The Book of Micah – Part 3, Micah 3:1-12

[Study Aired March 9, 2024]

Subsequent to our last Study we were alarmed, yet elated, to see that when we were in Babylon, we were the “oppressors” who wrought “woe” upon everyone else’s spiritual understanding and, most insidiously, our own understanding (Joh 9:41). We are the rulers and prophets the Lord denounces as those first given to understand the incredible gift of not just sonship but, astonishingly, our marriage to Christ! (2Co 11:2). 

Micah 3 is a continuation of our Lord severely warning Israel of their coming physical destruction and is a dire warning for His little flock to learn from our elder sister’s experience given to remaining in the spiritual wilderness.

Isa 42:18  Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. 
Isa 42:19  Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant?
Isa 42:20  Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. 
Isa 42:21  The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.
Isa 42:22  But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. 

Rom 13:11  And this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 
Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 
Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 
Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the lusts of flesh.

It is only fitting that the budding Bride of Christ, the first fruit of Christ, is denounced and chastised ahead of her sisters in Babylon.

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?

Of course, the answer is death following the One-Thousand Year reign by the “house of God” ruling with a rod of iron in subjection to her husband, Christ (Rev 20:7-10).

Heb 12:6-11  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons: for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 
Heb 12:8  But if ye are without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons.
Heb 12:9  Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? 
Heb 12:10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [Christ] for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised by it.

Rulers and Prophets Denounced

Mic 3:1  And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads [Rulers and prophets; priests] of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know judgment?

Our backsliding ways, typified by old Israel in the wilderness, didn’t change following Christ’s death on the cross. In fact, they dramatically got worse because of the mostly hidden shift in their spiritual understanding. Christ provided a number of key insights into spiritually understanding scripture. Yet, without Him opening our spiritual eyes and ears beyond His few express examples, our dozy ovine (sheep) minds remain happily mulling regurgitated grass (vegetables as opposed to ‘strong meat’) under a shady tree witless of our dilemma.

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. 

Those two verses starkly contrast the two armies (Son 6:13) which Solomon saw in the Shulamite, with the enigma of the Shulamite’s sudden appearance vexing his wisdom since he wasn’t aware that he needed the holy spirit to understand Israel’s destiny of transitioning from Old Jerusalem to the Heavenly Jerusalem. Both parties carry a “black” characteristic, with the Shulamite (Son 1:6) representing one of the many parables Jesus always spoke and queried by His disciples. The entire Bible is given to the Shulamite, the Bride of Christ, for her full understanding alone of the Lord’s parables. For the other ‘army’ of Babylonian Christianity and the world, their lot is to remain in the symbolised phases of the Moon’s (depicting the church) monthly 27-day average (‘menstrual’) cycle. She brings forth children of the same non-spiritually discerning flesh as she, representing ten of the tribes of Israel, black of understanding in the waxing and waning moonlight characterised as Leah, Jacob’s first wife’s weak eyesight and passion only for equally dull-eyed children and not unity of spirit in her husband.

Babylonian Christianity, symbolised by the Moon, is visibly observed except in extreme latitudes every day and night for 24 hours except for two to three nights (interesting symbolism!) on either side of the New Moon phase. ‘She’, the Babylonian church, is paled into obscurity during daylight by the Son (sun) of righteousness who speaks in parables. She only dimly reflects the Son’s righteousness during the night and remains blind (black) for the remaining few days. It all depicts her torpid arousal for ‘the Christ’ and not being given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Shockingly to us, while observing the infrequency of those who are given to not remain in Christ, the spiritual understanding they did have was taken away and given to the Bride of Christ, the younger ‘army’ (Son 6:13).

Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Our eyes and ears are only blessed to the extent our Lord gives us His spirit to discern His spirit. Even then, if we don’t daily exercise His spirit in our lives by dying to the flesh, we run the risk of reverting to being like the Moon with her half-light of understanding. If our Elders and leaders, inclusive of the laity of ‘prophets’, don’t preach the word Christ taught, our Lord will cut off our skin and flesh like an eagle at his prey, just as Micah in like parables as Christ is prophesying in chapter three.

Mic 3:2  Who [we formally] hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from them, and their flesh from off their bones; 

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 
1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 
1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Here is one such classic example of spiritually understanding lust, only for the former Babylonian in us to never excitedly see the spiritual principle applied to the entirety of scripture.

Mat 5:27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 
Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart [meaning spiritually].
Mat 5:29  And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:30  And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Of course, the renouncement from God of our obsession with all kinds of lust and self-serving rulership over others, rather than judging ourselves first within, meaning spiritually, applies to our understanding of ALL of the Lord’s commands (1Co 11:31).

For the same physically discerning eyes and ears that even Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, likewise possessed, there are some unspeakably harrowing examples of poor wretched dear folk who have literally plucked out their eyes or dismembered their privy parts out of dreadful frustration of not being able to overcome lust, simply because they didn’t understand the recommendation spiritually. Their misguided passion for the Lord can sometimes put us to shame. 

Continuing with our Lord’s warning to us by what Micah prophesied to Israel, he says:

Mic 3:3  Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

Zep 3:1  Woe to her [The Lord’s Elect before spiritual understanding] that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! [Oppressing old Jerusalem/Israel without and unwittingly ourselves spiritually]
Zep 3:2  She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God 
Zep 3:3  Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 
Zep 3:4  Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. [All those scriptures are formerly (decreasingly) us!].

A genuine offence against a “little one” (representing an offended babe in Christ) and him being misled by the Lord’s Elected kings and priests by them not shouting the trumpet alarm within themselves to prevent deluding a babe is a capital offence (Eze 33). Our former zeal in Babylon was to completely dismember all attempts of a struggling fellow believer to unwittingly render his understanding useless before our delusional self-righteous knowledge. Psychopathically, we mostly unconsciously finish his utter destruction in the form of a sacrifice in a figurative caldron. As such, and forecast by Micah as Israel’s methodology of unrighteously handling the Lord’s word and duplicated by us, the Priests of God, we unknowingly joined the ranks of wicked counsellors.

Eze 11:1  Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD’S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
Eze 11:2  Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city: 
Eze 11:3  Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh. 
Eze 11:4  Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man. 
Eze 11:5  And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. 
Eze 11:6  Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.
Eze 11:7  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.
Eze 11:8  Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD. 
Eze 11:9  And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.
Eze 11:10  Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze 11:11  This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel: 
Eze 11:12  And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.
Eze 11:13  And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel? 

The exceptionally high standard of Christ is expected of His Elect to be qualified to represent Him today for their rulership in the One-Thousand Year reign with the rod of iron. If we can’t rule ourselves now, how is the world to honor us as their rulers if we don’t heed Micah’s warning?

Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:5  And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Mat 18:6  But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

As endlessly repeated by Israel in the wilderness, we typically see-saw between obedience and wealth-driven play (lust), only to be chastised by Christ, our husband, to the level He deems suitable for our change. In Israel’s case, and because the Old Covenant was unwittingly coming to a not-too-distant end, their chastisement seemed confusingly harsh, causing them to feel utterly forsaken (Mat 27:45-46) as they trudged into exile.

Mic 3:4  Then shall they cry to the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. 

Isa 58:3  Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 
Isa 58:4  Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. 
Isa 58:5  Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 
Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 
Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
Isa 58:9  Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 
Isa 58:10  And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: 
Isa 58:11  And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 
Isa 58:12  And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 
Isa 58:13  If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 
Isa 58:14  Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Micah 3:5 is the foundational theme for chapter 3, highlighting the Lord’s very Elect who have gone before the rest of the world as His prophets, having formally held His word unrighteously. We are first to fully understand the magnitude of our self-righteousness. While in Babylon, it is we, the two-fold children of hell, who had gnashed our teeth upon any who would listen to engage in spiritual brawling.

Mic 3:5  Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him:

It is the Lord’s Elect, “the prophets” who are learning to be a perfect reflection of Christ for us to ensure that the world hasn’t any warrant for offensive indictment. Just as a husband and wife are to be in perfect unity, and hopefully in Christ before their children, we, too, are that reflection to the world of our ‘children’ who will watch intently to catch us out just as the Jews prepared war against Christ.

Luk 6:6  And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. 
Luk 6:7  And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 
Luk 6:8  But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 
Luk 6:9  Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 
Luk 6:10  And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 
Luk 6:11  And they were filled with madness [meaning – want of {unrighteous} understanding]; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. 

Lev 20:9  For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

Mic 3:6  Therefore night shall be to you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark to you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.

The half-light of the Moon understands that verse to mean that every church other than theirs is wrong and is not aware that all of Babylonian Christianity holds the Lord’s word unrighteously. The sun is fast going down over them, just as it did with us. However, just as the sun goes down, it comes up after the blackness of the night and provides an increasingly clear spiritual vision first to the Bride of Christ.

Rom 3:9  What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 
Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 
Rom 3:13  Their [the Prophet’s…] throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 
Rom 3:14  Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 
Rom 3:15  Their feet are swift to shed blood: 
Rom 3:16  Destruction and misery are in their ways: 
Rom 3:17  And the way of peace have they not known: 
Rom 3:18  There is no fear of God before their eyes. 
Rom 3:19  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

It is not Israel’s fault that they, by their orchestrated example, are for the new Elect of God and their spiritual understanding (Joh 15:16  ‘you did not choose me…’). Both Israel and today’s Elect of God did not choose their unrighteous or righteous path, with the latter shuddering at the thought of claiming glory for themselves. The entire Biblical saga is for the Elect to know the way to save the world through their husband, Christ. It is typified by Joseph saving his family from deathly famine (Gen 45).

Mic 3:7  Then shall the seers [We, the prophets who thought to have vision] be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yes, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. 
Mic 3:8  But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. 
Mic 3:9  Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
Mic 3:10  They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
Mic 3:11  Her heads judge for reward, and her priests teach for hire, and her prophets divine for money [tithes, offerings and paid office of duty]; yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? no evil can come upon us.

Jer 6:14  They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly [analogously singing a song of fools, “we are saved” by the seven-second sinner’s prayer], saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace [imagining that no evil will come upon them delusionally believing that they are the Elect of God].

Eze 14:6  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Eze 14:7  For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself: 
Eze 14:8  And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign [First in old Israel as depicted here in Micah, and decreasingly us] and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 
Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet [Christ is our Prophet; as he is, so shall we be upon learning from Israel’s God-given mistakes] shall be even as the punishment of him [the Body of Christ!] that seeketh unto him; 
Eze 14:11  That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

Mic 3:12  Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest [cut down or utterly consumed by wildfire as happens with fervent heat among the gullies and mountains driven by the violent wind of the Lord’s all-consuming spirit].

With our preceding understanding of Micah 3:1-6, verses 7-12 are a summary of savage indictment against our fast-disappearing evil ways. We are learning to be joyful for the Lord’s siege against our old Israel and Jerusalem within, to have him utterly destroyed. We even more ecstatically come out of our exile in Babylon to rebuild the Lord’s heavenly New Jerusalem within. We have been ploughed of tares before being sown the good seed of Christ. In the meantime, we tend our field within, searching diligently to chip out the tares of falsehoods. No longer ashamed, but destined to become the Lord’s prophets, never again “denounced” as formally we were upon leaving Israel for Babylon (Deu 30:18).

Currently, we are being given the Lord’s white wedding gown made of His righteousness. Our heaving seas are being made calm as we shall hopefully see in the remaining four chapters of Micah.

Matthew 27:1-10, John 18:28

[Study Aired February 22, 2022]

Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.
Mark 14:72 And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Luke 22:62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. 
Matt 27:1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
Matt 27:2 And when they had bound him, 
John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: 
Matt 27:2 and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
John 18:28 and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
Matt 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Matt 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Matt 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Matt 27:6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
Matt 27:7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
Matt 27:8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
Matt 27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy (Zechariah) the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 
Matt 27:10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. 

In our last study, Peter denied that he knew Christ three times before the cock crowed two times.

Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.

Mark 14:72 And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Luke 22:62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. 

This represents our time in Babylon thinking we are living with Christ in us. We are still of our father the devil, and we still care for the things of the world and deny Christ’s doctrines. The parable of the sower explains our position.

Matt 13:18-23 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

At this stage of our walk, the first two parts of this parable are fulfilled in us. The third part, receiving the seed in good ground, is yet to come. We must experience the upcoming events in our lives to become the “good ground”.

Matt 27:1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
Matt 27:2 And when they had bound him, 
John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: 
Matt 27:2 and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
John 18:28 and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.

The elders of the Jews have passed judgment but are unable to fulfill the sentence of death without the governor’s approval. This will be covered in a future study. Tonight’s study will focus on Judas.

Matt 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Matt 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Matt 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Judas was given the ability to see he had made a mistake. This of course was done so the scriptures could be fulfilled. Though he recognized his mistake, Judas was unable to fully repent of his sin. Judas represents our old man who must be put to death.

Deut 27:24 Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Just as Judas, our old man is cursed and can only take reward to slay an innocent person. We are all guilty of passing false judgment on Christ until He causes us to die to our old ways. We are given the truth in Babylon, but it is polluted with the lies of our father, the devil. We must repent and come out of Babylon. Here is an FAQ from the website that gives clarity of our repentance.

 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/need-to-repent-and-for-what/

“Hi Mike, My question is: God tells us to come out of Babylon, so why do we have to repent, and what must we repent of? 

H____

Hi H____,

Thank you for your question. Babylon the great is “the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.”

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

This entire book is addressed to “he that has an ear” in the seven churches.” We are told so seven times in chapters 2-3:

Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

This 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:

The signifying of the number seven is the complete church system. So these words are being sent to every Christian on earth of all time.

You ask: “God tells us to come out of Babylon, so why do we have to repent, and what must we repent of?”

Read the second and third chapters of Revelation, and you will know what we are to repent, if you have been given eyes to see and ears to hear. What you will read in the second and third chapters is what makes God’s own people the great harlot of Revelation 17 and 18. It is in God’s own church that we “lose our first love, allow the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews when they don’t even know what is a Jew, but are the synagogue of Satan.

It is in the orthodox Christian church that Satan has his “seat”, or as the Greek has it, his ‘throne’. It is in the church that we have the “doctrine of Baalam who seduced Israel to commit fornication, and to “eat things offered to idols.”

>In the church is “that prophetess Jezebel who does the exact same things Balaam does. Jezebel “teach[es] and to seduce[s] my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” The “depths of Satan” are right in the middle of God’s own people according to this warning. If God has granted you “eyes to see and ears to hear”, then you will know that God’s orthodox church “has a name that it lives, but in reality it is dead”.

To sum it all up, God’s church does indeed do and accomplish many wonderful works, all of which are named right alongside all of these sins. When it is all said and done, God’s orthodox Christian church is neither cold nor hot. God prefers that we be either cold or hot, consequently He has spued His own church out of His mouth.

Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
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:

These are the works in God’s church for which we must all repent. If we can’t even see that this is our state, then as Christ told the church in His day, “they that are well do not need a physician.”

“Why do we have to repent, and what must we repent of?” The first thing we need to repent of is our blinded condition. However, only those who have been “given… eyes to see” can even see their blind condition. I pray that you can see your blindness and can see and hear what the spirit says to the churches:

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

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

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

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star. Rev 2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

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.

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

These are great and precious promises made to “he that overcomes.” The orthodox Christian church is the largest religion on the face of the earth. They all have physical eyes and physical ears. Nevertheless, there are few indeed who have ears to “hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.” I hope you are just such a person, and that this has answered your question “why do we have to repent, and what must we repent of?”

Mike”

Here are the final verses of tonight’s study.

Matt 27:6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
Matt 27:7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
Matt 27:8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
Matt 27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy (Zechariah) the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 
Matt 27:10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. 

Just as the chief priests bought the potter’s field to bury strangers, today’s chief priests, you and me in our appointed times, have done the same. Babylon is full of “dead strangers” having no truth in them.

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Awesome Hands – part 141

“The treasure of the Lord”

September 9, 2018

Our last study has us looking at and reviewing the phrase and concept of “the Lord of the sabbath”.

Our study today continues to the next chapter in Deuteronomy to once again tell us just how important we are to the Lord and to the process He has placed all of mankind under.

We find that it is a common theme with the Lord that He points out to anyone reading His words that His people are very special to Him.

There are three verses in chapter 7 of Deuteronomy that we are going to cover in this study which deal with the word hand, and how the mighty hand of the Lord once again is mentioned pertaining to His people.

Deu 7:1  When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
Deu 7:2  And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
Deu 7:3  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

These first few verses set the foundation of what the Lord expects of us when we go in to possess the land that He has prepared for us. We have been prepared for the Lord to have the old man and

His ways conquered and destroyed within ourselves, so that the new man is increased in us more and more daily.

This concept is one that plays itself out throughout all of scripture.

I have been asked personally who it is that we are talking about when we talk about things happening to us. Are things happening to Steven or to Christ the new man in me? Is it the old man or Steven who are being decreased as the new man increases?

How can “we” be the land, and the land is conquered? Who is being conquered?

If a giant is in your land, and it is slain, who then is slain? Is it a GIANT or is it Steven? Who remains? Is it Steven or is it Jesus Christ? If an evil spirit causes me to commit sin, is it I that do the sin or is it the evil spirit in me? Of course, I do the sin, but I was tempted and the sin that is in my did what it was designed to do. Does that mean then that I cannot understand that there are two entities involved …. myself and an evil spirit or seven?

This concept is very easy to understand for those who are given spiritual eyes to see the Truth of this concept.

If I am a tool, and I am used, I can be used in many different ways. Let’s take a cup as an example. A cup is formed in the hands of the potter to be used.

A cup can be filled up, and that same cup can be emptied. Yet, the cup is still a cup.

Now, take that cup and rename it Steven. I can be filled up or I can be emptied. However, I can be filled up with lots of different things as Steven the cup. I can be filled up with evil spirits sent of the Lord, or I can be filled with His Holy Spirit.

As a result, when I am filled with these different spirits, I can be USED in a different way. Let’s take a practical example. Maybe I am filled with milk. I can have the milk drank from me as a cup or it can sit there and dry out over time and curdle up.

I can also have water placed in me and then I can be used to water plants. There are many uses for a cup, just like there are many uses the Lord can use the cup named Steven for.

At the Lord’s discretion and will, I can be filled with milk, water, alcohol, wrath or you name it. In spiritual terms, He can fill me up with whatever He desires whether it is with evil spirits or His spirit.

Then, He can cause different things to happen with that CUP so that those ingredients, evil spirits or His spirit, are used in different ways.

Now, I can be used to sin and commit evils because an evil spirit has been sent to me or I can be caused to bring, love joy and peace to others all at the Lord’s discretion.

As a cup, I am simply a TOOL. This may seem a bit inhumane to call my self a tool in the hand of the potter, but that is exactly what I am. I am also a cup who is able to witness and “record” what I have been used for. I am a cup who is given the ability to experience the things I am use for, but just because I can experience the events I am used for doesn’t make me suddenly more powerful than the hand holding me.

This concept can be seen in John 8.

Joh 8:13  The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
Joh 8:14  Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
Joh 8:15  Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
Joh 8:16  And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
Joh 8:17  It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

I have always seen these verses as only speaking about two physical men, but what if Jesus was giving us a spiritual clue into what He was about to reveal in the rest of John?

What if the testimony of both the old and the new man is NEEDED to bring about TRUTH?

Getting back to my question about being asked personally who it is I am talking about in these scenarios, I am talking about myself as BOTH the OLD man and the NEW MAN in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is a head and body. I am His body. Therefore, I am Jesus of Nazareth because I am in Him and He is in me. This is not a play on words when it comes from Jesus Christ’s mouth. Whether a person believes those words or not is a matter of Faith freely given or not given from the Lord.

I am also “of my father the devil” when I am a cup filled up with evil spirits. Jesus Christ says He judges no man, and it is WE who judge after the flesh, but He goes on to say “YET IF I JUDGE, my judgment is true”.

Here is how Jesus truthfully judged the Pharisees that tried to trip up Jesus in “word play”.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

So, does Jesus DENY what they are saying, “we be Abraham’s seed”? Let’s see what Christ does while remembering that we too are Jesus of Nazareth:

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

When you understand what Jesus is answering them with, spiritual words, then it is quite easy to see what is being said.

You are one of two seeds. One seed is of the bondwoman and one seed is made free. When one seed is “of your father the devil” it is in BONDAGE to that DEVIL … and we KNOW that devil has EVIL SPIRITS that He uses, at the DIRECTION of the LORD, which are SENT TO US to do EVIL.

We also know there is another seed. This seed is referred to as a CHILD of ABRAHAM. These children are from the “the father of us all”. Anyone reading this must consider what is being said here. One seed is different from the other, but the CHILDREN of God are BOTH SEEDS at their appointed times.

That is why REPENTANCE is so important. At times we are UNFAITHFUL, and we are that “cup Steven” who has an evil spirit, while at other times I am that “cup Steven” who is GIVEN the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Faith. Since it is a gift, any righteousness I have is JESUS CHRIST IN ME.

If I DECREASE, and He INCREASES, then this event is HAPENNING at the same time!

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Rom 4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

What then does any of this have to do with our study today? Well, those that are the children of Abraham, are VERY SPECIAL to the Lord. They are His treasure!

Deu 7:4  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
Deu 7:5  But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
Deu 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
Deu 7:7  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
Deu 7:8  But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

The king of Pharaoh had his heart hardened over and over by the Lord because that was what the Lord desired and willed. Was it Pharaoh the man that was hardened or was there a SPIRIT in Pharaoh that was sent to Pharaoh which hardened his heart? The Lord told Moses He would harden Pharaohs heart, but we know from the sum of the Word that the Lord sends evil spirits to do His bidding.

Why are we holy to the Lord? It is because we have been chosen as a SPECIAL people for the Lord.

H5459
סגלּה
segûllâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 8
peculiar, 5
Exo_19:5, Deu_14:2, Deu_26:18, Psa_135:4, Ecc_2:8
jewels, 1
Mal_3:17
proper, 1
1Ch_29:3
special, 1
Deu_7:6

H5459

סְגֻלָּה
segûllâh
seg-ool-law’
Feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to shut up; wealth (as closely shut up): – jewel, peculiar (treasure), proper good, special.
Total KJV occurrences: 8

H5459
סגלּה
segûllâh
BDB Definition:
1) possession, property
1a) valued property, peculiar treasure
1b) treasure
Part of Speech: noun feminine passive participle
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an unused root meaning to shut up
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1460a

Here is how we are “special” to the Lord:

Exo 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Deu 14:2  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Deu 26:18  And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

Psa 135:4  For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Ecc 2:8  I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

Did you know that you are a TREASURE to the Lord? That is how special we are to Him. He hides as away and protects us. It’s like finding something so valuable that you do whatever it takes to gain and protect it.

It really changes the meaning of things when you realize that it is first Jesus Christ finds “a treasure hid in a field” and sells all that He had in order to GAIN that treasure. Yes, He showed us the way. Do we really think He was excluded from the same process He tells us we must go through in order to enter into the kingdom of God?

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

How many times do we have to be told that Jesus Christ is the son of man before we realize that He Himself sold all that He had so that He could BUY THE FIELD? I’d say Jesus is the greatest fisher of men to ever exist, yet we are there with Him and He is within us.

That is why we must be on guard to obey the commandments of the Lord. It is the children who obey their Father in heaven and keep His commandments, and when we do not obey we are chastened for it. At no time though during chastening do we consider ourselves orphans!

Can I be a son of God, and still sin? Yes, but I will be chastened and scourged, and that situation is being judged as a result!

Deu 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Deu 7:10  And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

When the “cup Steven” disobeys the Lord, that old man Steven with his carnal mind of the devil is DESTROYED and decreases while at the same time the new man has a little bit more room in that “cup Steven” to increase into. There is more room because that cup has been emptied a little more of that old man.

Deu 7:11  Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Deu 7:12  Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
Deu 7:13  And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 7:14  Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
Deu 7:15  And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Deu 7:16  And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
Deu 7:17  If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
Deu 7:18  Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
Deu 7:19  The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.

Listen, these events are always happening in every generation of mankind, both at the macro level and at the micro level. What I mean is, every man, woman and child will experience the old man. Some will be given the new man now to experience, as children of God NOW, while others will have that experience later.

However, children of God NOW will still be contending with the giants in the land which are destroyed, discovered and constantly being fought against. “Giants” or “evil spirits”, pick your poison,  because they are spiritually the same thing being described differently.

The Lord is telling us here in Deuteronomy that He will DESTROY the “nations” in us that oppose Him so just read that again as “giants, evil spirits or nations”. It’s all the same thing.

Deu 7:20  Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
Deu 7:21  Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
Deu 7:22  And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
Deu 7:23  But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
Deu 7:24  And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
Deu 7:25  The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
Deu 7:26  Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

“Gods, kings and abominations” are all different words to describe different aspects of these spiritual things that are happening in our heavens.

If it seems like word play to some, well I am not sure what to say more than I have already said in this study. I am not sure how any of the bible could be considered at all in this time and age, if I have to take it literally to mean that I must now have “kings” delivered into my hand to be considered a child of God as mentioned in Deut 7:24.

Does God need to send physical hornets among the nations each and every time a child of God is named and brought into the household of God? Yes, I speak as a fool to the foolish.

The message of Deuteronomy 7 is a great one for the children of God. We are His treasure. He adorns us as His most precious and peculiar treasure, and we hold a great spot in the bosom of the Lord. The same message is a death sentence to the old man in us all.

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The Virtuous Body of Christ - Part 7 Discussion

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“The virtuous body of Christ” - Part 7

April 17, 2016

with Steven Crook

 

Mar 4:26  And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
Mar 4:27  And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
Mar 4:28  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
Mar 4:29  But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

Good or bad, we always want the harvest of the earth. Physically, it is required for us to live or die if we don’t have it and this is equally as true spiritually. Whether the beasts of the planet partake of the earth and then we use them for sustenance or if we grow crops for our food needs, we benefit from the “fruit” brought forth from the earth.

In our study today, we are going to consider verses 15-18 of Proverbs 31 and how they connect to the kingdom of God of which we are all being trained as kings and priests to rule in.

Today we find ourselves continuing to be admonished by the story of the virtuous woman as told in Proverbs 31.
In verses 15-18 we are told this about the wondrous lady and her qualities by our mother who tells us they are valuable to us as a husband and king.

Pro 31:15  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
Pro 31:16  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
Pro 31:17  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
Pro 31:18  She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

The first quality found in the verses for today comes from the virtuous woman who is ready to work.

Notice, she does not wait for the morning when everyone else arises but she rises earlier than them to provide for the needs of her home. It is also implied that she must be wealthy because she has maidens which are given a portion as well.

She arises while it is yet night to do these tasks. So then we must consider the timing of her actions and who they benefit. They benefit her but also her household since she is obviously a part of her own household.

Here is what the night represents to us scripturally:

Gen 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
Exo 14:20  And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

Job 17:11  My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.
Job 17:12  They (THE THOUGHTS OF THE HEART) change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.
Job 17:13  If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
Job 17:14  I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.

Psa 104:20  Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

Psa 139:11  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Psa 139:12  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.2
Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

I attempted to use scripture to tell a story there about our transition from night to day. Light was brought forth from darkness just as we are brought forth from night, darkness and death into day, light and life.

In fact, the way darkness is revealed is by bring light to it from WITHIN it. There are many examples I could use, but there is one that is an example that comes from a recent exchange I read on the mailing list this week.

Gen 19:1  And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
Gen 19:2  And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
Gen 19:3  And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
Gen 19:4  But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Gen 19:5  And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Gen 19:6  And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
Gen 19:7  And said, I pray you, BRETHREN, do not so wickedly.

There is a lot that is being said in this story but I am only going to point out applicable parts to our verses today. Notice it is evening when the angels of the Lord come to Sodom. Lot petitions them to stay with him all night but then the men of the city, who Lot references as BRETHREN, come to “do wickedness” to Lot’s guests.

Lot was a watchmen of the gate who knew what would happen to these men and no doubt tried to prevent this by welcoming them in to his home. With all of

Lot’s actions, it was the angels who ended up saving Lot in several ways. The angels saved Lot from the mobs by blinding them and then saved Lot from the LIGHT which would be brought upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

Gen 19:10  But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
Gen 19:11  And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

And a few verses later:

Gen 19:22  Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
Gen 19:23  The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
Gen 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25  And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

The angels of the Lord saved Lot and his family thereby showing us a type of the Passover. This was given to us in that they ate unleavened bread.

I also want you to notice that it was FIRE, which produces a large amount of LIGHT, which was called down from heaven form those which were WITHIN the city while it was DARK. Light was brought forth from darkness in this type and shadow and points us to those that are used, while it is night, to bring about the light of the Word of God.

1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Since we are talking about the traits of a virtuous woman we should consider this personality trait that she is who rises early to get to work and in this case it is for the work of the Lord. While other sleep she is providing for her household.

The fruit of our hands

Our next verse points us to why we want to be diligent. We mentioned in our last study that this virtuous woman seeks wool and flax and willingly works with her hands. Well, now we will see that she is benefitted by the work of her hands due to the increase that is gained.

Pro 31:16  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

First she considers a field and then buys it. There is an obvious spiritual connection to what this field is and what is IN this field.

Mat 13:37  He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

I started this study off by reading from Mark 4. In Mark 4, the earth is mentioned along with seed and harvest of the kingdom.

Let us now connect this with the vineyard and a great treasure.

Deu 28:12  The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Pro 15:6  In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.

Mat 12:35  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Mat 13:52  Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Luk 5:37  And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
Luk 5:38  But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
Luk 5:39  No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

I have continuously stated that WE are, and anyone who God knows of, the body of Christ. We are the virtuous wife that Christ seeks. Christ means anointed. So anyone that is anointed is seeking this virtuous wife but what tells us that we are to ONLY SEEK this wife external to us?

In other words, the kingdom of God is WITHIN you!
If it hasn’t been realized yet, the wine that comes from vineyards, has just been PURCHASED by this virtuous woman but her currency is the blood of Jesus Christ.

The wine is DOCTRINE. That is why you see and immediate issue of doctrine being posed by the Pharisees right after Jesus speaks about the old and new wine being put in old and new bottles.

Luk 6:1  And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
Luk 6:2  And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

Once you realise that you are standing on solid ground, a ROCK so to speak, then you are able to GIRD yourself with this strength.

Your legs are the most powerful muscle groups in your body as far as power goes. The thing that supports your walk is STRENGTH from your legs. Likewise, the thing that supports the STRENGTH of your work is YOUR ARMS.

Why do I mention your WALK and WORKS?

Pro 31:17  She girdeth H2296 her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

When we gird ourselves, we are places the girdle on our hips and legs around about the area of our waist.

H2296
châgar
BDB Definition:
1) to gird, gird on, gird oneself, put on a belt

Jdg 3:16  But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

1Sa 25:13  And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.

Since we are considering what this strength might be, and we know from scripture that our strength IS THE LORD, it is good for us to know the Lord Himself is covered in strength who then becomes our very covering.

Psa 93:1  The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

Having all this understanding, wisdom and knowledge helps us as this virtuous body of Christ to know that what we have is truly valuable.

Pro 31:18  She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

We covered in the last study that the merchandise that we have is not from Babylon the great whore who has fallen but from the Lord. Merchandise is something that by definition must be purchased.

However, that purchasing process started because our Husband purchased us with His blood. Then, he gives us a crown as His queen along with a robe and ring which all give us very standing and power.

When we realize all that we have been freely given, it will cause our light to never go out.

In the tabernacle, the Lord commanded that a golden candlestick of oil and light burn day and night.

This is the same Light that must be lit so that the fire of the Word of God burns brightly within us.

Exo 38:21  This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Rev 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Rev 15:4  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
Rev 15:5  And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
Rev 15:6  And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

When we combine the concepts that the husband and wife are one with Jesus Christ and His bride being One, then we can conclude that when we arise in the night to take care of the needs of our household, we are doing so for the household of God.

When we purchase the WORLD, which we are, we do so with the blood of Christ and then we search WITHIN it to find the Light the burns there because this is where our Husband is and because we are concerned with the household and kingdom of God, we are ALWAYS conscious that our friends, family and enemies will all have this Light in them in the Lord’s timing.

This realization will help us keep focused on knowing that all is of the Lord and we are always seeking to work diligently for the kingdom.  None of us are perfect and we definitely have seasons which produce more work than others, but we should not let that discourage us from realizing just how much our Husband loves His wife.

This study was inspired by this e-mail:

Mike,

I am going through your teaching on the Law of the Offerings and noticed in Leviticus 4 that there was a distinction made between a ruler sinning and bringing a male kid vs a common person who had to bring a female kid.

What was the significance of the male vs female goat?

Thanks,

J____

There are three offerings in the law of the offerings which reveal to us “the Lord and His Christ”. The scapegoat sin offering, the second bird in the sacrifice for leprosy and the male sacrifice for the rulers of the people; are all types of Christ and His Christ.

Christ tells us that He is sending us “As My Father hath sent me”, but what does that mean?

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

Here are a few of the things which Christ’s Father sent Him to accomplish, and these are a few of the things which Christ has sent us to accomplish:

1) Christ tells us that He is “the light of the world”.

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

So, has Christ sent us to be the light of this world as His Father sent Him to be that light? Yes, as a matter of fact, Christ Himself tells us that is exactly what He has sent us to be to this world:

Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2) Christ tells us that he was sent to be “the bread of life”. He then tells us that He will give us His body as that bread of life, and He tells us that we are His body.

Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

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

Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Does the holy spirit ever refer to us as that same bread? Yes, once again, we are told that we are all “one bread and one body”.

1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
1Co 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

3) Christ tells us that He has the water of life:

Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Joh 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

Do the scriptures tell us that we, too, have that same “living water”.

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

We can see that in Christ those ‘in Him’ are “1) the light of the world, 2) the bread of life, and 3) they have the water of life. This all being so, can we not say that Christ identifies Himself with us? Well, Christ certainly does. Here is just how much He does so:

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Christ tells us that the way we treat His disciples is how we are treating Him. He goes even further when He tells Saul of Tarsus who He is:

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

Here we have Christ Himself telling Saul of Tarsus that when he is persecuting Christ’s disciples, he is persecuting “Jesus of Nazareth”. Now let’s get back to what the Father sent Christ to accomplish. Here it is again:

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.

Let’s also remind ourselves what Christ told us about what He has sent us to do:

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

If the Father sent Christ to be the Savior of the world, and if our Savior has sent us “even as [His] Father has sent [Him]”, has not Christ sent us to also be Saviors? It would appear that is exactly what Christ meant when He said “As My Father hath sent me, even so send I you”.

That is why in the last verse of Obadiah we are told:

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.

When we are told that “as [Christ] is in this world, so are we”, that likeness extends to the point of us being called “Saviors”.

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.

The only difference is that while Christ’s crucifixion culminated at the age of 33 1/2 years, we are to “present our bodies as living sacrifices.” We are to be “dying daily” with our Lord, and we are to count ourselves as being “crucified with Him”. We are to do this every day until the day we die, even if we live to be 120 years old.

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

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

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

“Jesus of Nazareth” would have us to know that His faithful disciples are a second phase, or an extension, of who He is and what He was sent to do, and He wants us to know that as far as He is concerned, we are “Jesus of Nazareth” and that “as He is so are we in this world.”

Now if that is a Biblical Truth, then we should also find a type and a shadow of our Lord-anointed saviors in the Old Testament. It just so happens we do have such types and shadows in nothing less than the law of the offerings, which we are given so we can see Christ as His Father wants us to see Him. It so happens that our heavenly Father has given ancient Israel at least three sacrifices which are types and shadows of this two-phase work of Christ and His christ.

The first offering which reveals this two-phase work of our “Lord and His Christ” is the offering of the goat and the scapegoat.

Lev 16:5 And he [Aaron the high priest] shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

There it is! The scapegoat is “to make an atonement with him”, meaning with the goat upon which “the Lord’s lot fell”. Israel, by God’s design, is not cleansed by the blood of the first goat alone. It requires the work of both of these goats “to make an atonement” for the sins of the people. Are we actually told that we are to consider ourselves to be part of the sin offering which is made for the sins of the people? Here is what we are told:

Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

“Bearing His reproach” is exactly what the scapegoat, the Old Testament type of “our Lord’s Christ”, did:

Lev 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat [upon which “the Lord’s lot fell”], and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Lev 16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Lev 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

“The hand of a fit man” refers to Christ Himself, living within His own elect who are symbolized by the goat whose body is offered as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” As His elect, we are all, at this very moment, being “led by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness” that is this 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.
Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

“As… the goat [on which] the Lord’s lot” fell, died for the sins of the people, “even so” is the “living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1), “crucified with Christ, nevertheless… liv[ing]… [as] Christ in [us]… filling up the sufferings that are behind of the afflictions of the Christ [of Christ]”

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

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

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:

Look at what the holy spirit has revealed to us. We are to fill up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of “the Christ” as the literal versions show us:

Col 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and do fill up the things lacking of the tribulations of the Christ in my flesh for his body, which is the assembly, (YLT)

Why are we called “Jesus of Nazareth” by Jesus of Nazareth? Why are we called ‘the light of the world, the bread of life, [and why are we given] the water of life’? Why are we “crucified with Christ”, and why are we “filling up in our bodies the afflictions of the Christ”?

As hard as it is to grasp, the answer is, “As [Christ’s] Father… sent Him, even so [Christ] has sent us [to] fill up His afflictions in our bodies for the same reason Christ suffered His afflictions, and for the same reason Christ’s Father sent Him. That reason is “for His body’s sake, which is the church”. Our stripes and afflictions are for the same purpose as His, “because as He is, so are we in this world”.

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.

In other words, since “before the world began”, God never intended that the goat which was offered for a sin offering should “atone for the sins of the people” alone. Instead, “before the world began”, God intended that the living scapegoat would also be an integral part of “the atonement for the people”. Let’s look at that again:

Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

God has always intended, from the beginning, that it would take both goats to atone for the sins of the people.

Let’s examine another sacrifice which reveals this very same revelation of the function of “the Christ”, the anointed, of Christ. This is the offering of the two birds for the healing of the leper.

Here are the scriptures on this revealing sacrifice:

Lev 14:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 14:2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
Lev 14:3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
Lev 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
Lev 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
Lev 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Lev 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

Again, just as the scapegoat is released by a fit man into the wilderness, this live bird is released by the priest “into the open field”, which is just another symbol for the world into which we all are born and in which we all live. We have this interpretation of the meaning of “the field” on the words of our Savior Himself:

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

We are all familiar with Christ’s healing of the “ten lepers”.

Luk 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
Luk 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luk 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luk 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
Luk 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

It could have been nine or eight or seven lepers, but it wasn’t. It was ten lepers because the spiritual significance of the number ‘ten’ is the completeness and perfection of the flesh, and God wants us to know that all flesh is leprous and dying.

See this study on the spiritual significance of the number ‘ten’:

The sacrifice for the healing of this deadly disease of leprosy is not one, but two doves, and just as with the two goats, one bird is sacrificed to the Lord, and the other is kept alive and is released into the open field.

However, let’s notice again how this is all commanded to be accomplished:

Lev 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
Lev 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Lev 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

“The cedar wood, the scarlet, and the hyssop are one and all symbols of the pains and afflictions, “which are behind of the afflictions of the Christ”. They are one and all symbols of the sufferings of the cross of Christ.

Joh 19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

The requirements for the cleansing of “all the people” and the cleansing of the leper are the same. In the offering of the cleansing of the leper, however, we find that there are two birds required to be a part of this offering before the leper can be pronounced clean. The first bird is to be killed “in an earthen vessel over running water”. We are clearly told that this “earthen vessel” is the physical body of sinful flesh and blood into which all in Adam are born, including our Lord Himself:

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

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure [Being Christ’s christ] in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

The “running water” is the type of the word of God and the words of Christ, which “are spirit” and which are to be found in the mouths and hearts of all who are truly abiding in Christ.

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

Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

‘Flowing’ waters are “running water”, and those running waters are the type and shadow of the life that is in the Word of God. ‘The words I speak are life…’ Those words are still to be found in the mouths and the hearts of those to whom it is given to remain faithful to the words of our Lord and to follow in His steps:

Mat 15:10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
Mat 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Mat 15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
Mat 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Mat 15:20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

This bird which is set free in the field has that spirit of Christ within it, and that bird as well as the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop, have all been dipped in the blood of the first bird “in an earthen vessel over running water”. These two birds constitute one sacrifice. “Take for him that is to be cleansed two birds…”

Lev 14:2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
Lev 14:3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
Lev 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
Lev 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
Lev 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Lev 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

This second live bird is as expedient to the cleansing of this leper as the first bird, for they are one sacrifice for the cleansing of the leper.

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.

This bird is another type of the second phase of the work of Christ, and it, too, represents us as we are filling up in ourselves the afflictions of the Christ as they are symbolized by the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop, which are all dipped in the blood of the first bird.

Let’s look at our third and final sacrifice which is the symbol of this two- phase work of our Lord, in the offering for the sins of the ruler and the sins of the common people.

Lev 4:22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
Lev 4:23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
Lev 4:24 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering.

This sacrifice for “a ruler” must be “a kid of the goats, a male without blemish… it is a sin offering”. Notice that God wants to distinguish “a ruler” in this sin offering from the sin offering which is to be offered for “one of the common people”.

Lev 4:27 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
Lev 4:28 Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
Lev 4:29 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.

