Numbers 12:1-16  The Disease of Leprosy

[Study Aired July 17, 2023]

Num 12:1  And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 
Num 12:2  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 
Num 12:3  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) 
Num 12:4  And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 
Num 12:5  And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 
Num 12:8  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 
Num 12:9  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. 
Num 12:10  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. 
Num 12:11  And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 
Num 12:12  Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. 
Num 12:13  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
Num 12:14  And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
Num 12:15  And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.
Num 12:16  And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

Introduction

One of the cardinal sins of a soldier is to try to usurp the power of his commanding officer. In military terms, this can result in mutiny which is punishable by death. Every nation has the Head of State as its commanding officer and is represented by the army chiefs. As the Lord prepares His army for battle, we are to submit wholly to our commanding officer who is Jesus Christ and is represented by the church. Any disobedience against leadership is disobedience against Christ. Chapter 12 focuses on the rebellion initiated by Aaron and Miriam against Moses. It reveals to us the root cause for the rebellion, its effect and the Lord’s recommended way of dealing with such a rebellion. This is what Moses told the people of Israel just before his death:

Deu 31:27  For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?

We have all rebelled against the Lord during our walk with Him, especially when we were in Babylon. We therefore deserve to be put to death, that is, being spiritually alienated from the commonwealth of the Lord’s elect. However, unlike Saul, God has been merciful to us – He has not rejected us from becoming kings to rule the earth at the fullness of time. 

1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 

Num 12:1  And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 

This marriage of Moses became a bone of contention used by Aaron and Miriam to discredit Moses’ leadership. The Old Testament uses the term “Cush” and “Cushites” to refer to Africa and Africans. During the Old and New Testament period, it was Ethiopia that was most prominent in Africa apart from Egypt. Thus, in most versions of the Bible, the word “Cushite” is used instead of “Ethiopian”. The word “Cush” means “black” and historically, the people of Cush have been dark-skinned. The prophet Jeremiah alluded to Cushites’ skin color when he rhetorically said:

Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. 

There is a biblical connection between the Cushites and the Midianites. We know that Moses’ wife, Zipporah, was a Midianite. 

Exo 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.

Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. 

In Habakkuk, there is a connection between Cushan or Cush and the Midianites, which may suggest that Cushan and Midian could be the same people. In that case, Zipporah is the same wife mentioned here in Numbers 12:1, who became the bone of contention.

Hab 3:7  I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. 

Verse 1 therefore highlights racial sentiments underlying the accusation of Miriam and Aaron. Racism has been with humanity right from the beginning, and as we see the day approaching, it is going to get worse. It is only when one is in Christ that the seed of racism is destroyed completely through the destruction of the beast within. The fact that Miriam and Aaron were accusing Moses of marrying a Cushite woman shows that they were carnal, even though Aaron was a leader of the Lord’s people and Miriam was a prophetess. We were all carnal at a certain stage of our walk with Christ and looked at things from a carnal perspective, instead of the viewpoint from the new man after the image of Christ.

Num 12:2  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

Carnality brings forth carnality. When we are ruled by the flesh, we become contentious in everything, even in spiritual matters, as we see here in verse 2. In the previous study, we realized the spiritual maturity of Moses when he made the following statement: 

Num 11:27  And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
Num 11:28  And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.”
Num 11:29  But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”

Moses desired that all God’s people will prophesy. In other words, God’s people will become spiritually mature and become like Him. Miriam and Aaron, however, were contending with the leadership of the Lord’s people. We have seen this a lot when we were in Babylon – how church leaders separate themselves to start their own church after a disagreement with leadership. As the Lord will show us later in this episode, the root cause of our rejection of authority is because we are carnal – ruled by the flesh. As a body of Christ, we have also experienced what happened to Moses when periodically, some of our members rebel against authority and leave the fellowship. As we shall see later in this session, being ruled by the flesh is very subtle, especially when we have tasted the heavenly manna. That is what the disease of leprosy is. It starts within us for a long period of time before it becomes obvious when the skin develops spots.

Jud 1:8  Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 
Jud 1:9  But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” 
Jud 1:10  But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. (ESV)

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 
Gal 5:20  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
Gal 5:21  envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Num 12:3  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) 

The word “meek” means humble or lowly. Moses’ meekness was very pronounced. In fact, during Moses’ time, he was the meekest person living on earth. The coming of Christ brought about a people whose meekness is after that of Christ, who is the meekest person to have ever lived. 

Php 2:6  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 
Php 2:7  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 
Php 2:8  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  

One of the key aspects of the fruit of the Spirit is to walk in meekness. It is not something we can produce by ourselves – it is a gift from the Lord.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Num 12:4  And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 
Num 12:5  And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

As commander of the Lord’s army, the Lord deals swiftly with any act of insubordination. This is because, if delayed, it will become like cancer which will quickly spread through the body.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

When Diotrephes usurped the authority of Apostle John, then John told the church he would come soon to deal with the issue. 

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 
3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. 

3Jn 1:14  But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name. 

Num 12:6  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 
Num 12:7  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 

A prophet is one who speaks the word of the Lord, and his speaking or prophesying is for our edification, exhortation and comfort. In this regard, when we speak the word of the Lord to one another to comfort, edify or exhort, we are actually prophesying.

1Co 14:3  But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

Verse 6 shows us that the Lord speaks to us through visions and dreams. However, these forms of communication are at a lower level when compared with the Lord speaking directly to us (mouth to mouth). 

Hos 12:10  I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables. (ESV)

As seen above, visions are like parables. The reason that dreams and visions are regarded as relatively lower forms of communication is that most of the time, these dreams and visions have to be interpreted before one can understand exactly what they mean. In addition, even if it is interpreted, we do not see the full picture of what the Lord is saying through dreams and visions. That is why Isaiah said that dreams are like visions of the night. In the night, it is difficult to see clearly.

Isa 29:7  And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night. 

The highest form of communication with the Lord becomes possible when the Holy Spirit is given to us. That is when we begin to understand clearly what the Lord is saying in the spirit and also the fact that the spirit searches our hearts to know what we need and is able to communicate what we need to the Lord in words that cannot be expressed. This means that even Moses’ mouth-to-mouth communication with the Lord was at a lower level in the sense that the Holy Spirit had not come during his time. We, His elect, are privileged to be able to understand the spiritual interpretation of His words through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joh 16:12  “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 
Joh 16:13  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 
Joh 16:14  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 
Joh 16:15  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 
Rom 8:27  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

It is indeed insightful to note that the Lord regarded Moses as being faithful in the house of God despite his complaints and shortcomings. In a similar vein, we, His elect, will be counted as being faithful in the house of the Lord in the fullness of time in spite of our struggles, failures, doubts, etc. Are you discouraged? Do you have doubts whether you will ever make it when the Lord comes in His glory?  Are you focusing on your failures such that you cannot lift your eyes unto the hill from whence comes the help of the Lord? Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart. The Lord will bear you on eagle’s wings and bring you to an expected end. Have faith in Him and not in yourself that whatever the Lord starts, He is able to bring to completion!! This reminds me of the Methodist hymn that we sang a lot when we were in Babylon!! These days the song ministers so much to me. Those before of us wrestled with sins, doubts, and fears, just like what we are going through. However, in the final analysis, they overcame them. This is the song:

Give me the Wings of Faith – by John Wesley Harding

1 GIVE me the wings of faith to rise
Within the veil, and see
The saints above, how great their joys,
How bright their glories be.
2 Once they were mourners here below,
And poured out cries and tears:
They wrestled hard, as we do now,
With sins, and doubts, and fears.
3 I ask them whence their victory came:
They, with united breath,
Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
Their triumph to his death.
4 They marked the footsteps that he trod,His zeal inspired their breast;
And following their incarnate God,
Possess the promised rest.
5 Our glorious Leader claims our praise
For His own pattern given;
While the long cloud of witnesses
Show the same path to heaven.

