1 Samuel 6:1–21 The Philistines Return the Ark

[Study Aired February 9, 2026]

Introduction

Today, we shall look at how the Philistines sent back the ark with rich gifts to the Lord, to make an atonement for their sin. The study also looks at the reaction of the men of Beth shemesh in Israel when the ark came to them. Finally, the study focuses on the judgment of the Lord on the men of Beth shemesh for looking inside the ark. 

The Ark Returned to Israel

1Sa 6:1  And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 

The ark being in the possession of the Philistines for seven months indicates the time our flesh or the beast is given power over us to continue for forty-two months. This forty-two months is the complete period of time (significance of the number seven) in our lives when we are under the dominion of our flesh. In other words, it is the complete time that our flesh symbolized by the Philistines, sits in our hearts and minds claiming himself to be God.  

The number forty-two in the negative context signifies our spiritually dead state when we are under the dominion of our flesh, as shown in the following verses:

2Ki 2:24  And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

2Ki 10:14  And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.

Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 
Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 
Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

1Sa 6:2  And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. 
1Sa 6:3  And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 

The Philistines calling for the Priests and Diviners means that when we are overcome by the flesh, during our time in Babylon, we tend to seek direction of how to worship the Lord from our leaders in Babylon. It is insightful to note that the response of priests and diviners is that being healed is through our giving to the Lord. This is the mantra of the church system of this world or Babylon, that is, we must always offer something to the Lord to be healed. However, we know from the word of the Lord that this is false doctrine. Rather, it is the Lord who first gave to us and is always giving to us. 

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

2Co 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 
2Co 9:9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth forever. 

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The Lord is not our enemy, He is the enemy of sin in our lives and will stop at nothing to destroy the flesh within us His elect first, and the people of this world in an age to come.

Job 19:26  And after my skin (flesh) has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 
Job 19:27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! 

1Sa 6:4  Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 
1Sa 6:5  Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 

According to the word of the Lord, a trespass offering involves a sacrifice of a ram which represents Christ. It is the blood of Christ which cleanses us from our sins. 

Lev 5:14  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Lev 5:15  If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: 
Lev 5:16  And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. 

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

As we can see, the Philistines’ trespass offering was not in accordance to the word of the Lord, but according to their own intuition. For example, the Lord has stated categorically that mice are unclean, and therefore the golden mouse image created by the Philistines to appease the Lord is still abhorrent to Him.

Lev 11:29  “The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you-moles, mice, and all types of lizards: (GW)

Isa 66:17  People make themselves holy and prepare themselves for their garden rituals. They go into the garden and devour pork, disgusting things, and mice. “They will come to an end at the same time,” declares the LORD.

When we are full of the flesh, we do not do things according to the rules of the Lord. In our imagination, we think that giving is a substitute for a guilt or trespass offering. Many think that as long as they are giving to the church through the money they offer or the services they render to the church, the Lord will override their sins. It is the blood of Christ which cleanses us of sin. As Paul stated, if we are to compete, then we must compete according to the rules. We must come to see who we really are – that we are beasts before the Lord, before the Lord comes to cleanse us from all righteousness through His blood shed for our sake.

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 

2Ti 2:5  And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. 

1Sa 6:6  Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 

A key indicator of our spiritually dead state in some time past is the stubbornness of our hearts and minds as portrayed by the Pharaoh and the Egyptians when they were oppressing the people of Israel and would not let them go. When we are under the dominion of our flesh as symbolized by the capture of the ark by the Philistines, it takes the Lord’s mighty hand to release us from our bondage. This mighty hand involves the judgment of the Lord on our flesh. 

Exo 3:20  And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 
Exo 3:21  And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:
Exo 3:22  But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

As shown in Exodus 3:21, through the suffering that we endure, we not only learn righteousness as our flesh dies, but we are spiritually enriched in Him as our eyes of understanding are enlightened, just as the Israelites left Egypt enriched with gold, silver and raiment. 

Deu 5:24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

1Sa 6:7  Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 
1Sa 6:8  And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.

When we are full of the flesh, symbolized by the Philistines in possession of the ark, we worship the Lord according to what our carnal minds say as we see the Philistines laying the ark of the covenant on a cart instead of the shoulders of Levite (Kohathite) men. However, when the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness into our lives, those times of ignorance, the Lord ignores.

Act 17:30  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 
Act 17:31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”  (ESV)

Exo 25:14  Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry it.
Exo 25:15  The poles must stay in the rings of the ark. Never remove them. 

It is important to note in verse 7 that the new cart to carry the ark was to be drawn by two young dairy cows that have never been yoked. These two young dairy cattle are beasts and since we are beasts, these two cattle represent false witnesses of Christ who parade in the church system of this world or Babylon, supposedly feeding the Lord’s flock with milk.

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 

A yoke is a wooden beam used to connect two oxen, allowing them to work together as a team to pull heavy agricultural loads like plows or carts. The fact that these young cows have never been yoked means that these supposed men of God are not given to working with one another. In other words, they work as individuals and do not work as a team. We see this in the churches of this world where their leaders work alone. Although some of these churches have elders, they only play an advisory role which these pastors override according to their whims. These men of God do not play according to the rules that the Lord has established in His word as seen in verse 8 where the Philistines take the ark and place it upon the cart drawn by the cattle. The Book of Joel gives a glimpse of the characteristics that these supposed men of God are capable of.

Joe 2:3  Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them.
Joe 2:4  Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run.
Joe 2:5  As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 
Joe 2:6  Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. 
Joe 2:7  Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. 
Joe 2:8  They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. 
Joe 2:9  They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 
Joe 2:10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 

As we shall see later in this study, the ark on the cart, driven by the two young cattle was being taken to the people of Israel. This shows that everything is for our sake with the end result being for our good. 

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

The cart with the jewel of gold in it shows us that even in our deplorable state where we are overwhelmed by our flesh in which we are not playing according to the rules, are all ordained of the Lord for our sake. In other words, our flesh occupying the place of God in our hearts and minds is to give the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come with His judgment, resulting in us learning righteousness and also being endowed with the keys of the kingdom of heaven symbolized by the jewels of gold accompanying the ark.

1Sa 6:9  And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened to us. 
1Sa 6:10  And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 
1Sa 6:11  And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 
1Sa 6:12  And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth shemesh.

Beth shemesh is a border town of Israel with its Philistine neighbors. The name means house of the sun. It therefore signifies the church of the firstborn. Being a border town with the Philistines, it means that it signifies our journey with Christ where we are still grappling with sin as we come to know Christ. It must be noted here in these verses that although the means of transporting the ark of the covenant was not according to the Lord’s prescribed method of carrying the ark, the ark went in the direction of where it belongs – to Israel or the Lord’s elect. This is to let us know that in our initial stages of our walk with Christ as His elect, our flesh, denoted by the Philistines, helps us. This is clearly demonstrated by Abraham, a symbol of the Lord’s elect, being brought close to the land of Canaan (Haran) by his father Terah, when the Lord first appeared to Abraham to leave Mesopotamia. 

Act 7:2  Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God who reveals his glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia. This happened before Abraham lived in Haran. 
Act 7:3  God told him, ‘Leave your land and your relatives. Go to the land that I will show you.’ 
Act 7:4 “Then Abraham left the country of Chaldea and lived in the city of Haran. After his father died, God made him move from there to this land where we now live. (GW)

Gen 11:31  Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, wife of his son Abram. They set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came as far as Haran, they stayed there. (GW) 

Another witness to this is the following verse:

Isa 60:16  Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. 

The Ark Returns to Israel

1Sa 6:13  And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 
1Sa 6:14  And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. 
1Sa 6:15  And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. 

It is significant to note that the people of Bethshemesh were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley when the ark came to them. As indicated, the people of Bethshemesh represent our initial walk with the Lord when we were babies in Christ. The people of the Philistines being judged because of the ark of the covenant in their midst is to let us know that our judgment starts while we are full of the flesh in Babylon. However, when we come to the house of the sun or the church of the Lord’s elect, we are still grappling with sin. The time of the wheat harvest signifies the time for us to know our sins and be judged as our eyes are being opened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Num 32:23  “If you don’t do all these things, you will be sinning against the LORD. You can be sure that you will be punished (judged) for your sin. 

The following verses show us that the time of wheat harvest is the time of knowing our sins:

Jdg 15:1  But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.

1Sa 12:17  Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

In Judges 15:1, Samson’s father-in-law’s refusal to let Samson see his wife brought about a chain of events which made Samson aware of the wickedness of the Philistines (our flesh), and this happened during the time of the wheat harvest.  In verse 13, the people of Beth Shemesh rejoiced when they saw the ark. It is a time of rejoicing, when the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to destroy our flesh. 

Isa 25:9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be and rejoice in his salvation. 
Isa 25:10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

Moab to be trodden down in Isaiah 25:10 means that when the Lord comes to us, our flesh shall be destroyed. Joshua means ‘Jehovah saved’ and therefore, the ark coming to rest in the field of Joshua implies that when the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness, that is the beginning of the process of us being saved. The people of Beth Shemesh offering a burnt offering and sacrifices unto the Lord in verses 14 and 15 means that when the Lord comes to us, our response is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord.

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. 
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.

1Sa 6:16  And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 
1Sa 6:17  And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 
1Sa 6:18  And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite. 

The negative application of the number five means famine of the word of the Lord which brings us to spiritual poverty. Therefore, these five lords of the Philistines represent our domination by our flesh which brings us to spiritual poverty through the famine of the word of the Lord. 

Gen 45:11  And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

The names of the cities of these Philistines give us insight into what happens to our lives when we are dominated by our flesh. Ashdod means ‘a ravager’ or ‘a destroyer.’ We know that the devil is the destroyer. This implies that when we are overwhelmed by our flesh, we are under the control of the devil who powers our flesh.

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Gaza means ‘strong.’ Our flesh is stronger than our will as he is empowered by the devil. This implies that even though we desire to do good, our flesh overpowers us to do the wrong things. 

Rom 7:18  I know that nothing good lives in me; that is, nothing good lives in my corrupt nature. Although I have the desire to do what is right, I don’t do it. 
Rom 7:19 I don’t do the good I want to do. Instead, I do the evil that I don’t want to do. (GW) 

Askelon means ‘weighing place.’ When we are of the flesh, it is like coming to a weighing place and finding out that we do not measure up to the standard of the Lord. 

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 

Gath means ‘winepress.’ It stands for the Lord’s judgment. The Lord will not relent in dealing with our flesh until He has destroyed it. Because of our flesh, we face intense, multi-directional pressures as the Lord’s hand of judgment becomes heavy on us. However, through the grace of the Lord, we are sustained by His power to endure without being completely destroyed. All of these pressures are to bring us to learn righteousness so that we will be in Him.

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;  

Ekron means ‘eradication.’ The purpose of the ark becoming possessed by the Philistines is to give the Lord the occasion for Him to come and judge our flesh with the purpose of eradicating or completely destroying our flesh. 

The Lord Smote the Men of Bethshemesh

1Sa 6:19  And he smote the men of Beth shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 
1Sa 6:20  And the men of Beth shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 
1Sa 6:21  And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you. 

As indicated earlier, the men of Beth shemesh represent our early walk with Christ. The men of Beth shemesh looking into the ark signifies our inclination to validate the presence of the Lord instead of walking by faith, at this point in our walk. This is to give the Lord the occasion He is seeking to come and judge us, with the view of destroying our old man or flesh. Most versions of the Bible record seventy men as those killed by the Lord’s judgment. The number seventy in the negative context signifies the Lord’s judgment which leads to the destruction of our flesh.

Jdg 9:56  Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 

2Ki 10:7  And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.

The sending to Kirjath-jearim for them to come and fetch the ark is an indication of our inability to see that the Lord’s judgment brings righteousness. Therefore we want to avoid the Lord’s judgment just like our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world who shun the Lord’s judgment. When we have this mentality, we suffer in vain. 

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 
Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 
Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 
Gal 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 

May the Lord grant us the grace not to suffer in vain. Amen!

Rev 11:1-3, Part 2 – Leave Out The Court

[Study Aired Oct 11, 2024]

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Introduction

We concluded our last study by demonstrating that ‘the court’ of the Temple was the area where the multitudes of the nation of Israel could come to worship their God, but the multitudes were never permitted to go beyond the brazen altar at the front of the temple. Only the priests were permitted to wash in “the sea of brass” that stood between the brazen altar and the temple. No one but the priests were ever permitted to enter into the holy place within the temple, and no one but the high priest was ever permitted to enter into the holy of holies at the west end of the tabernacle and temple, and that was done but once each year on the day of atonement.

All priests are Levites of the tribe of Levi, but not all Levites are priests. Only the sons of Aaron were priests, and they alone had access to the temple and the holy things of the temple.

In the New Testament it is only those who are faithful to the words of our Lord who are “disciples indeed”:

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.

6) The Gentiles?

In scriptural terms there are only two groups of people, and those two groups are Jews and Gentiles. So once we establish who is the one group, we will know automatically who the other group is. From Rev 11:2 and the rest of scripture, we know that no Gentile is ever allowed to enter into the temple of God:

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

So it is essential that we come to know who scripturally is “a Jew” and who scripturally is “a Gentile”.

Before we look at the verses which give us our answer to this question, let’s remember what Christ told the Samaritan ‘woman at the well’.

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

If we can believe Christ, then we can believe Paul when Paul agrees with Christ when he tells us this:

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

It is given to very few to believe that an outward physical Jew “is not a Jew” in the eyes of God. But that is nevertheless, the doctrine of scripture. Here is how Paul presents this same truth in Eph 2:

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

“Both are now one” and the fact that “there is neither Jew nor Gentile” does not mean that there are no longer Jews in Christ. What it does mean is that those who were once excluded by virtue of physical birth can now be “called uncircumcision” and are now ‘the true circumcision’ if they are in Christ.

Gal 6:15  Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do– submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!
Gal 6:16  All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God— his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them! (MSG)

So those who walk by Christ’s rules are the true Jews, and those who say ‘Lord, Lord’, but do not do the things He says, are the true Gentiles.

1Co 10:20  But I [say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

All false doctrines are “the… sacrifice [of] the Gentiles… to devils.” It is all explained in this same second chapter of Romans quoted earlier, where we are told that “an outward Jew is not a Jew”.

Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of persons with God.

I ask rhetorically, If there is no respect of persons with God then why are we told “to the Jew first”? The answer is that Paul is speaking of both in spiritual terms just as John does when he tells us:

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the [spiritual] Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Our next question is…

7) What is the holy city?

If the scriptures are true and “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly”, then it is also true that Jerusalem is not Jerusalem which is outward, but the holy city also “is inward, in spirit, and not in the flesh”.

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

We have already demonstrated that whatever is under one’s feet has been subdued by that person. So our question is: What is the holy city which is trodden under the foot of the Gentiles for forty and two months?

While the whole world waits for physical Jerusalem to be conquered by the Gentiles, the truth of God’s Word is that “the time [was] at hand [2,000 years ago for] the holy city” to be “trodden under the foot of the Gentiles”,  and it has always been being trodden under the feet of the Gentiles inwardly, just as surely as “he is a Jew which is one inwardly.”

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

So what is “the holy city” which is at this very moment being trodden under the feet of the Gentiles? It is all those who are true to Christ. The holy city is those who are faithful to Christ and His doctrines. The holy city is the bride of Christ. Here are those who are today being trodden under the foot of the Gentiles:

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

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Christ’s “bride” is the same as God’s “dwelling place”, and that dwelling place is within us.

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

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The “New Jerusalem” is “the tabernacle of God.” Therefore, if you and I are God’s elect, then the tabernacle of God, the New Jerusalem, is within God’s elect, as indeed the Lord Himself tells us the whole of “the kingdom of God is within you”.

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

It is those who are true to the name and doctrines of Christ, those who are “hated of all men” (Mat 10:22), who are “trodden under the feet of the Gentiles forty and two months”. But exactly…

8) What is forty and two months?

‘Forty and two months’ is the same as ‘one thousand two hundred and sixty days’. That just happens to be the same length of time God’s “two witnesses” of the very next verse are allotted to do their witnessing. It is not called ‘forty and two months’, but it is the same span of time expressed in days instead of months.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

“Forty and two months” is also the same thing as “a time, times, and half a time” or “three and one half years”. We will discuss those words and that way of wording this span of time when we come to them.

