of her” that is mentioned in Rev 18:4. Speaking of the multitudes of Babylon who came to hear His teaching, Christ tells us that “it is not given to them to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” He said that the very purpose for teaching them in parables was “because… it is not given to them to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.”. Where is this kingdom of heaven? In saying this, is Christ speaking only of the time when “the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”? No, not at all. Christ also tells us “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

There is much more to what and where is the kingdom of God, to which Christ has reference. Here is what and where is that kingdom:

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Christ is speaking to “the Pharisees.” He tells them “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Is Christ saying that the kingdom of God is within these Christ rejecting Pharisees? Of course, He is not. The fact that He is speaking to the Pharisees, tells those with eyes to see and ears to hear that he is speaking to them in a parable to keep them from understanding what He is saying about the kingdom  of God.

What Christ is saying is that the kingdom of God will first be spiritually ruling within His elect before that kingdom comes to rule outwardly over the kingdoms of this world:

Luk 17:25  But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

We have been led to believe that this is a statement about Christ while He was on this earth two thousand years ago, and indeed it includes Christ at that time. What has been hidden from our eyes is that this statement also applies to Christ’s body which would come after Him, from His days in His own physical flesh, till “the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.”

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Col 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [ be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [ and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
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:

In MY flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church,” tells us that the words of verse 22, “In the body of His flesh, through death,” applies to each of us, just as it applied to the fleshly body of Christ.

Did Christ suffer for us so that we would not have to suffer? Did he die for us so that we could escape physical death? No, He did not, and any gospel that teaches such nonsense is what Paul called “another gospel with another Jesus and another spirit.” Such a gospel is the spirit of Babylon within us, fighting against the kingdom of God which is also to be “within you.” The following verses are all part of the true “gospel of Jesus Christ,” the gospel of “the kingdom of God within you” which Christ came proclaiming as being “at hand:”

Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 10:7  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand

This is not simply a kingdom which is to come two thousand years later. This is a kingdom which is “at hand.” It is here now. It is “the kingdom of God is within you,” if you are one of those “called and chosen and faithful… few,” who are being prepared now for rulership when the time does come for “the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.”

“But first He must suffer many things of this generation” is not a statement that applied only to that generation which killed Christ two thousand years ago. That statement also has an ever-present application. We, too, “must fill up what is behind of the sufferings of the Christ.”

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:

That is why Christ suffered for us. It was not so we could avoid suffering with Him. He suffered for us so that we, too, could be found worthy to “suffer with Him.”

1Th 2:12  That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

2Th 1:5  Which [“all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:” verse 4] is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Neither did Christ die so we would not have to physically die; he died for us so we also could be “counted worthy” to die with and suffer with Him. Those who now have the “kingdom of God within them” are at this very moment enduring “the righteous judgment of God... first,” so that they can later be capable of identifying with, and be “found worthy” to judge and be merciful to their brothers in Christ who are called by the billions, but are not in this age, ‘chosen’ or ‘elect.’

Mat 22:14  For many [“multitudes”] are called, but few are chosen [ Greek – eklectos – Exact same Greek word translated ‘elect.’].

Rom 11:31  Even so have these [ multitudes of God’s called but not chosen people] 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.

Now here is the fourth verse of  2 Thessalonians one, quoted above:

2Th 1:4  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

Who was persecuting God’s people in Thessalonica? As always, it was God’s own saints. It was their own ‘called’ but not ‘chosen’ brothers. It was the established church of the day:

Act 17:1  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

Act 13:50  But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

“The Jews” is Bible-speak for God’s own people through “the son of the bondwoman.”

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.

So all of the Christians who cannot receive Christ’s words are still “in bondage with her children,” and these words still apply spiritually to this very day:

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

But aren’t they called Christians, even in 1 Corinthians 3? Yes, they are called “carnal… babes in Christ.” So what is the true spiritual state of a “carnal… babe in Christ?” Here is the truth of God’s Word concerning the spiritual state of those who call themselves Christians but are yet incapable of “loving their enemies,” among many other commands of Christ which these babes in Christ cannot yet bear.”

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

“Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children” is Bible- speak for those who are called as Abraham’s seed, but who persecute God’s elect.

Gal 4:28  Now we [ Gentile Galatian converts] , brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

To this very day, it is carnal minded Christians who consider ‘Israel’ and ‘Jerusalem’ to be outward physical entities rather than Gentile Galatian converts who are now “the commonwealth of Israel.”

It is these carnal-minded Christians who hate and want to destroy God’s elect. Being an Israelite or a Jew or being circumcised is no longer a physical matter but a spiritual matter. Here it all is again:

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

Gal 6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Gal 6:16  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

The only reason I am reiterating all of this is for the purpose of pointing out that the apostle Paul was not expecting to “fix the problems” of “the son of the bondwoman”. What is the conclusion of both Paul and the scriptures in both the Old and the New Testaments? Here is God’s own words to Abraham and to us today:

Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

How do we “cast out the bondwoman and her child” today? We cast out the bondwoman and her child by “coming out of Babylon.” It is true that “coming out of Babylon” is more of a spiritual act than it is a physical act. But for anyone who comes out of Babylon spiritually, there will also be an physical manifestation of what has already happened within.