I think we all have to be reminded of this story of Abraham’s failure when he lied about Sarah being his sister to King Abimelech, and the king took her to his home. The Lord intervened, and as a result, He asked Abraham to pray for king Abimelech, and when Abraham prayed, Abimelech and his family were healed in spite of Abraham’s failure. That is intercession in the midst of failure!! The Lord answered because He did not look at Abraham’s failure at that moment but called Abraham a prophet because he was looking at the finish line – that is, Abraham becoming a prophet. In spite of all that we are going through, the Lord hears our prayers, and He will surely bring us to the finish line!

Jas 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.  

Gen 20:2  And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 
Gen 20:3  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 

Gen 20:7  Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Gen 20:17  Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 
Gen 20:18  For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. 

In verse 8, the Lord is warning us to be afraid of speaking against His elect. Speaking against our brothers and sisters is the same as speaking against the Lord since we are representing Jesus Christ here on earth.

Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Num 12:9  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. 
Num 12:10  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. 
Num 12:11  And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 
Num 12:12  Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. 

The anger of the Lord is what brings His judgment on our old man. The Lord is always seeking an occasion to judge us, and, in this case, speaking against the Lord’s representative was the occasion the Lord used to judge Miriam. When we are judged, the Lord comes and deals with the root cause of our disobedience, which in this case is the flesh or the beast within Miriam. 

Before we continue, let us answer the question of why the Lord punished Miriam and not Aaron and Miriam together, since both were guilty of speaking against Moses. We know that a woman represents the church. Thus, Miriam represents the church in the wilderness, including Aaron, and therefore judging Miriam means judging all the people including Aaron. What this means is that speaking against Moses was a common sin among the people of Israel at that time, and the Lord was dealing with the problem among the people of Israel. As we can see, not long afterward came the rebellion of Korah with the key leaders of the assembly, which shows that this sin was plaguing the whole of the people of Israel. In other words, the whole of the congregation was leprous. That is the situation now in Babylon.

Num 16:1  Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
Num 16:2  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
Num 16:3  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

The speaking against the Lord’s appointed leader (Moses) was only a symptom, but the root cause is that the people had become leprous and the Lord used Miriam’s leprosy to show that the people of Israel were sick. Being leprous spiritually signifies that we are being dominated by the flesh, and this can only be identified by a priest or an elect. This is how leprosy is identified:

Lev 13:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,
Lev 13:2  When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:
Lev 13:3  And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.
Lev 13:4  If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days:

When there is a rise in the skin of the flesh or there is whitish spot on the skin, then there is the likelihood of leprosy. The rising of the skin of the flesh spiritually means the deeds of the flesh are becoming visible. The negative aspect of the color white is that we are not what we claim to be. This means that the whitish spot on the skin means that we are dominated by the flesh within, but we portray ourselves as angels of light (white).

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

It takes a priest or an elect to identify whether the rise on the skin or the whitish spot is actually leprosy or a temporal disease of the skin. According to Leviticus 13:3, if the hair on the skin has turned white and the plague is deeper than the skin, then it is leprosy. In other words, if we appear to be what we are not (negative significance of white) and our fleshly deeds are becoming obvious, and the beast is still sitting on the throne of our hearts, then we are leprous. On the other hand, if the plague is not deeper than the skin, then it means that it is just a sin of the flesh, and therefore we have to be disciplined until we become whole. The seven days means the complete period of our discipline. That was what happened to Miriam. Aaron asking Moses to pray to the Lord to heal Miriam signifies that when a brother or sister is caught in a fault, we who are spiritually mature must restore the person, but in doing so we must keep an eye on ourselves less we contract his or her disease.

Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

In verse 12, Aaron saying that Miriam should not be left as one dead of whom the flesh is half consumed is another way of saying that in disciplining a person who is at fault, we must do it in such a manner that it does not result in the person becoming spiritually dead and alienated completely from the people of God. 

Num 12:13  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
Num 12:14  And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
Num 12:15  And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.
Num 12:16  And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

We must pray fervently for our brothers and sisters who are overtaken by a fault as we see Moses interceding for the healing of Miriam in verse 13. The fact that Miriam was taken outside the camp for only seven days means that the leprosy was superficial. In other words, she was overtaken by a fault and not that her flesh was dominating her. After one is healed of leprosy, there is the need to go through a purification process in order to be restored back to fellowship or camp. This cleansing process is as follows:

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. 
Lev 14:8  And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

The bird that is killed in an earthen vessel over running water is Christ, who took the form of humanity (earthen vessel) and was killed according to the living word of the Lord (running water) in order to cleanse us. We, His elect, are the living second bird which is let loose into the open field. In other words, in view of the Lord’s mercies towards us, we must live our lives as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord, which is our spiritual form of worship. This entails completing the suffering of Christ through the fiery trials we go through in this life. 

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

In the Bible, the hair on the body is a symbol of our natural strength. Thus, the shaving of all the flesh signifies the cutting off of all our natural strength. This implies that in our service to the Lord, we must not depend on our natural strengths and abilities.

Jdg 16:17  And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

Clothes are a symbol of righteousness. Dirty or torn clothes therefore refer to unrighteousness, which could be the result of contamination or self-righteousness, which is iniquity.

Lev 15:6  And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.

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

Clean clothes (white linen) are the righteousness of the saints, which is imputed by the Lord. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

The washing of our dirty clothes therefore signifies the truth of the word of the Lord, which cleanses us of all unrighteousness.

What is significant is the fact that the whole of the congregation waited until Miriam was healed before they continued their journey from Hazeroth to the wilderness of Paran. This means that we must carry our brothers and sisters who are weak or overtaken by a fault along and not leave them behind. It also implies that we must carry each other’s burden.

Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 
Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

May the Lord help us to conform to His image as He roots out any disease of leprosy within us. Amen!!

[Study Aired June 15, 2023]

Zec 3:1  And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 
Zec 3:2  And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 
Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 
Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. 
Zec 3:6  And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, 
Zec 3:7  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. 
Zec 3:8  Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 
Zec 3:9  For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 
Zec 3:10  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. 

God’s elect are called kings and priests in  Revelation 1:6 and 5:10, and we have one high priest Jesus Christ who is “the LORD of hosts” spoken of in three verses in this study (Zec 3:7, Zec 3:9-10). 

Zec 3:7  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. 

Zec 3:9  For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
Zec 3:10  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

In the first verse we read of “Joshua the high priest” who represents God’s elect who are called unto this high calling to be as our Lord and high priest (1Pe 2:9, 1Jn 4:17, Php 3:13-14, Heb 3:1-2).

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

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.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. [to be like our LORD, as a king and a priest (Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10)]

Heb 3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Heb 3:2  Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. 

[Moses’ faithfulness in all his house represents how Christ in us as our hope of glory (Col 1:27) can and will be the author and finisher of our faith (Php 1:6, Heb 11:1-2, Heb 11:6), building the house (Psa 127:1) and creating within us a mind that has respect unto the recompence of the reward (Heb 11:26, Heb 10:35)]

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

This third chapter of Zechariah reassures God’s people how  “the LORD of hosts” will prepare the bride of Christ who is primarily represented in this chapter as “Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD“.

Zec 2:11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts (Zec 3:10) hath sent me unto thee.
Zec 2:12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 
Zec 2:13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. 

Zec 3:1  And he shewed me [speaking of the angel speaking on behalf of the Lord of hosts (Zec 2:1-4, Zec 4:1)] Joshua the high priest [who typifies the elect] standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 

The last three verses of the second chapter of Zechariah are a prophesy of that time when the world will come to know those who are blessed to come in the name of the LORD (Psa 118:26), bringing the message from the LORD to, “Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.” His holy habitation is the body of Christ the church who will bring God’s true gospel message into the world “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” (Eph 3:10).

Psa 118:26  Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

Prior to these events being made possible, the bride needs to be made ready (Rev 19:7, Php 2:12-14) which is what this third chapter of Zechariah is all about, and concludes in the last verse (Zec 3:10) with a prophetic message that is also spoken of in the last three verses of chapter two (Zec 2:11-13).

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

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 
Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 

Zec 3:10  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

Zec 2:11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 
Zec 2:12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 
Zec 2:13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Christ’s body is not wrestling against flesh and blood but rather against “Satan standing at his right hand to resist him” and it is because of Christ who works within the angel of the LORD as our hope of glory within (Col 1:27) that we can overcome the wicked one and endure unto the end (Eph 6:12-13, 1Jn 2:13-14).

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

1Jn 2:13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
1Jn 2:14  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Zec 3:2   And the LORD said unto Satan [via the messenger “the angel of the Lord”], The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 

It is the LORD who is working in us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure in this age, and in order to overcome the devil he must be rebuked of the LORD (Jud 1:9), which was demonstrated for us by Christ when He prayed for Peter that his faith fail not, knowing Satan wanted to sift him like wheat (Luk 22:31). This measure of faith given to us by God through Christ is the gift that Romans 3:27 makes it possible for us to endure the trials and temptations which we are assured we must go through in this life (Luk 22:31-32, 1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 4:12).

Jud 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

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

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 

As mentioned, it is the LORD who is working in us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure in this age and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom inwardly in the earnest of this relationship and outwardly at the last trump (Luk 12:32, Luk 17:21, Rev 11:15). In order for that to happen the devil must be rebuked so we can be scarcely saved through Christ, “The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem (Mat 22:14) rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (1Pe 4:18, Jud 1:23). God’s elect are that brand that is “plucked out of the fire” as the few who are “chosen” in this age represented by Joshua the high priest.

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 

Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (Zec 3:3)

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 

God has given Satan the power to make the elect his target, seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8), and yet because of our relationship with Christ we are able to resist him and grow through those divers temptations that come our way (Jas 4:7, Jas 1:2-4). 

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 

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

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Christ sets us free from sin as he pulls us out of the fire and He works this deliverance through the body of Christ (Joh 8:36, Jud 1:23-25, 1Pe_4:18).

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 

Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

The filthy garments on Joshua represent our iniquities, which is our natural self righteous state, the way that seems right unto a man (Eze 3:20-21, Eze 18:20, Eze 18:24, Eze 33:13, Pro 14:12). God causes these sins to pass from us through Christ whose life in us is represented by the statement “I will clothe thee with change of raiment“. The righteousness of the saints is Christ’s righteousness that we pray we will be found in when He returns (Rev 19:8, Php 3:9).

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted (Eph 2:8) that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: “I will clothe thee with change of raiment” (Rom 3:27) 

“Those who stood before him” represent the body of Christ who is used to wash or “take away the filthy garments from him” which is what we do for each other as many members or joints of the same body of Christ that supply that washing or feeding of the word that cleanses and nourishes us (Eph 4:16). We are saviours toward each other right now, able to forgive and wash each other with the life of Christ within us (Col 3:13).

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (1Co 3:6). 

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Zec 3:5   And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Having done all we stand ready (Eph 6:13), and are committed to feeding and clothing the flock being helpers of each other’s joy (1Co 9:16, 2Co 1:24). Putting the mitre upon his head symbolizes the crown of righteousness that we don’t let any carnal man take from us, but that we assist each other in holding fast to in this life, as we are clothed by each other with the righteousness of Christ that empowers us to go where our flesh does not want to go (Rev 3:11, Joh 21:18). 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

1Co 9:16  For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 

2Co 1:24  Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand. 

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 

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

Zec 3:6  And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, 

Zec 3:7  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by  

It is the angel of the Lord who represents the body of Christ the church (Col 1:24) who ‘charges us’ or ‘testifies to us’ or “protestedH5749 unto Joshua” what “the LORD of hosts” has to say, and if we are granted to read, and hear and keep what is told us “If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge” (Rev 1:3) then “thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by”. This blessing of judging God’s house and keeping his courts is speaking of the inheritance of the saints which is typified by these verses (Zec 2:12-13).

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. 

Zec 2:12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again [1Jn 4:17].

Zec 2:13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. 

Zec 3:8  Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 

This is still the angel of the Lord speaking on behalf of “the LORD of hosts” to Joshua, and “thy fellows that sit before thee… men wonderedH4159 at” represent the body of Christ who are a special people “men of symbol (LITV)” or “men to serve as signs (Rotherham)” (2Co 12:12) who are reflecting the life of Christ that we are connected to as a branch to a vine (Joh 15:5). 

H4159  môphêth

1. wonder, sign, miracle, portent 
2. wonder (as a special display of God’s power) 
3. sign, token (of future event) 

Total KJV Occurrences: 36

“The BRANCH” represents Christ’s life in the body of Christ that only God can bring forth fruit in, seeing He is the one that gives the growth and increase to this branch (1Co_3:6 , Rom_11:16-21)]. 

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 

Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 

Rom 11:18  Boast not (Rom_3:27) against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith (Rom_3:27). Be not highminded, but fear: 

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 

[God spared not the natural branches, and those who are granted to have the life of Christ in them today are spoken of as “The BRANCH” that is not bearing the burden of Christ in love if we don’t fully acknowledge the work that God is doing in the body of Christ as His workmanship (Eph_2:10) that we are (1Co_4:6-17)]

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

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast (Rom_3:27). 

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. 

1Co 4:7  For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? (1Co_11:18-19)

Zec 3:9  For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 

The stone “I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes” represents ‘Peter’ or the church that is built upon the rock Jesus Christ (Mat_16:17-19) and it is still the angel of the Lord who is telling us what “the LORD of hosts” is going to do, which is described for us in detail in (Rev_3:12) revealing to us that God already knows who it is that is going to move with fear in this age and “hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” of the previous verse (Rev_3:11)].

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art PeterG4074 – piece of rock , and upon this rockG4073 –  a mass of rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God [“I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day” the day of the Lord], 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. 

Zec 3:10  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. 

The world during the thousand year reign of the saints will be called to learn of Christ’s righteousness (Isa_26:9) “under the vine and under the fig tree” meaning under the rule of the saints represented by “the fig tree”, the church, the Israel of God that is under the head of the church Jesus Christ represented by “the vine”. (1Ki_4:25 , Joe_2:22)

1Ki 4:25  And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 

Joe 2:22  Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. 

May “the LORD of hosts” continue to give us eyes to see and ears to hear  (Mat_13:16) his voice through the body of Christ, that is our humble prayer: “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD”.

Exodus 29:1-21  Consecration of the Priest

[Study Aired December 5, 2022]

Exo 29:1  And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,
Exo 29:2  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 
Exo 29:3  And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 
Exo 29:4  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 
Exo 29:5  And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 
Exo 29:6  And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
Exo 29:7  Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
Exo 29:8  And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. 
Exo 29:9  And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Exo 29:10  And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. 
Exo 29:11  And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Exo 29:12  And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. 
Exo 29:13  And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. 
Exo 29:14  But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering. 
Exo 29:15  Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:16  And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 
Exo 29:17  And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 
Exo 29:18  And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Exo 29:19  And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:20  Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. 
Exo 29:21  And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

This chapter deals with the consecration of the priests. As we know, we are the royal priesthood and are therefore required to be consecrated. In biblical terms, the word “consecration” means to separate oneself from things that are unclean, especially anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with God. Consecration therefore carries the connotation of sanctification, holiness, or purity. 

Exo 30:29  And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

Lev 20:7  Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 

Being consecrated is a critical component of our relationship with God. Our consecration marks the beginning of the Lord doing wonders in our lives. The wonders the Lord does in our lives involves the destruction of our old man within and the birth and growth of the new man. 

Jos 3:5  And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

Jos 3:9  And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God. 
Jos 3:10  And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

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

Consecration or sanctification is the work of the Lord. Man plays no part in it. 

Eze 20:12  Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.

Eze 37:28  And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

The act of consecration involves our lives being offered as a living sacrifice to our Lord Jesus Christ as we are totally separated from the defilement of the world. It is therefore a process and not a one-time act. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
Rom 12:2  And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

In today’s study, we shall learn about the process the Lord takes us through to become consecrated as a Priest.

Exo 29:1  And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

Sanctification or consecration starts with Christ. The young bullock represents our Lord Jesus Christ whose life was without blame while he walked through the earth. His life was taken at a tender young age of 33. The two rams also represent Christ. As we shall see later, the bullock and the rams are to be offered as sacrifice to atone for the sins of a priest. This is to let us know that we must acknowledge our sins and request for a renewed relationship with Christ to start the process of consecration or sanctification. 

Heb 10:12  But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; 
Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 
Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. (ESV)

Exo 29:2  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 
Exo 29:3  And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 

The fact that the unleavened bread, the unleavened loaf mixed with oil and the wafers with oil are to be put in one basket signify these items are the same. In other words, these items represent the truth of the word of the Lord which is spirit (oil). 

Joh 6:63  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

The process of becoming consecrated as a priest or set apart for the Lord’s work involves being given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God as the Lord opens our heavens to receive the spirit of the word. In verse 3, we are told that the basket of unleavened bread must go with the bullock and the two rams. What this means is that the unveiling of the truth of the mysteries of the kingdom (unleavened bread) is about the unveiling of Christ to us, who is represented by the bullock and the two rams.

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: 

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 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Exo 29:4  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 

Aaron and his sons symbolize the elect of every generation. All the Lord’s elect are priests before the Lord, and before we perform the role of a priest, we must be brought before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

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

At this stage in our lives, we are not worthy to enter the temple to worship the Lord, and so we can only stand at the door of the tabernacle. It is at this point that our Lord starts to open our eyes to see as we are washed with water which is the word of God. This washing with water results in us going through fiery trials because of the word we have received. These fiery trials represent the seven plagues of the seven angels which we must go through before we can enter the temple to minister to the Lord as Priests.

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

Mat 13:21  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.

Exo 29:5  And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 
Exo 29:6  And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

Through these fiery trials we endure, we learn righteousness. This righteousness represents the righteousness of Christ which is symbolized by the linen garments we put on as Priests in verses 5 and 6.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

The garments the priest must put on are the coat, the robe of ephod, the ephod, the breastplate, the girdle (or belt) and the mitre which is a turban. As we indicated in previous studies, we mentioned that these garments are not different from putting on the whole armor of God so we can stand the evil wiles of the devil. The ephod was a garment of great importance and was a type of apron. It was an object to be revered in ancient Israelite culture. The ephod of the high priest was very special because it had a chest of 12 jewels on its front which represents the twelve tribes of Israel. The ephod is worn as a ceremonial dress by the high Priest. We know that the High priest is our Lord Jesus Christ. From the scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ’s garment which He wore represents Him. That is why when the woman with the flow of blood touched Jesus’ garment, Jesus said that someone has touched Him. 

Luk 8:43  And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 
Luk 8:44  Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
Luk 8:45  And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

What this means is that the spiritual significance of putting on the ephod garment is to put on Christ.

Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The question is, “What does it mean to put on Christ?” The verse above shows us that to put on Christ means not to focus on gratifying the desires of the sinful nature. In the preceding verse of Romans 13:14, we are told that we have to wake up from our sleep by casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light which is the same as putting on Christ. These verses suggest that the works of darkness are the same as gratifying the desires of the flesh which bring us to spiritual sleep. 

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. 
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.

The coat is simply a tunic which is worn by the priest first after having washed in the laver at the outer court. 

Lev 8:6  And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 
Lev 8:7  And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.

The coat was the innermost garment worn by the high priest, and it seems to be derived from a verb meaning “to cover or hide.” The putting on of the broidered coat therefore signifies the birth of the hidden man in us, who is Christ, after we have left Babylon (outer court) to enter into the presence of the Lord (holy place). The coat, therefore, signifies our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1Pe 3:3  Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 
1Pe 3:4  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

The robe is one of the sacred articles of clothing for the High Priest. It was worn under the ephod. The significance of the robe was the bells attached to it. Their sounding as a result of Aaron’s movement was to alert those outside the Holy place that Aaron is alive and well. This robe is therefore a symbol of Christ. It is when we are in Him that we are spiritually alive.

Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

The spiritual significance of the breastplate part of the priestly garment is not different from the breastplate of the armor of God. The breastplate therefore signifies our righteousness or the righteousness of Christ. The girdle represents the truth of the word of the Lord, and the mitre or the turban is the helmet of salvation. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

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

Putting on the priestly garments is therefore the same as putting on Christ. 

Exo 29:7  Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. 

The anointing oil which was poured on Aaron’s head signifies the Holy Spirit which comes to our heavens to teach us all truth. 

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Joh 16:15  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The anointing oil on our heads is what brings us together in unity as we serve the Lord as priests. This is because the Holy spirit in each one of us speaks the same thing, and as a result, we all have the same mind. Having the same mind is what facilitate the blessings of the Lord as shown in the Psalm below: 

Psa 133:1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psa 133:2  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
Psa 133:3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Exo 29:8  And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. 
Exo 29:9  And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. 

These two verses show us that without putting on Christ or the righteousness of Christ (priestly garments), we cannot serve in the priestly office. As shown earlier, consecration means to separate oneself from things that are unclean, especially anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with God. Consecrating Aaron and his sons therefore means to put on Christ, our righteousness.

Exo 29:10  And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. 
Exo 29:11  And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Exo 29:12  And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. 
Exo 29:13  And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. 
Exo 29:14  But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering. 

As we stated earlier, the bullock without blemish represents the Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life for us as a sin offering. Leviticus chapter 4 deals with the sin offering for four different categories of people: the high priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a leader, and a commoner. These categories include all humanity. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and therefore Christ’s work covers all humanity. However, in this age, the redemptive work of Christ is available only to His elect. In the fullness of time, all humanity will be saved through the redemptive work of Christ.

Rom 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Rom 3:25  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV)

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Lev 4:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Lev 4:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: 
Lev 4:3  If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering. 
Lev 4:4  And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before the LORD. 
Lev 4:5  And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation: 

Lev 4:13  And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty; 

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 4:27  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;

The sin offering is not a sweet savor offering. It deals with confessed sins which must be dealt with before we can be consecrated as priests before God. Verse 14 shows us that the sin offering is not burnt on the altar like the sweet savor offerings – It is burnt on wood on the bare ground, outside the camp.

Lev 4:11  And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung, 
Lev 4:12  Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt. 

Jesus, who represents the young bullock, went through the process of being killed outside the camp or the gate of Jerusalem to atone for our sins. Outside the camp signifies that our Lord Jesus Christ was rejected by the Lord’s people (Babylon). 

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. 

As the Lord’s elect, we are also to go through the same experience of being rejected by the established church system of this world. We are therefore to go outside the camp to experience the fiery trials which burn out all that has to do with our flesh.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 

Exo 29:15  Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:16  And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 
Exo 29:17  And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 
Exo 29:18  And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Verses 15 to 18 give details of how a burnt offering is carried out. The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” actually means to “ascend” which literally means to “go up in smoke”.  The smoke from the sacrifice ascended to God as a soothing aroma.

Lev 1:8  And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 
Lev 1:9  But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

The burnt offering is a sweet savor with which man pleases God. In this case, the whole of the ram is burnt by fire on the altar. As we are aware, we can only please the Lord when we are in Him. The spiritual significance of the burnt offering is that it is when we come to know the Lord and die daily to sin through our fiery trials that we start pleasing the Lord. In other words, it is as we offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord, that we please Him.

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

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.

Exo 29:19  And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:20  Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Exo 29:21  And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

In verses 19 to 21, the blood of the other ram killed was to be used to touch the right ear, thumb and great toe of Aaron and his sons. This is all done to cleanse the priest.  The touching of the right ear with blood signifies the opening of the ears to hear the word of the Lord. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The application of blood to the right thumb symbolizes the cleansing of the work of our hands. What this means is that as Priest, the work of our hands should be favorable to the Lord.

Psa 90:17  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

The touching of the great toe of Aaron with blood of the ram signifies the cleansing of our walk with the Lord in this life. This implies that as Priest before the Lord, our walk before Him should be blameless.

Deu 13:4  You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

We must remember that it is through the blood of Jesus that all these roles of a Priest are possible. He, who has laid the foundation through the shedding of His blood will ensure that what He starts in us, He will be able to bring to completion. 

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

The Lord Himself will cloth us with His garment of righteousness as He consecrates us for the priestly office. If He did that to Joshua the High Priest, will He not do that for us who are called and chosen before the foundation of this world to be holy and without blame in this life? He will surely do that shouting, grace, grace unto it.

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 
Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

May the Lord be merciful to us as He continues to consecrate us for the Priestly office!! Amen!!

Exodus 28:22-43  Instructions About Priests’ Garments, Part 2

[Study Aired November 28, 2022]

Exo 28:22  And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. 
Exo 28:23  And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 
Exo 28:24  And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. 
Exo 28:25  And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. 
Exo 28:26  And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward. 
Exo 28:27  And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 
Exo 28:28  And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 
Exo 28:29  And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. 
Exo 28:30  And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. 
Exo 28:31  And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 
Exo 28:32  And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. 
Exo 28:33  And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 
Exo 28:34  A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. 
Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not. 
Exo 28:36  And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 
Exo 28:37  And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 
Exo 28:38  And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 
Exo 28:39  And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework. 
Exo 28:40  And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.
Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exo 28:42  And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
Exo 28:43  And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

The second part of Exodus chapter 28 continues with instructions about the making of priestly garments. As indicated in the study of the first part of this chapter, garments have both positive and negative connotations. On a positive note, priestly garments represent the righteousness of Christ.

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 

Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
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.

The negative aspect of garments reflects the sinful deeds of the flesh during our walk in Babylon and the world.  That is why in the scriptures, we are admonished to change our garments when we come to Christ as shown in the following scripture:

Mar 10:50  And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 
Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. 

Gen 35:2  Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 

These priestly garments reflect our righteousness in Christ and without them, we cannot enter into the presence of the Lord. In the parable of the prodigal son, when he came to himself and asked for forgiveness from his father, he received a new garment or robe.

Luk 15:22  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

What is significant about the priestly garments is that they were all to be made of linen.

Lev 16:3  Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 
Lev 16:4  He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

As we can see, the garments of the priests were made of linen. This is because it is a very unique fabric which keeps the wearer cool in hot weather, and warm when it is cold. Linen, therefore, does not cause sweat. Sweat represents exertion of effort or energy.

Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Eze 44:15  But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD: 
Eze 44:16  They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. 
Eze 44:17  And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. 
Eze 44:18  They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

The spiritual significance of wearing linen is to let us know that our salvation, including the changing of our garments into priestly outfits, is all the result of the work of God. Man plays no part in the things of God.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

In today’s study, we will continue to learn more about other aspects of the priestly garments – the breastpiece, the mitre or the turban and the linen undergarment.

Exo 28:22  And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.
Exo 28:23  And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 
Exo 28:24  And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. 
Exo 28:25  And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. 
Exo 28:26  And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.
Exo 28:27  And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 
Exo 28:28  And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

The priests wore a long robe covering their whole body, then on top of this robe, there was a tunic, a kind of coat (breastplate) to the knees. On top of the tunic there was the ephod. These verses are to show us how the ephod is fastened to the breastplate (coat) through chains and rings made of pure gold. The importance of the chains and the rings is to ensure that the breastplate does not swing out from the ephod. As we have indicated, the whole of the priestly garments represents Christ. Since we are the body of Christ, we also represent the priestly garments. Just as the breastplate and the ephod must be fitly joined together, so is the body of Christ which must be fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Fitly joined together implies that there are no divisions in Christ. Any sign of division means that we have failed. We are all of the same mind pursuing one goal in Christ which is to please God, and this is achieved through what everyone offers in the house of God.

1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 
1Co 1:13  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 

1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Exo 28:29  And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. 

Aaron was the first High Priest. Aaron represents Christ who is our High Priest and bears the names of all the elect of every generation in His heart. Verse 29 is therefore another way of saying that as our High Priest, Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses as He intercedes on our behalf.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

Rom 8:34  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Exo 28:30  And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. 

The Urim and the Thummim are parts of the breastplate worn by the High Priest attached to the ephod. They were priestly devices for knowing the mind of God concerning a matter that was brought to Him. Scripture is unclear how these two elements are used by the Priests to know the will of God in a matter. Urim means “light” and Thummim symbolizes perfection. This means that being perfect in the sight of God means walking in His light or will.

Gen 17:1  When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

During the time of Nehemiah, certain tribes who came from Babylon could not find their names in the register as Priests. They were therefore requested not to eat holy things until there stood up a Priest with Urim and Thummim. This is significant in the sense that it shows us that we, His elect, representing the Priest with Urim and Thummim, are the only ones who can discern the mind of Christ and also know whether one is a priest (an elect) or not.

Neh 7:63  And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name.
Neh 7:64  These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. 
Neh 7:65  And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

Exo 28:31  And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 

As we have indicated, the color blue represents the Lord Jesus in our heavens. The robe of the ephod represents righteousness. Verse 31 therefore implies that our righteousness is of Christ and not by ourselves.

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Exo 28:32  And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.
Exo 28:33  And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 
Exo 28:34  A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

The robe of the ephod must have an opening for the head in the middle of it. This opening should have a woven binding around it so that it does not tear. This woven binding is decorated with pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarns around the hem with bells of gold between them.

Spiritually, the opening for the head regarding the robe of the ephod is another way of saying that in order to put on the righteousness of Christ, we should make a way for the Lord. To make a way for the Lord is to repent from our sins. In other words, we must be aware of spiritual poverty if we are to repent from our sins. This is the message that John the Baptist preached throughout his ministry.

Luk 3:2  Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 
Luk 3:3  And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 
Luk 3:4  As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

As stated in verse 32, the opening for the head and the binding of woven work are what prevent the robe of the ephod from tearing. As indicated, the woven work is the embroidery work of pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet, inter-spaced with golden bells. Pomegranates symbolize the bearing of the fruit of the spirit when we start to possess our bodies or land.

Deu 8:7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Deu 8:8  A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

The embroidery work of pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet is to remind us that we start our walk in the Lord bearing fruits of the flesh (purple and scarlet) before we bear the fruit of the spirit or Christ.

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

As indicated in the previous study, putting on the ephod garment is to put on Christ.

Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The question is, “what does it mean to put on Christ?” The verse above shows us that to put on Christ means not to focus on gratifying the desires of the sinful nature.

The golden bells which are part of the embroidery work are inter-spaced between the pomegranates. As we indicated in the previous study, the robe is one of the sacred articles of clothing for the High Priest. It was worn under the ephod. The significance of the robe was the bells attached to it. Their sounding as a result of Aaron’s movement, is to alert those outside the Holy place that Aaron is alive and well. The symbol of the golden bells on the embroidery work is therefore to remind us of the holiness of the Lord. It is when we walk in holiness that we are alive in Christ. The bells therefore represent holiness.

Zec 14:20  In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
Exo 28:36  And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 
Exo 28:37  And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 
Exo 28:38  And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 

Now we come to the mitre, which is the turban that covers the head of Aaron, the high priest. As we indicated in the previous study, putting on these priestly garments is not different from putting on the whole armor of God, which is to help us stand against the wiles of the devil. The mitre or the turban represents the helmet of salvation.

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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

In verse 36, the mitre bears the inscription “Holiness to the Lord” and was to be put on the forehead of Aaron, the high priest. This is to remind us that we were marked by the Lord to walk in holiness before the world began.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

The fact that the inscription was made of gold is to show us the need to be refined just like gold refined in the fire to attain holiness. This is the judgment of our old man which brings us to learn righteousness.

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

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

In verse 37, the inscription was to be put on a blue lace. The color blue signifies the Lord Jesus in our heavens. It is when the Lord comes to our heavens that we can attain holiness and be designated as “Holiness to the Lord”.

Exo 28:39  And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
Exo 28:40  And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. 
Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Aaron and his sons represent the elect of every generation. All the Lord’s elect are priests before the Lord and are therefore required to serve or minister in the presence of the Lord.

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

Though many priests served in the Tabernacle, there was only one acting High Priest at any given time. The first High Priest was Aaron, the brother of Moses. At his death, the office of High Priest was then transferred to his oldest son, down through the generations. As we are aware, we are the firstborn sons and therefore are entitled to wear these priestly garments as transferred to us by the Lord Jesus Christ who is our High Priest.

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Here in verse 40, we are given two reasons why the elect must be clothed with the holy garments. It is for glory and for beauty that we are required to put on the holy garments. The holy garments refer to the righteousness of Christ. The glory here refers to the glory of the Lord which represents the Lord Jesus Christ. What this means is that it is when we walk in righteousness (Put on the holy garments) that we can know Christ (see His glory). The other reason for putting on the holy garments is for beauty. This beauty spiritually means to worship the Lord in holiness.

1Ch 16:29  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Psa 96:9  O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Verse 40 suggests that it is when we walk in righteousness we can worship the Lord in holiness.

Exo 28:42  And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: 
Exo 28:43  And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

We are commanded to make linen undergarments as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. Here in verse 42, we are given additional reasons why we need to put on these priestly garments. That is, to cover our nakedness. As we put on the righteousness of Christ, our nakedness is covered. This also implies that we do not uncover the nakedness of our brothers and sisters. The nakedness here spiritually signifies our wrongdoing or sins. It is through love (obedience to the Lord) that we are able to cover the multitude of sins of our brothers and sisters.

1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity (love) shall cover the multitude of sins.

May the Lord be merciful to us and grant us the grace to put on Christ, and as we do, we do not make provision for the flesh. Amen!!

Gospels In Harmony

Matthew 22:1-14 The Parable of the Wedding Feast

[Study Aired June 22, 2021]

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

In our last studies Christ spoke in parables condemning the chief priests and Pharisees. In today’s study Christ continues this condemnation. This parable gives us more information concerning the kingdom of heaven. As we all know, the kingdom is within each of us, and these parables explain what and how Christ is working out our salvation. 

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: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

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

Here are our first three verses under review. 

Mat 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

Here is the interpretation of this parable for those that have eyes to see.

Luk 10:21-24 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

The wedding is being prepared for the Lamb of God, Christ, and his bride.

Joh 1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Be hold the Lamb of God!

Rev 19:6-9 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Israel is the first to be invited to the wedding, and the servants are the prophets.

Jer 7:1-3 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

Jer 7:25-26 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

The wedding is our salvation.

Rom 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

A certain king is the Father, God, and he is having a wedding feast (process of salvation) for his son (Jesus Christ). He sends his servants (the prophets) to invite their friends and relatives, (the house of Judah and Israel), to the marriage of his son and his bride (the elect) being held in the kingdom of heaven (our hearts and minds). Here is the link to Mike’s study What and Where is Heaven? which explains that the kingdom of heaven is our hearts and minds.

Here are the next verses.

Mat 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

Those first invited would not listen and refused to come to the wedding, not listening to the first servants sent, so he sent more servants (disciples) to convince them to come to the wedding. The oxen and fatlings are killed (the sacrifice) and all things are ready. Again they would not come and killed the servants sent to them.

Zep 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

Mat 10:5-8 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Act 7:52-60 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Continuing with the parable:

Mat 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

So Israel is destroyed because of their disobedience and the prophecies of Deuteronomy 28:15-68 and Revelation 19:11-16 are fulfilled.

Deu 28:15-16 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

Deu 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

Deu 28:63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Rev 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Desiring to have guests at the wedding, the King sends his servants out once again. This time they are charged to bring guests, no matter what.

Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

The first guests invited were found not worthy of enjoying the wedding feast. The servants found guests, but notice they are both bad and good. This is explained by another parable.

Mat 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 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.

Let’s continue the parable:

Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The King called one of the guests ‘friend’. Who else is called friend?

Mat 20:8-16 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Mat 26:47-50 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

This friend is not wearing a wedding garment, and garments represent righteousness.

Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

This friend is wearing a garment not fit for a wedding. This friend is our old man.

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

Because of the lack of wearing the proper garment, this friend is cast into outer darkness. What is not wearing the proper garment? It is disobedience. Another parable shows us this.

Luk 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

As with the last few parables in our studies, those who were listening to this parable perceived Christ was speaking of them. These parables are warning us that we must examine ourselves and understand that this parable is speaking about the kingdom of heaven within each of us. The false doctrines of the world within us must be cast into outer darkness.

All parables are telling us that there is a war happening within each of us. God is sending his servants, those who have Christ in them, to do battle against the false doctrines within us. There is a specific process God has put in place to overcome the enemy. That enemy is death, and victory is life.

The process begins by being a self-righteous lump of clay that denies God and will not accept His invitation. God then sends His prophets to warn us of our self-righteousnesses. Next, He sends the elect to show us the truth, Jesus Christ. Christ then sends the comforter, the spirit of truth, in earnest, to start dragging us to Himself. We at first still deny him, but if we continue in His word, we shall be His disciples indeed. The Son has been given the elect to complete the process of salvation through the thousand-year reign, and finally the war will end in the lake of fire where death will be swallowed up in victory. Lord willing, we all will endure until the end.

Isa 25:8-9 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. 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 glad and rejoice in his salvation.

1Co 15:50-54 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

I will end our study with the following.

2Co 13:1-14 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 

[Study Aired July 27, 2020]

Luk 17:11-19 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 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. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Tonight’s study will focus on the “ten men that were lepers” and “Go shew yourselves unto the priests”. The number ten deals with the “completeness of the flesh”. Here is a link to the spiritual significance of the number ten.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Number Ten

Leprosy is a symbol of sin or lack of understanding of the doctrines of Christ. The flesh of Christ, His body, must be healthy to understand the doctrines of Christ in order to overcome the world and its carnality.

Pro 4:1-2 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

Isa 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Joh 7:16-18 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

2Jn 1:9-11 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

We need to review Leviticus 13, 14 and part of 22 to understand how leprosy is diagnosed and how it is cleansed.

The leper is sent to the priest or one of the sons of the priest and they will determine if there is a leprosy present.

Lev 13:1-3 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

Aaron and his sons represent the elders of the church. The priests examine the spot in the skin. In spiritual-speak the elders review the suspected lack of understanding that is within the member(s) of the body of Christ.

Lev 13:4-6 If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

After determining there is no leprosy, seeing this is just a sore, the priest pronounces him clean, but he must still must wash his clothes. In other words, only part of the body has succumbed to this sin (lack of understanding), and they have their understanding corrected by the “washing of the water”. Notice there are two seven-day periods during which the priest shut up the leper.

Eph 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Now the scab is spread throughout the body and is pronounced unclean. This leprosy (sin of the body) is now spreading throughout the whole congregation.

Lev 13:7-8 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again: And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.

Lev 13:9-11 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising; It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.

What is an “old leprosy”? It is mixing the old law with the new not understanding there has been a change in the law.

Heb 7:11-12 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Mat 9:16-17 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Next, the “leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and it is all turned white” tells us that the sin or lack of understanding that was in part of the body has been exposed and corrected.

Lev 13:12-13 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.

Psa 51:6-7 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The following section of Leviticus 13 shows us there are many things that can cause us to be unclean and the changes of the skin can show us the leprosy has been cleansed. The unclean person is considered contagious and therefore must be separated from the congregation.

Lev 13:14-15 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.

As we all know, flesh is corrupted and cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.

Gen 6:11-12 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

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

Gal 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

If the raw flesh is changed to white, it becomes clean.

Lev 13:16-17 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest; And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

Psa 19:12-13 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous (proud) sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

1Jn 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world [in our leperous flesh], the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

Just because there is some healing, does not mean the leper is completely clean.

Lev 13:18-20-22 The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed, And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest; And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.

Several times, as part of the process of determining if the leper is clean or unclean, they are shut up for seven days up to fourteen days. This represents a time of maturity or lack thereof.

Lev 13:21-22 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague.

Now a new symptom is added to the diagnosis – Burning.

Lev 13:23  But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 

Lev 13:24-25 Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white; Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 

Lev 13:26-27 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

Lev 13:28  And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning. 

This burning has a negative and a positive meaning – One causing death (lack of understanding) and the other saving life (understanding).

Num 26:60-61 And unto Aaron was born Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

Psa 118:18 The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. 

1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

There is another part of the body that can be affected – The head.

Lev 13:29-30 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard; Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard. 

Lev 13:31-34 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin; He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

Lev 13:35-36 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing; Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.

Lev 13:37-41 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean. If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean. And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

Lev 13:42-45 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh; He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head. And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

The leprosy in the head is a symbol of having “another Jesus…another  spirit” or “another gospel”.

2Co 11:1-4 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. 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. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Lev 13:46  All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

1Co 5:1-6 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

There is another thing that must be checked for leprosy. It is the garments which are worn.

Lev 13:47-57 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment; Whether it be in the warp, or woof [woven or knitted material]; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin; And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be shewed unto the priest: And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days: And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without. And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire.

Lev 13:58-59 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.

Garments represent “righteousness”.

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

Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

In our next study we will review chapter Leviticus 14 to see how we can cure the disease of leprosy.

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Isa 61:1-11 Double Shame, Double Possession

[Study Aired June 28, 2020]

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Isa 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Isa 61:4  And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
Isa 61:5  And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
Isa 61:6  But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
Isa 61:7  For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
Isa 61:8  For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11  For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

This is the chapter from which Christ read in His first recorded sermon.

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Christ was rejected by His own people in His hometown of Nazareth because He told them in advance that they would reject Him and that He would take His gospel to the Gentiles:

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Luk 4:22  And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
Luk 4:23  And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
Luk 4:24  And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
Luk 4:25  But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luk 4:26  But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Luk 4:27  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Luk 4:28  And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Luk 4:29  And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
Luk 4:30  But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

It is instructive for us to notice where Christ stops reading here in Isaiah 61. He stops with the words, “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” in the middle of verse two. Stopping there emphasizes and makes it clear that He considers the words of scripture to have a ‘here and now’ application… “Today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” That inward present understanding is the primary application of all scripture.

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

“The acceptable year of the Lord” is “the day of vengeance of our God”, and that day is also a “comfort to all that mourn” and who “sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of the” Lord’s people.

Ezekiel 9 gives us much insight into ”the acceptable year of the Lord… the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn”:

Eze 9:1  He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Eze 9:2  And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
Eze 9:3  And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
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.

That is what the holy spirit calls “good tidings unto the meek.” These words are addressed to every ‘joint’ of those who makes up the body of Christ and who “are the light of this world” (Mat 5:14-16, Eph 4:15-16, Col 1:24):

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

“Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women” is a command to totally destroy the kingdom of our old man. It is the same as saying:

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
Deu 20:17  But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

This is not just some far-off past or future event. “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” means ‘this very day’ if indeed we are given the faith to believe the Lord’s words.

Eph 2:8  For by [chastening]  grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

“Grace… through faith” is a “strait and narrow” doctrine with no room for either of the two false doctrines of ‘salvation by our own good works’ or the false doctrine of ‘greasy grace’. This is the Truth of the Word of God concerning the narrow Biblical doctrine of ‘grace through faith’, and how we obtain our salvation. It is to be found in:

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [G3811: paideuo, chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Are good works required for salvation? Oh, yes, good works are indeed required! We simply cannot “continue in sin that grace may abound”:

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Who is it that produces these ‘good works’? Let’s read it again very carefully:

Eph 2:8  For by [chastening]  grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Impossible as it seems to our natural mind, the truth is that every act of every day in the life of every man who has ever lived was written in God’s book of each of our lives “before there were any of [those days]”:

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

Our days and our years are both written in the Lord’s ‘book’ before there were any of them:

Isa 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

It is only “them that mourn in Zion” in “this present time” (Rom 8:18), who are “appoint[ed]” to be “given beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, in this age:

As the Lord provides the faith to believe that He really is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are the called according to His purpose, we will not let outward circumstances keep us from knowing the truth of those words. Even as we watch this entire world fall apart around us, the Lord will give us His peace, and we will rejoice in the beauty of knowing where it is all headed and what it is all designed to accomplish.

Isa 61:4  And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

If we are granted such faith, the Lord Himself is at this moment building His church within us. Our old man will be dying daily, and our new man will be being ‘renewed in the spirit of [his] mind… day by day’. The kingdom of our old man who worshipped the great red dragon and who worshipped the beast, will be “the old wastes [and]… the former desolations” with Christ as the foundation of a new man with the name “New Jerusalem” for the capital of the kingdom of Christ within that new man:

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Isa 4:5  And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

This “cloud and smoke by day” is Jesus Christ:

Rev 10:1  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

“The shining of a flaming fire by night” is the very same “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). That is the “glory [for] a defence” which is “upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion” which is who we are in Christ.

It was “every dwelling place of Mount Zion” to which Christ referred when He made this statement:

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions [G3438: mone, abodes, ”dwelling places”]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

This Greek word ‘mone’ appears only one other time in the New Testament, and it is right here is this same 14^th chapter of the gospel of John where it is translated more properly as “abode”:

Joh 14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode [G3438: mone, dwelling place, residence] with him.

The root of this word is G3306, and it is similar to ‘meno’:

G3306
μένω
menō
men’-o

A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): – abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own.