It is most instructive now to notice that the time allotted to the beast to blaspheme the name of God is the exact same span of time allotted to the Gentiles to trod the court of the temple under foot, and it is expressed in the same words.

Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

As Joseph told the Pharaoh, “the dream is one”:

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

The time God’s elect are trodden under the feet of the Gentiles and the time the beast blasphemes the name of God are also the same length of time, and just as Joseph and all Egypt lived through both the years of plenty and the years of famine, we also live through the years of blaspheming the name of God and the period of being trodden under the feet of those who blaspheme the name of God. In other words we all must “read, hear, and keep” being blasphemers before we become “the holy city” trodden under the feet of those Gentile blasphemers. After all, “all things… written therein… are ours”:

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

If indeed ‘all things are ours’ then we are first “the children of disobedience” who “tread under foot the court of the temple” and ‘kill’ the Lord’s elect. Afterward, if God is merciful, we are transformed by the Lord’s “workmanship” (Eph 2:10) into those who, as our Lord was, are the temple of God and who are tread upon and spat upon by ‘the Gentiles’.

Mar 14:65  And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

The symbols of the third verse are…

9) My two witnesses

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Christ tells us that we are never to condemn or judge a brother at the word of a single witness. Instead, our judgments are to be based on the witness of “two or three”.

Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

2Co 13:1  This [is] the third [time] I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Peter tells us that this principle is also to be used when reading the Word of God.

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private [Greek – idios, its own] interpretation.

Since the revelation of Jesus Christ is to be read, heard and kept because the time to do so has been “at hand” for the past two thousand years, God’s two witnesses are, and always have been, any and all of His elect who remain faithful to the Word of God. This will become especially clear in our consideration of the “two olive trees” in our next study.

10) A thousand two hundred and three score days

As mentioned above, it is not a coincidence that the period of time allotted to these two witnesses, is the same period of time allotted to those who trod under foot the court without the temple. The wording is different but the time and the message is the same. Instead of ‘forty and two months’ as the trodding of the temple court and the time of the blaspheming of the beast, the time allotted to God’s two witnesses is expressed as ‘a thousand two hundred and three score days’. These are the same words used to express the three and one half years the “woman [who] brings forth a manchild” is nourished in a place “prepared of God… in the wilderness.

Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.

What is the spiritual significance of this period of time? If ‘seven’ is the Biblical number signifying that which is complete, then ‘1260 days’ or ‘forty and two months’, or ‘a time, times and half a time’, are all symbols of that which is only half completed. But if, as the scriptures declare, Christ’s testimony was cut short “in the midst of the week” of years, then His testimony, and His witness, as well as His afflictions, are filled up in us as “His body which is the church.”

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:
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Our testimony, witness and afflictions fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our bodies for a thousand two hundred and three score days.

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

“The word of God” and “the afflictions of the Christ” are both “fulfilled [and] filled up in our bodies which are the church.”

Our last symbol in this week’s study of these first three verses of Rev 11 is…

11) Clothed in sackcloth

Why are we told that God’s two witnesses are “clothed in sackcloth”?

In scripture, sackcloth is the attire of those in deep mourning. Here is the first time in scripture this phrase is used, and it makes clear the meaning of “clothed in sackcloth”. It is the story of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery and leading Jacob to believe that Joseph had been killed by a beast. Here is Jacob’s reaction to that terrible lie:

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

When Joab maliciously murdered King Saul’s captain, King David forced Joab to mourn for Abner.

2Sa 3:31  And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David [himself] followed the bier.

But the question remains, why are God’s two witnesses “clothed in sackcloth”? If we can remember, this is all still part of the sixth trumpet, and the reason these symbolic “two witnesses” are “clothed in sackcloth” as the symbol of those who witness to what they have “read, heard, and kept [in] the things which are written therein” and in that “little book in the hand of the great angel”, is because of what is in that little book.

Eze 2:9  And when I looked, behold, an hand [was] sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

We all just naturally think that God’s wrath is for some evil person out there in the world. We must be given to see ourselves as the church of Laodicea who thinks of herself as rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing when in reality she is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”.

The little book that Ezekiel ate was full of lamentation, mourning, and woe, and Ezekiel 9 reveals a little of the lamentation, mourning, and woe we must eat and experience, in the bitterness in our bellies:

Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Eze 9:5  And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Eze 9:6  Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7  And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
Eze 9:8  And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? [The seven last plagues of Revelation 15-16.]

This is what Christ calls “gold tried in the fire”, but it is not a marketable commodity for the natural man.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

This 18th verse of Rev 3 is addressed to the church of Laodicea and to “he that hath an ear to hear.” In other words, it is for you and me, if indeed we have been so blessed. The message is that we all think, like the church at Laodicea, that we are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, when in reality we are poor and miserable and naked and blind, before we repent and buy of God gold tried in the fire and eyesalve that we may see.

Summary

We have covered 11 symbols in this study.

The symbols of the first verse are:

1) A reed like a rod, which we saw was an implement for measuring, and we saw that Christ is the reed by which those who are in His temple will be measured.
2) The temple of God was our second symbol and we reviewed the verses in 1Co 3 which state plainly that we are that temple and that the spirit of God dwells in that temple.
3) The altar of God, our third symbol, where we saw again that it is the cross and is the symbol of our lives being offered to God as a living sacrifice.
4) Them that worship in that temple is our fourth symbol, and is the symbol not just of us, but of all the kingdoms, powers and principalities within us which must all be subdued and placed under the foot of the great angel with His foot on the sea and the earth. “Them that worship therein” are the doctrines within us which must be subject to the doctrine of Christ.

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

The symbols of the second verse were:

5) The court without the temple, which we saw was that part of our own lives when we are “without the temple” and are not yet the sons of Aaron and are not yet worthy to handle the holy implements of the temple. “The court that is without the temple” symbolizes that part of our life when we are “yet carnal… babes in Christ”, unable to receive anything more than the milk of the word.
6) The Gentiles, was our sixth symbol, and they symbolize the same thing as those who are in the court which is without the temple. Gentiles symbolize all who are incapable of receiving the things of the spirit.
7) The holy city is our seventh symbol, and we saw that it symbolizes the bride of Christ, who is subjected to and forgiven of whoredoms before she becomes Christ’s bride.
8) Forty and two months.

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months.

We saw that this length of time is the same as three and one half years and we saw that three and one half years is half of the complete witness of seven years. We saw that the other half of the week is the other afflictions of Christ which we fill up in our bodies:

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:

The symbols of the third verse are:

9) My two witnesses, which we saw are simply the Biblical symbol for those who, down through the years, have been the faithful witnesses to the truths of the doctrines of Christ. We saw the scriptures which demonstrate that God requires a second witness to establish the truth of any question which arises, including questions concerning His own Word.

Our tenth symbol was:

10) A thousand two hundred and three score days, and we demonstrated that these words describe the same period of time as ‘forty and two months’ but are used in describing the time allotted to the two witnesses and the period in which the woman who brings forth the manchild is nourished of God in the wilderness. We pointed out that the ‘one thousand two hundred and sixty days’ of God’s witnesses, corresponds to the ‘forty and two months’ of the time allotted to tread down the court of the temple, and we were reminded that Joseph told the Pharaoh that the different details of Pharaoh’s dream were really saying the same thing. That being the case we, like Joseph, will live through both the time of the treading down of the court without the temple, as well as the time allotted to the two witnesses, just as Joseph lived through both the good years and the years of famine. “All things are yours” (1Co 3:21-22).

Our last symbol was:

11) Clothed in sackcloth. We demonstrated that this symbol is completely compatible with the “lamentations, mourning and woe” revealed in the writings of the little book with which this sixth trumpet is concerned.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Eze 2:9  And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

As even King David mourned the loss of King Saul, “the Lord’s anointed”, we too, will mourn the loss of and the destruction of our old man, who is also God’s anointed, “first man Adam”.

2 Sa 1:16 David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed’.”

In our next study, Lord willing, we will discover the power of the testimony of the two witnesses.

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