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

The apostle Paul was physically cast out of the ‘Babylon’ of his day many times and many years before he ever made this statement:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

When Paul said, “Lo, we turn to the Gentiles” was he saying that he would never enter a synagogue again? No, that was not what He meant by “we turn to the Gentiles”. In the very next chapter we read once again:

Act 14:1  And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

Synagogues, in Christ’s and in Paul’s days, were places where discussions and dialogue took place. It was a place where you were supposedly allowed to express your understanding of God’s words. It was not a modern Christian church setting, with every moment being structured and under the complete control of the preacher or minister of that church. The synagogue belonged to the community and the entire community was entitled to contribute to the discussion of the law.

So if you have been twenty years in Babylon, and you have not yet been “scourged in their synagogues, then you certainly have not yet “come out of her my people.”

Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils [Greek – Sanhedrin], and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

What “we turn to the Gentiles” means is that Paul and we all are learning that we are not called to “fix the problems” in Babylon. What it means is that Paul was learning that the gospel was given only to those whose hearts had been prepared by the sovereign work of the holy spirit of God to receive the gospel. What we are to learn by these words is that when we we can plainly see that we are talking to a brother who “judges himself unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we [also ought to] turn to the Gentiles, to those whose eyes have already been given sight and whose ears have been given healing and hearing. This all agrees with Christ’s own admonition against “casting our pearls before swine:”

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

“Should we go to the church the Lord has placed us in?” Yes, we should. But if we have indeed been given the ability to see God’s Truth, then the Pharisees will be casting us out of their synagogue very soon because we will be witnesses of the fact that we have been healed of being blind from our mother’s womb, and we have been given our sight.

Joh 9:1  And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

Joh 9:7  And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

We are not given the interpretation of the name ‘Siloam’ for no reason. We are told what this means because God wants us to know that if He heals us of our blindness then we are “sent” to be His witnesses of these things.”

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Luk 24:47  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48  And ye are witnesses of these things.

When Peter said “the church at Babylon salutes you,” he was speaking spiritually. Peter was not in physical Babylon, he was in spiritual Babylon. He was in physical Jerusalem. We all “begin at Jerusalem, and we teach repentance and remission of the sins” of all mankind. And when we do this we will be “cast out” of the synagogues of ‘Jerusalem,’ and we will then “turn to the Gentiles,” to those who are prepared by God’s spirit to receive our witness. Here is what will happen to God’s elect witnesses:

Joh 9:8  The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
Joh 9:9  Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.

Joh 9:13  They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

Joh 9:17  They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

Joh 9:34  They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

This man is God’s elect who are not afraid to be His “witnesses of these things.” He knows that he has met a man of God, but it is only after he is cast out of the synagogue, cast out of the sanhedrin, cast out of their councils, that he is given to know Christ as the son of God:

Joh 9:35  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
Joh 9:36  He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
Joh 9:37  And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
Joh 9:38  And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

Christ waited, and He is the same today. He waits till we have been cast out of the councils and synagogues, and then He seeks us out to reveal Himself to us much more clearly as the very son of God.

But look at the lesson we must learn from all of this. It is impossible for the average church-going “carnal… babe in Christ” to receive. These are Christ’s very next words, and they are said in the presence of the Pharisees to whom He is witnessing. What this proves is that “cast not your pearls before swine” does not mean that we are ever to fail to answer any question we are asked, truthfully and faithfully:

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40  And [ some] of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth

If we are fearlessly faithful to the Truth of God’s Word, that Truth will open the eyes of the blind and will at the same time, blind the eyes of the self- righteous Pharisees among us.

I hope this all helps you to see that “entering into the synagogues” is not staying in a church with no opportunity to share God’s wonderful good news. “Entering into the synagogue” of any city is entering into every opportunity to “witness of these things,” which God places before us, without casting our pearls before swine.

Your last question is;

“3. Is there anyone in calling distance in Rochester, NY of the same mind?”

The answer to that question is, not that I know of. I will post this letter on iswasandwillbe.com and if any one in that area wants to contact you, they can let us know, and we will put you in touch with each other. The IWWB team never gives out e-mail addresses without the express request of that individual to do so.

I hope I have answered your questions, and I hope I haven’t offended you as I tried to show you that we are not called to “fix the problems of Babylon”. We all do just that to begin with, before we are shown that Babylon is God’s Pharaoh, which God has raised up for the very purpose of utterly destroying Babylon.  We are not called to save the world at this time. That is why you “feel strange leading the people in worship and knowing you’re not on the same page.” When you witness to God’s Truth, Babylon will have no part of it, and “you shall be hated of all men.”

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.

Here is what this all boils down to:

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.

And so we are told:

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:

We are called to be “saviors” for but very few at this time. It is “strong meat,” but the truth is that we will be the ‘saviors’ of all mankind through the symbolic, purifying flames of the symbolic “lake of fire.”

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.

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.

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.

“That day and that fire” is here and now for God’s elect:

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

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

But we are assured of the outcome:

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike