The Book of Joel – Chapter 3:1-2

And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. – Eze 37:3.

[Study Aired Sept 14^th]

The Book of Joel to this last Chapter 3, just as has every other testimony from Genisus to Revelations, warns man of the pattern of disobedience to his Lord’s word and guarantees consequences for disobedience and inevitable chastisement and “deliverance”.

Our Lord’s word is the pure Alpha and Omega of every opposing matter ever conceived by our first father, Satan, and our resonance with him results in assured failure. Nonetheless, our flesh, without the perplexing (holy) new spirit the Lord speaks of [only perceived as a new thing since it hadn’t yet been given more visually], will always default to escalating the sensual because the short-term thrill is far more exhilarating than the esoteric that can’t be physically experienced.

We fall seven times, and if we are given righteousness in this age before the First Resurrection, our earthy existence will likewise be given to rising from the furnace of our disobedience seven times ~ even seventy times seven (Matt 18:21-22. Pro 24:16).

Psa 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 
Psa 12:7  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Psa 12:8  The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

The vilest men are exalted largely because you can see, hear, feel and experience their sensualities that the spirit only offers non-sensually, to be experienced by faith.

Jas 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

There is confusion largely because we default to the sensual, which is lusciously experienced with devilish ardour. This is a powerful and devilish argument against the spirit that can’t be physically touched and seen.

Jud 1:17  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Jud 1:18  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
Jud 1:19  These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the spirit.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ [The foundation of the devilish physical sensualities that inevitably fail will always mirror the everlasting spiritual correlations].
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
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.

Mat 18:21  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

And so, around and around the deadly loop of disobedience, chastisement, and repentance leading to spiritual obedience continues for a symbolic seventy times seven. Then, even though that process doesn’t totally stop, Christ’s righteousness is attributed to us even though our sins are as scarlet (Isa 1:18).

Significations

Without the holy spirit and inseparable faith, no wonder old Israel grew weary of hearing her Lord’s “light bread” (Num 21:5) words since the pattern of suggested ‘deliverance’ continues in the opening verses of Joel 3:1,

The Lord Judges the Nations

Joe 3:1  For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

What Israel couldn’t understand is that without the enigmatic holy spirit, their ability to keep her Lord’s commandments was classicly impossible with assured tears of frustration.

Psa 6:6  I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
Psa 6:7  Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of [the impossibility of routing] all mine enemies [within without the holy spirit!].

Joe 3:2  I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat [H3092], and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 

Jehoshaphat H3092 – Transliteration: Y@howshaphat- Phonetic: yeh-ho-shaw-fawt’ Definition: Jehoshaphat = Jehovah has judged n pr m

1. son of king Asa and himself king of Judah for 25 years; one of the best, most pious, and prosperous kings of Judah.

6. symbolical name of a valley near Jerusalem, which is the [equally symbolic] place of ultimate judgment; maybe the deep ravine that separates Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives through which the Kidron flowed. FROM H3068 and H8199

– Y@hovah – Phonetic: yeh-ho-vaw’- Definition: Jehovah = the existing one 1. the proper name of the one true God a. unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of 0136. 1. to judge, govern, vindicate, punish a. (Qal) 1. to act as law-giver or judge or governor (of God, man) 1a.

Armageddon G717

– Original: Ἀρμαγεδδών

– Transliteration: Armageddon

– Phonetic: ar-mag-ed-dohn’

– Definition: Armageddon = the hill or city of Megiddo.

In Rev 16:16, the scene of a struggle of good and evil is suggested by that battle plain of Esdraelon, which was famous for two great victories, of Barak over the Canaanites and of Gideon over the Midianites, and for two great disasters, the deaths of Saul and Josiah. Hence, in Revelation, a place of great slaughter, the scene of a terrible retribution upon the wicked. The RSV translates the name as Har-Magedon, i.e. the hill (as Ar is the city) of Megiddo.

– Origin: of Hebrew origin H2022 and G4023

– TDNT entry: 08:48,8

– Part(s) of speech: Noun Location

– Strong’s: Of Hebrew origin [H2022] and [H4023]; Armageddon (or Har-Megiddon) a symbolical name: – Armageddon.

Rev 16:12  And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Rev 16:13  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16  And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

The Valley of Jehoshaphat is another name for the Valley of Jezreel. At the western end of the valley is a small hill, or Mount Armageddon. Geographically and collectively called Meggido, this small valley, just 20 miles long by 7 miles wide, is just outside of Jerusalem and will symbolically contain the implausible vastness of “all [the physical] nations” of the earth represented as Gog and Magog, yet, and conclusively spiritually within, to battle and bloody destruction in our dying daily:

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1Co 15:32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus [literally and within], what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die
[The unconverted are effectively saying, ‘scriptures are too hard to understand; we may as well have wine, women and song and take what happens because God says that he is love and we are (deludedly) saved, anyhow’ by him dying in our stead].

Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Very few valleys don’t exit via a stream. The valley of Meggido, just 20 x 7 miles in size, exited the huge volume of blood from the winepress of God’s wrath downstream for 322 km, or 1,600 furlongs (200 miles).

Hos 1:10  Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God [Solomon’s “two armies” Son 6:13 – The elder, Old Israel depicted as “you are not my people “and the second and younger Bride of Christ, “ye are the sons of the living God].
Hos 1:11  Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head [Each person, sitting on God’s throne saying that he is god 2Thes 2:4], and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the [slaughter in the] day of Jezreel. 

Jezreel H3157 –Definition: Jezreel = God sows n pr m 1. a descendant of the father or founder of Etam f Judah 2. first son of Hosea the prophet n pr loc 3. a city in the Nekeb of Judah 4. a city in Issachar on the northwest spur of Mount Gilboa – Gilboa H1533 = swollen heap 1. a mountain-ridge at the southeastern end of the plain of Jezreel, site of the death of Saul and Jonathan.

Every time Mt Gilboa is mentioned in the scriptures, its symbolism is accompanied by an immense swelling of our pride, fattening its host for slaughter. It all began with Israel’s whoredoms, graphically portrayed by Hosea marrying the known harlot, Gomer, and prophesying Israel’s day of slaughter. Of course, the Lord’s Bride knows that the most outstanding slaughter it all refers to is hers, for her whoredoms.

Hos 1:2  The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
Hos 1:3  So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
Hos 1:4  And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Hos 1:5  And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. 
Hos 1:6  And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. 
Hos 1:7  But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah [Symbolically the Bride of Christ!], and will save them [The “remnant” spoken about in Joel Chapter 2] by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen [meaning, by their Old Covenant physical strength opposed to the coming of the mysterious (holy) spirit].

Zec 12:9  And it shall come to pass in that day [for the Bride of Christ, ‘the day of the lord’], that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem [meaning, the customised nations of opposition to Christ’s word within the Bride]. 
Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace [… doesn’t it make you shiver?] and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced [every man understanding in his order of salvation], and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 12:11  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon [H7426 Pomegranates synonymous with exaltedly and the Bride’s chastisements and subsequent returning to truth and the love of God] in the valley of Megiddon.

Afresh: “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land”.

Notice in Joel 3:2 that the Lord brings his people to the symbolic abyss of Meggido (Jehoshaphat) and “pleads” with her face to face in that wretched valley. She stares at the stark reality of its symbolism and what is going to happen to her if she continues to spurn his love overtures not to follow through for her inheritance. She knows that this valley is traditionally represented as a ‘valley of death’ ordained for immense slaughter. Even though she is brought to remembrance of her physical “heritage”, her “Promised Land”, it is her younger sister, the Bride today, who ecstatically knows it is Christ who is her spiritual heritage. It is the Bride alone who knows that she is to keep her garments pure. Otherwise, she, along with her elder sister, Israel, Gog and Magog will, as one, face being cast into the vastly more fearful spiritual death in the Lake of Fire, the Great White Throne Judgement.

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me [with the Him, her promised heritage]. 
Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil [the holy spirit]; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6  Surely [the hope of the First Resurrection] goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon G717.

We see that the names for that highly prominent and mysterious location of death, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, Jezeel, Meggido, and Armageddon, identify the same address.

Hence, and paradoxically to Babylonians, the Lord exalts his Bride for her judging herself within to die a much “lighter” ‘spiritual death’ from her lawlessness as opposed to physical Israel’s bloody death and literal exile to Babylon, symbolised by the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden [believing in free will and delusionally encumbered with saving yourself], and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me [that Christ is our workmanship creating us by his power and might spiritually]; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls [because Christ is building his temple within us].
Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light [… indeed!]. 

In Babylon, Israel continues worshipping every false god more vigorously and unconsciously, imagining in her flesh that God, their enemy, wouldn’t utterly destroy her when belonging to a far more powerful nation than they had been in the Promised Land. What they couldn’t see in Joel 3:2 is that their coming ‘scattering among the nations’ would result from their lockstep with their real enemy, Babylon, and collectively building a great tower to beat any imagined future Noah-like flood, that more profoundly represented the entire Earth’s stubborn and petulant face against her Lord’s commandments.

Gen 11:1-9  And the whole earth [Represented by Babylon, the strongest nation representative of the entire Earth to this day!] was of one language, and of one speech [meaning, 200,000,000 lies (Rev 9:16) of their own ideologies all opposing God’s word].
Gen 11:2  And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar [H8152 country of two rivers. 1. the ancient name for the territory later known as Babylonia or Chaldea]; and they dwelt there.

In type, Israel’s physical exile and journey from her former estate in the Promised Land to Babylon, as were the sons of Noah from the “mountains of Arat” to Babylon, were from the West, and Israel even southwest of Babylon! For Israel to travel to Babylon from the East, as Gen 11:2 says, they would absurdly have come from the Indian Ocean and the mouth of the Euphrates River. Israel’s journey from the East is clearly a metaphor for her, in particular, and later, the entire world’s journey in Christ, their Sun who rises in the East with the healing of increasingly ‘burning’ righteousness in his wings into the spiritual heat of midday. Geographically and astronomically spiritually, it means that wherever we are on Earth in regards to its rotation from the West to the East, it gives the impression that the sun, meaning Christ and his Bride, rises from the East to herald the infinitely greater riches of the Heavenly Jerusalem (… don’t give up understanding that physical reality of the Earth’s rotation that gives the impression that it is the sun that revolves around the Earth). As such, and in regards to Israel still in Babylon, the figurative centre of the financial and Satan’s spiritual world, she, to the deluded world, has today risen again her tower of godship from the East to sit on the throne of God, effectively stating that she IS god! She is all prepared to enter the valley of death in Megeddo, Armageddon to be destroyed as God said would happen to anyone rebuilding old Babylon, particularly within.

(Mal 4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven [In the valley of Meggido/Armageddon]; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.)

Continuing…

Gen 11:3  And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
Gen 11:4  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 
Gen 11:5  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Gen 11:6  And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language [of total opposition to His word]; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. (Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient)
Gen 11:7  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
Gen 11:8  So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city [… at the beginning of the soon coming of the One Thousand Year rule with the rod of iron]. 
Gen 11:9  Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. 

That action is the audacity of a harlot standing piously on her self-righteousness, stating that she will eat her own bread and wear her own apparel (Isa 4:1. Rev 18:7. Rev 19:18) while claiming salvation even as she feels safely ‘scattered’ in Babylonian Christianity throughout the world, serving multiple representations of “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4). Babylon’s rule is soon to close with the outward coming of Christ and resurrection of his faithful Bride.

These two verses studied are devoted to the Lord pleading today with the joints in his Bride! She, in the spirit today, the Lord’s day, symbolically and paradoxically literally standing in the Valley of Jehoshaphat among the dry bones of her predecessors, where her Lord is graphically presenting a historical visualisation of where she, too, will die a bloody death if she doesn’t repent from her ways.

Eze 37:1  The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
Eze 37:2  And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

The Bride is already clothed in her Lord’s white robes. Yet, within her remains a sub-remnant of unidentified tares containing schisms and rottenness to her bones (1 Cor 11:19). Our Lord has almost finished dragging those divisions out of her that collectively are called Sodom, Egypt, Tyre and Babylon, which all represent Old Jerusalem, the Great Whore, even as she, in pain, patiently laments, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.  – Rev 6:10-11.

Continuing next week in verse three of Joel Chapter three, we will, Lord willing, quietly listen intently to him as he continues to reflect upon the final dying days of our decreasing wretchedness in the glorious expectation of him winning our battle.

Jdg 18:16-31: They Smote the Inhabitants of Laish with the Edge of the Sword

[Study Aired August 23, 2021]

Jdg 18:16  And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. 
Jdg 18:17  And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. 
Jdg 18:18  And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? 
Jdg 18:19  And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? 
Jdg 18:20  And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. 
Jdg 18:21  So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. 
Jdg 18:22  And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 
Jdg 18:23  And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? 
Jdg 18:24  And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? 
Jdg 18:25  And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. 
Jdg 18:26  And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. 
Jdg 18:27  And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. 
Jdg 18:28  And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. 
Jdg 18:29  And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. 
Jdg 18:30  And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 
Jdg 18:31  And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. 

The last session ended when the six hundred men from the tribe of Dan who were appointed with the weapons of war entered the house of Micah.

Jdg 18:15  And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.

The house of Micah represents the physical churches of this world (Babylon) which at our appointed time, we enter thinking we are serving God but we come to find out later that we were actually serving another Jesus. The six hundred men are the elect in every generation who are appointed by the Lord with weapons of war to wage war against the flesh in order to possess their inheritance. The weapons of war are the whole armor of God of which Paul told us in Ephesians chapter 6 as follows:

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

This session of the study is focused on our experience of evil appointed for us in Babylon. As the scripture makes us aware, this is to humble us so that we will take hold of the salvation offered to us through the ceasing of our own strivings.

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 [Experience of evil] hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised [Humbled] therewith.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Jdg 18:16  And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. 

The six hundred men standing by the gate implies a time of decision as was used in the following scripture when David had to decide whether to join the army in a battle against his son Absalom’s revolt or not.

2Sa 18:2  And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.
2Sa 18:3  But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city.
2Sa 18:4  And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

The six hundred men were at a point to either serve another Jesus (carry Micah’s gods along) or the living God, just like the Israelites under Joshua’s leadership when he confronted the people to decide.

Jos 24:14  Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Jos 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Unfortunately, they chose to have faith in Micah’s gods, or another Jesus instead of Christ. We also at a point in our lives chose to follow another Jesus while in Babylon instead of Christ.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
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.

From hindsight, we now know that all our decisions, even in those times, were of the Lord.

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. 

If Christ is not the King sitting in the throne of our hearts, then definitely the flesh ruled over us. In this case our choices are influenced by our flesh. The next two verses show us what we go for in Babylon.

Jdg 18:17  And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
Jdg 18:18  And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? 

We are represented here by the five men who took all the gods of Micah with the six hundred men in their journey to their inheritance. The number five means grace through faith. The negative aspect of this number is that we turn our Lord’s grace into lasciviousness based on our faith without works.

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Now let’s examine the items they took. These items show us what happens to us in Babylon.

Graven Image – The first item we possess in Babylon is a graven image. A graven image is a carved idol made of wood which is used as an object of worship. Since this idol is made of wood, it represents our works which we adore or worship. In Babylon, we build on the foundation of Christ with our own acts of self-righteousness which are signified spiritually by wood, hay and stubble. So the graven image represents our self-righteousness, which is iniquity.

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation [Jesus Christ] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
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.

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

Ephod: The next item that the five men took was an ephod, which is a sleeveless garment worn by Jewish priests. The ephod also symbolizes our own righteousness as shown in this scripture:

Psa 132:9  Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

So what happens to us in Babylon is that we establish our own righteousness by wearing our own clothes.

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

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Teraphim: They are idols or household gods. The teraphim therefore symbolizes the idols of our hearts. In Babylon, the false doctrine that we imbibe becomes our idols of our hearts which prevent the glorious light of the gospel from reaching us.

Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 

Molten Image: It is an idol that is molded out of a substance such as gold or silver. We know that gold or silver represents the word of God. So a molten image to us signifies the half truths of the word of God or the false doctrines we imbibe in Babylon which become our idol of the heart just like the teraphim.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

When we leave Babylon, we carry all these idols of the hearts along.  However, God in His mercy starts to work on us to clear our heavens of all that offends. 

Jdg 18:19  And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? 

When we were in Babylon, we reasoned just like the priest here that it is far better to minister to a tribe and family of Israel than to a house of one man. Our reason for this is that we reasoned that because Jerusalem, which is in bondage with her children (Babylon) has many people, it suggests that they must be doing something right. This was what kept us longer in Babylon because we thought that the fact that existing Jerusalem has many people believing in man’s free will, eternal punishment, trinity of God, speaking in tongues, rapture, etc. means these doctrines are true. It was when we came into the company of the first born or the Jerusalem which is above that we realized the truth that many are called not to know the truth but few are chosen to know the truth.

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.

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

Psa 73:16  When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

Psa 73:17  Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

The truth of God’s word is that God has kept the church of the first born barren in this age while existing Jerusalem has many children. In the fullness of time, Jerusalem which is above, will have many children as we lead the whole of humanity to know the Lord. That is why we are admonished to rejoice in our barrenness in this life. Individually we can see that we are barren as we struggle with all kinds of challenges and weaknesses in this life. But let’s lift our heads high because this present suffering cannot be compared with the glory to be revealed.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

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.

This truth about the existing Jerusalem having many children and the church of the first born being barren is portrayed clearly in the story of two women called Hannah and Peninnah who were married to a man called Elkanah. Their names speak a lot about their roles. The name Elkanah means God has obtained. Hannah means favored and Peninnah means contracted.

1Sa 1:1  Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
1Sa 1:2  And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

This issue of the present Jerusalem having many children and the church of the first born being barren is continued in the next verse as follows:

Jdg 18:20  And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. 

When we are ruled by the flesh, we are joyful when we minister to many people thinking that this attests to our spiritual pedigree. I’ve heard many pastors in Babylon boast of the size of their congregation and the fact that they hold about two to three services every Sunday.  Paul said that all this boasting of the flesh amounts to dung.

Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Jdg 18:21  So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.

In Babylon, instead of experienced and matured men of God leading us, we are led by children as we see here the little ones and the cattle and the carriage going before the men searching for their inheritance. Putting the cattle before them is another way of saying that we are led by the beast within, which is our flesh or old man. This is what happens to us when children lead us:

Ecc 10:16  Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
Ecc 10:17  Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

‘Thy princes eat in the morning’ is another way of saying that we want all our blessings here on earth now!! This means we do not regard the joy set before us as something to die for.

Jdg 18:22  And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 
Jdg 18:23  And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? 
Jdg 18:24  And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? 
Jdg 18:25  And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

These idols of the heart that we have carried along from Babylon will result in conflict within us. This is what this conflict within is about:

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

We are admonished by James to resist the devil, and he will run away from us. This applies to what is within us which is in league with the devil.

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

We are not to resist evil outside.

Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
Mat 5:40  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Jdg 18:26  And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. 

Through the chastening grace of our Lord, we begin the daily dying process. As our old man continues to die daily and the new man continues to gain grounds in our lives, the old man, signified by Micah and those who went with him to pursue the Danites, realizes that the new man is too strong for him. This is similar to King Saul recognizing that surely King David will come and rule in his stead.

1Sa 24:16  And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
1Sa 24:17  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
1Sa 24:18  And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.
1Sa 24:19  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
1Sa 24:20  And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

Jdg 18:27  And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

The old man, represented here by the inhabitants of Laish, is defeated with the edge of the sword, which is the word of God. The sum of the word of God suggests that this defeat of the old man is accomplished daily or throughout a lifetime.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

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

Burning the city with fire is also another way of saying that the old man within is destroyed by the word of God which is fire.

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD 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.

Deu 4:24  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Deu 9:3  Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

Jdg 18:28  And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.

As indicated in the previous review, our lives in Babylon give the Lord the occasion to come to us to destroy all that offends within us. The previous verse indicated that the people lived quietly and secure. This means that we were content and felt that we do not need anything.

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

In verse 28, we are told that there was no deliverer to save the people of Laish. This is because our Lord forsakes us momentarily as we go through this furnace of affliction. This also means keeping at bay all those who could have come to our aid in our moment of need until our trials run their course. However, with great mercies will our Lord gather us under His wings like an eagle.

Isa 54:6  For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
Isa 54:7  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
Isa 54:8  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

The destruction of the old man is the birth of the new man. The building of a new city refers here to the birth and subsequent growth of the new man.

Jdg 18:29  And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.

The meaning of the name ‘Dan’ is Judge. The naming of the new city as Dan is therefore significant because the destruction of the old man and the birth of the new man is what will guarantee our inheritance of being judges of the world.

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?

Jdg 18:30  And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 
Jdg 18:31  And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. 

In our journey to possess our inheritance, we are prone to err as a result of the baggage of idols of the heart that we carry from Babylon. This was what happened to the children of Dan as they set up graven and molten images of that which they carried from Micah’s house. Our Lord in His wisdom has admonished us through Moses that we should not allow anything that breathes in our heavens as we seek to put to death the enemies within. The reason for this is that what is within that is not destroyed may come to hurt us in our walk with Christ and can potentially derail us from the prize of the higher calling.

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: 
Deu 20:17  But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
Deu 20:18  That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

As Paul puts it, a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.

Gal 5:7  Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Gal 5:8  This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

May the Lord help us by destroying any leaven found within our members so we can be presented as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Amen!!

The theme of generations runs throughout this book of beginnings or origins, namely Genesis. ‘Genesis’ is a Greek word for ‘generation’ or ‘origin’, and the equivalent Hebrew word ‘toledaw’ appears 13 times in Genesis alone (Gen 2:4, Gen 5:1, Gen 6:9 (2), Gen 10:1, Gen 10:32, Gen 11:10, Gen 11:27, Gen 25:12-13 (2), Gen 25:19, Gen 36:1, Gen 36:9, Gen 37:2). God also made clear distinctions between the generations which basically fall into two lines, which brings one of the main themes of all Scripture into focus:

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

The generation of Cain is first to be revealed in Scripture as those who are representative of the line of the seed of the serpent (Gen 4:1-24). As every tree is known by its fruit, the same evil and subtle mind as that of the serpent in the garden of Eden is seen in the very attitude and action of Cain toward God and his own brother Abel. God openly showed His favor toward Abel for his obedience to God, and Cain did not agree with God’s choice and election:

Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Those in the line of the seed of the serpent will always show animosity, disdain and rejection towards those on whom God shows His favor. God indeed has an elect, and He is working His obedience in that elect which is His prerogative and His decision (Luk 1:30, Luk 2:52, Joh 15:16, Rom 9:13). Throughout the Scripture this pattern is repeated of how God works His favor and love for ‘the younger’ or lastborn, against His rejection of the elder or firstborn (ie. Gen 6:8, Gen 37:3, Exo 3:10, Joh 15:16, Act 13:22, 1Co 15:45-47):

Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

However, those on whom God shows this favor are placed in a position where they are a target of hatred, resentment and animosity. No one chooses this election except God, and Paul expressed so fitly his heaviness and sorrow for his rejected brothers in the flesh (Gen 37:4, Mat 10:17-39):

Rom 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
Rom 9:2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Rom 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

Seth was appointed and chosen by God to typify the seed of the woman ‘instead of Abel’ (Gen 4:25-26); Within this line of Seth we see the foreshadowing of the spiritual sons of God or God’s ekklesia in the Elect One, Jesus Christ (Gen 5:1-32). The theme of the ‘sons of God’ is the central focus of all Scriptures, and this generation of Seth typifies the ekklesia as they were the first to “call upon the name of the Lord” (Gen 4:26, Mat 16:18, 1Pe 2:4-9, Eph 3:2). Through the various interactions between the generations of Seth and Cain, God’s ekklesia learns to ‘give diligence to make [their] calling and election sure’ as this election in Christ includes manifold painful trials (1Pe 4:12, 2Pe 1:10). Even within this election in Christ the principle of ‘few’ that will be faithful to the name or doctrine of Christ is applicable until the end (Mat 22:14, Luk 13:23-24, Mat 24:13, Gen 6:8-9, Rev 17:14) – for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

God uses all created things to bring these necessary trials and heresies “by which they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (1Co 11:19, 2Co 11:6). God is using even the ‘men of the world’ as His ‘sword’ to approve the elected sons of God:

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

Psa 17:13 Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
Psa 17:14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

The generation of Cain generally typifies this “men of the world” or the “sons of men” who ‘multiply on the face of the earth’ (Psa 4:2, Ecc 3:10-21). These “men of the world” in Cain’s generation fathered sons and daughters. These daughters were fair, meaning they looked good and pleasant to the physical eye, by God’s design and purpose:

Gen 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

This just confirms what was already revealed in the generation of Cain:

Gen 4:22 And Zillah [the one wife of Lamech, the son of Cain], she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron [representing the flesh’s beauty and strength respectively]: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah [her name means ‘beauty’ or ‘pleasantness’].

All in the first Adam are vulnerable and open to the seductions of the flesh and generally follow these naturally without question (Rev 17:1-2, Eph 2:2-3, Rom 7:15, 1Jn 2:16). This is also what happened to the physical nation of Israel who foreshadowed how God’s true spiritual elect also are seduced by lies at their appointed time (Rom 15:4, 1Co 10:11):

Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

One of these trials during which physical Israel failed dismally is when Balaam was used to entice them, and in that process their greed and lusts were exposed. This is the way God uses the deceitfulness of self-elevation, selfish ambitions and other lusts in the generation of Cain to ‘prove’ the sons of God. This is done to bring them to their wits’ end where they learn to always “call on the name of the Lord” and not lean on their own understanding (Psa 107, Pro 3:5):

2Pe 2:15 Which [the physical Israelites] have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Jud 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core [Korah].

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

The error or doctrine of Balaam came in the form of fornication that happened to physical Israel, and that is just a type of the seduction of the subtle false doctrines which also influence the sons of God at the appointed time. Even the sons of God have their time to walk according to “the course of this world” in the false doctrines of the sons of men:

Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

This is the time (which has an ‘is, was and will be’ or continual application to it) when we bring forth the giants and mighty men or men of renown in our own minds:

Gen 6:4 There were giants [Hebrew: nəp̄ilîm] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

These giants or nephilim were also powerful enemies in the time of physical Israel who made them look like grasshoppers (Num 13:32-33, Deu 2:10-11, Amo 2:9-10). Spiritually these ‘children’ to whom we give birth after our fornications with the world are our own “imaginations of the thoughts of [our] heart”. These are the very powerful and overwhelming ‘strong holds’ and all the ‘high thing[s] that exalts [themselves]’ in our deceived hearts and minds (2Co 10:4-5). These are “the mighty men which were of old [even now in the first Adam in us], men of renown”. These make us haughty to think carnally that we can lord over other’s faith, even envying superior ‘seats’ than our own brethren in Christ (2Co 1:24, Jas 4:5, Mat 20:20-28, Pro 21:10). This is when we arrogantly point fingers to other’s fleshly state and actions and are not even aware of the sleeping evil giants waiting to be exposed in us (1Co 10:12):

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Tit 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

“Men of renown” are part of “all in the world” in our first Adam when we also simply cannot accept God’s order and His appointees, even in the physical (1Jn 2:16, Gen 4:25, Rom 13:1-8, Tit 3:1-3, Dan 4:25, 1Pe 3:1-7, 1Co 14:40). “Mighty men” and “men of renown” are linked to the ‘high places in the mountains’ of the natural pride in us (2Ch 21:11). Various challenges occurred on God-appointed and elected leadership on several occasions in the Scriptures. Moses, for example, was said to have been the meekest man “upon the face of the earth” but his election even brought opposition from his own brother and sister:

Num 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
Num 12:2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Num 12:9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
Num 12:10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

At the appointed time, our own righteousness will be revealed to us as being spiritual leprosy and hypocrisy for which we will be judged by our High Priest (Isa 64:6). Our own giants and wickedness will correct us and our backslidings will chastise us:

Jer 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Our own natural mind will always challenge our position in Christ by pointing out our failures and shortcomings. It wants us to believe that we are not “accepted in the beloved” (Eph 1:5-6). The challenges which God’s appointees face are also revealed in the ministries of Paul and the apostles throughout the New Testament. This is also showing that all the spiritual sons of God will face the “men of renown” inwardly and outwardly all the time. Like Moses, it is always interesting that these men were the meekest men that can be found within their time of ministry, and yet they were accused of commending themselves and being boastful (Act 20:29-30, 2Co 5:12, 2Co 10:12-18, 2Ti 1:15, 2Ti 4:14-18, 3Jn 1:9-11). Meekness equals weakness for those in the line of the serpent.

2Co 10:7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.
2Co 10:8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
2Co 10:9 That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.
2Co 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
2Co 11:11 Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

The natural spirit of the fleshly mind always lusts to envy and makes comparisons which is not the spirit of wisdom of God, but an earthly, sensual, and devilish spirit – the spirit of the “men of the world” (Jas 4:5, 2Co 10:12). Those with the spirit and wisdom of God can see and accept how all in His body are being “fitly joined [or framed] together” sharing one mind and have no schisms (Eph 2:21, Eph 4:16, 1Co 3:3, 1Co 12:25):

Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

‘Where there is envying and strife, there is confusion’ which causes deep and bitter torment. Confusion and death are the mental state of the old first man Adam who is not God’s ultimate or prime creation as some proclaim. The spirit man in Christ is God’s prime creation, and that is what is meant when it says in the Scripture that “it repented the LORD that he had made man” also here in Genesis 6:

Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Several times in Scripture we read that God repents, which deludes many to think that God changed His mind or that He had a rethinking about His plan of action (Gen 6:5-7, Exo 32:14, Jdg 2:14, 1Sa 15:11, 1Sa 15:35, 2Sa 24:16, Psa 106:43, Psa 106:45, Jer 26:19, Amo 7:3, Amo 7:6, Jon 3:10). God is “not a man, that he should repent”, and that is also written for our admonition as it points out how differently we should understand the concept of repentance when it applies to God (1Sa 15:29). God has perfect understanding of everything, and that also includes why He created a fleshly man and all evil things which are grieving Him all the time. Just as all evil, darkness and sin were given a temporary existence and purpose in God’s plan, so is fleshly man (Gen 1:2, Isa 45:7, Gen 50:20). Flesh is extremely evil to a holy God, and He cannot and will not accept the flesh in His spiritual kingdom (1Co 1:20, 1Co 15:50, Pro 16:4). God is in total control all the time, and He made the decision to eventually destroy all flesh before He created it (Isa 46:10). This is the same as saying that God’s spirit “shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh” (Gen 6:3). He will destroy all evil, darkness and physical things (which are all related to spiritual death) once they served His purposes.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Numerous false teachings are out there in the world about this relation and interaction between the sons of God and the daughters of men in Genesis 6. Although the angelic spirit beings are also called “sons of God” in Scripture, it is also important to note that these angelic beings are not “given in marriage”, meaning angelic beings cannot have sexual relationships (Job 1:6, Luk 20:34-36). So it was not angelic beings that had sexual relations with the sons of men as some falsely propagate. Only the holy spirit of the Father can bring forth new life, even in those who are ‘a chaste virgin to Christ’ (Mat 1:18-20, Luk 1:34-35, 2Co 11:2):

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

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[Questions and comments for the writer can be directed to: glgroenewald@gmail. com]
[Detailed studies and emails written relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the www.iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

The Fallen Angels
Do Angels Marry?
How Can God Repent but Tell us He is not a Man Who Needs to Repent?