This offering is for sins of “one of the common people.” It is to be a female goat, while the offering for the ruler is to be a male goat. Who in scripture is called “a ruler?” Once again we will see that those who are called rulers in scripture are those who are also called ‘the Christ’ of Christ, and “a ruler” is always to be distinguished from “one of the common people” who are to be ruled over by the overcomers.

Gen 41:40 Thou [Joseph, a type of “the Christ”] shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

Gen 41:43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Let us ask, where is this ‘Christ’, this ‘anointed’ of Christ, mentioned in the New Testament? Is it to be found there?

If indeed Christ lives within us and we are dying daily with Him and are being “crucified with Him” and He is “nevertheless [living]” within us, then we are the christ of Christ who Christ says we are. To fail to acknowledge who we are, as expressed by Christ and His words, is to deny the Christ, and all who do so will be ‘judged out of their own mouths.’

Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Luk 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

Luk 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant.Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

The Greek word for ‘Christ’ is ‘christos’, and it means simply ‘anointed’. Immediately following His resurrection, Peter informs us that Christ is now “both Lord and Christ”.

Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

If Christ is now both ‘Lord’ and His Father’s “anointed”, whom His Father has sent into this world to save this world (Joh 3:17), then we should also be able to find some mention of Christ’s ‘anointed’, whom He has sent into this world to save this world as His Father has sent him.

Remember what we have been told already:

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.

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

Can we find the christ of Christ mentioned anywhere in the New Testament? The answer is, yes, we certainly can, and here are a few of the verses which refer directly to “Our Lord and His Christ”.

Act 4:23 And being let go [Peter and John], they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
Act 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
Act 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

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

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

The phrase “the Christ” according to Young’s Literal Translation, is found in the New Testament 155 times. Many times it refers to Christ, but just as many times it refers to the christ of Christ.

For example, Paul speaks of Christ and in the same breath poses this question concerning “the Christ” of Christ?

1Co 1:12 and I say this, that each one of you saith, `I, indeed, am of Paul’ –`and I of Apollos,’ –`and I of Cephas,’ –`and I of Christ.’

1Co 1:13 Hath the Christ been divided? was Paul crucified for you? or to the name of Paul were ye baptized; (YLT)

There is also this most amazing and revealing statement concerning just how involved this christ of Christ is in the salvation of His church:

Col 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and do fill up the things lacking of the tribulations of the Christ in my flesh for his body, which is the assembly, (YLT)

What an incredible calling! We are granted not only to believe on Christ but to also suffer with Him and “fill up the things lacking of the tribulations of the Christ, in our flesh. Our suffering in our flesh, just as His own suffering was, is “for His body’s sake which is the church”.

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Let’s look again at this verse of scripture in the book of Hebrews.

Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

“They which serve the tabernacle” are the Levites, who in type are “the many called” but not chosen. They are Israelites, and they are the seed of Abraham, but they “have no right to eat at our altar”. This is one of the reasons Christ was so hated by the church of His day. He never chose to join them. He rather condemned them for their lack of obedience to the word of God. In two thousand years nothing has changed. There has been no “great revival”, and there will be no great time of universal repentance or “revival”, which the churches of this world are expecting. These are the words of our Lord, and you and I can take these words to the bank:

Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.

Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The christ of Christ are the overcomers who “endure to the end” and will, in time, hear these words:

Mat 25:20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

In Revelation 12 we see another symbol of the ruler whose offering must be a male goat. We see a woman who brings forth a manchild who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron:

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

In summary, this “man child, who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron” is the same as “he that overcometh [who is also promised to] rule the nations with a rod of iron”. This “man child” is just another symbol for the christ of Christ who is even now filling up in his flesh that which is yet lacking of the afflictions of the Christ. It is this manchild whom Christ has sent forth as His Father has sent Him, to save this world by being the scapegoat, which ‘scapegoat’ is an integral part of a sin offering, but is “a living sacrifice”. This “manchild” is also the second bird which was an integral part of the sacrifice of the lepers in Israel, and he is again the “living sacrifice” part of that sin offering, and is released into the open field to accomplish his part in filling up the afflictions of the Christ in his body for Christ’s body’s sake, which is the church. Finally, the male kid of the goats is the sacrifice for those who are to rule, and this sacrifice is distinguished from that of “the common people” of Israel, as the type of “Him that overcometh”, our Lord’s Christ, who is promised to be a ruler over the nations of this 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. [“Our Lord and His Christ”]

P____ wrote

Our church had a sermon on this verse, the hidden treasure, but I couldn’t help thinking about Joh 6:63 “my words are spirit.”  I understand what field is, and I think I understand what the treasure is. I think it is Jesus or his word.  For those with ears to hear, buying the whole field is that the price he paid for the whole world with his son Jesus?  Your input would be greatly appreciated.
Love in Christ P____

Hi Philip,
Thank you for your question.
You are right about what is the treasure Philip. We need not guess:

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [ give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [ And what is Jesus Christ?]
2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

This “Christ in you” is the treasure which has been hidden in God’s ‘field’ from the generations:

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

“Christ in you” is not just an orthodox Christian phrase. “Christ in you” is the mind of Christ and of His father. Knowing Christ is the very definition of eternal life:

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

Orthodox Christianity does not know Christ or His Father. Christ would be crucified in any orthodox Christian church to this day, the minute He uttered the words “love thine enemies.” And that is just the beginning of what orthodoxy despises about the doctrine of Jesus Christ. That is why all of God’s people “come out of her my people” as Orthodox Christianity has no bread or water at all:

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,

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.

But God loves Babylon and buys the whole field. We need never guess about what the symbols in Christ’s parables are, for they are one and all defined in God’s Word. And once they are defined, that definition is consistent:

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

And it is this very chapter of Mat 13 which makes it so very clear that God is not at this time trying to save the world. He is in fact, going to great lengths to deceive the world.

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them [ the multitudes who come to Christ] in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and [ their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them .
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

“It is not give to them to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” and yet Christ has paid the price for the whole field:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

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

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

I hope that helps you to understand a little more of the mind of God in regards to His plan and purpose for all of mankind.
Mike