This word appears 118 times and is always translated in some form of ‘abide’.  If Christ and His Father ‘abide within us’ then this is what will be given us, within and without:

Isa 61:5  And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

We are given the example of Saul of Tarsus to help us to internalize these words. Saul was exceedingly zealous to keep the traditions of His fathers:

Gal 1:13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Gal 1:14  And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

When all that carnal zeal was redirected into the Lord’s service, it all became the strangers standing and feeding the Lord’s flocks and the sons of the alien serving within us as our plowmen and our vinedressers in the Lord’s vineyard.

Only those who are given to subdue and redirect the zeal of their own flesh will be given to take part in the outward fulfillment of these words during the thousand-year reign of Christ and His Christ, and then carry that service to the Lord over into the lake of fire where we will be granted to show to others the same mercy shown by Christ, which He is showing to us in this present time:

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.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

It is to “the manifested sons of God” that these next words are first and primarily addressed:

Isa 61:6  But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

We are at this very moment in “the earnest of the spirit” “kings and priests” who are even now ministering to the Lord by filling up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh, for His body’s sake, 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;
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:

Exactly how do we “fill up in our flesh… that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ?” It is not a pleasant experience for our flesh. It is nothing short of death itself as we come to see that everything we ever believed was a lie. When the Lord gives us eyes that see and ears that hear, after a lifetime of thinking we were already seeing and hearing His Truth, we are forced to choose between believing Him or believing all the far more popular doctrines of the great whore and all of her harlot daughters. We must stand on His Word, and in so doing we will be “hated of all men” (Mat 10:22). We will be separated from all our old friends and even our own families. Our own families and friends will be ashamed of who we now are, and they will separate themselves from us lest they appear to be approving of our unacceptable and shameful ways.

The Lord prepares us for this shame filled dying experience in His own very clear words:

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

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

It is few indeed who are not ashamed of Christ. The truth is that we all prefer acceptance by men, and we are all first ashamed of our Lord:

Psa 4:2  Sons of men! till when is my glory for shame? Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie. Selah. (YLT)

It is the Lord Himself who “makes us to err from His ways” and brings shame upon us:

Psa 44:9  But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.
Psa 44:10  Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
Psa 44:11  Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.
Psa 44:12  Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.
Psa 44:13  Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
Psa 44:14  Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.
Psa 44:15  My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

Psa 44:22  Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

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

It is a simple biblical truth that all our weaknesses and all our sins are the work of the Lord’s hands to humble us.

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

To be humbled is to be made ashamed of our own evil ways. The Lord wants us to know that it is the Lord Himself who has created all the darkness out of which He is calling His elect:

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.

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The Lord wants us to know that our special calling has nothing to do with what we are of ourselves. He will make us to know that we are no better of ourselves than those who will be cast into the lake of fire. Our special calling is just one part of “all things” which He wants us to clearly understand are the work of His hand. All our good and our evil “works… are His workmanship”. Our sins and evil works are no more of ourselves than the act of selling Joseph into Egypt was the work of his brothers:

Gen 45:4  And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Gen 45:5  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Do we really believe these words apply only to this one event? No, not in the least is this the only time God worked evil deeds “after the counsel of His own will.” The fact is that even the most heinous crime ever committed was done by His will.

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28  For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Knowing the all-encompassing Truth of those verses should make it abundantly clear that we have nothing at all to do with being called to be the Lord’s elect in this age, if indeed that is what we are. If we are His elect, this is the only reason for our election:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

What the Lord is telling us is that He is the One who is giving us “double… shame… and… confusion [in] this present time” for this one reason:

Isa 61:7  For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

The physical law of a double portion to be given to the firstborn sons is merely a type and shadow of the spiritual inheritance of the Lord’s firstborn:

Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

The Lord tells us that physical Israel, as a type of “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:15-16), was counted as His firstborn, in spite of the fact that Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, was born first:

Exo 4:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
Exo 4:22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Just what did the Lord require for Israel, meaning you and me, to bring us to this double-portion status? Remember Israel was in bondage in Egypt for four hundred years before she heard the voice of the Lord:

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Then they heard the voice of their Lord:

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.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

We must be in Egypt before we can “come out of her”, and we must be judged before we will learn righteousness:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

It all happened to Israel “and it was written as a type of us”:

1Co 10:6 Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things, (CLV)

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (CLV)

The Lord knew from “before the world began” (2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2) that “Israel” was always intended to be the name given to His elect called out of every nation on earth:

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

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Therefore we, and anything having to do with us of ourselves, have nothing at all to do with the Lord calling us to be His first born… His firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” (Rev 14:4). It is all a matter of the sovereign hand of our Lord working all things after the counsel of His own hands.

By that same sovereign will it has before been ordained that we must be the first to be judged “in this present time”, and for that reason alone we are called “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb”:

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.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

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

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

The judgment of our Lord is the greatest blessing He can place upon anyone for this reason:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

The Lord came into this world for the purpose of judging it, but it is very few He is judging in “this present time”.

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

Instead, Christ is calling out a few elect and sending us to do exactly what His Father sent Him to accomplish – to die with Him for the sins of this world:

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

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

So Christ has also sent us… “for judgment… into the world”, and when our judgment is in the world, men will learn righteousness. We are the judges of Revelation 20:1-6.

Isa 61:8  For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

“I hate robbery for a burnt offering” means the Lord will not accept an idol of the heart for His Truth, nor will He accept our works as His works.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The fact that things are getting “worse and worse” is a sign to the Lord’s elect that “our salvation is nearer than when we believed”:

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.

These words are just a different way of saying what Peter said:

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

If this day has already come within us, then a day is coming without in which:

[Our] seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and [our] offspring among the people: all that see [us] shall acknowledge [us], that [we] are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

According to His promise, we look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness both within and without. “We are of God: he that knows God hears us…”

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11  For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

It is we “who first trusted in Christ” who will be “to the praise of His glory… springing forth to all the nations.

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

That is our study for today. Lord willing, we will continue in chapter 62 next Sunday:

Isa 62:1  For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Isa 62:2  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
Isa 62:3  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Isa 62:4  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
Isa 62:5  For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Isa 62:6  I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,

Heb 1:9-14 “Kingship and Priesthood” – Part 3

[Study Aired May 21, 2020]

Heb 1:9  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Heb 1:10  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 
Heb 1:11  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 
Heb 1:12  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 
Heb 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 
Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

These last few verses of chapter one begin by saying “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” as another way of reminding God’s elect that when He says “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” (Rom 9:13-15), He is speaking in type and shadow of the anointing or blessing poured out upon the little flock which is His good pleasure to give the kingdom (Luk 12:32).  The anointing “with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” that comes from God is speaking not only of Christ but his body as well who have been called unto this blessing or unction of receiving the faith of Christ of which Christ promises to be the author and finisher. He gives us the strength to endure until the end, causing us to have faith that is tried in the fire (1Jn 2:20, 1Jn 5:4-5, Heb 12:2, Php 1:6, 1Pe 1:7).

Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Rom 9:14  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

1Jn 2:20  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

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

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

The book of Hebrews was written to give us confidence in our high priest and is written so that we can understand how it is that Christ can deliver us through this life as the author and finisher or high priest of our faith (Php 1:6, Php 3:3, Mat 24:34). If “he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:18), then it only follows that “the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried” is that blessed man to whom God is giving the power to endure the temptation so that he or she can be found in that blessed and holy first resurrection where the crown of life will be given to Christ’s bride (Jas 1:12-13). We recently discussed what gold has to go through to be purified, and at the end of that process we cast our crowns back to Christ as a symbolic gesture demonstrating that we know the entire process of overcoming was a work of God’s hands, His righteousness that was formed in us and predetermined to be that way from the foundation of the world (Rev 4:10-11).

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Heb 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Rev 4:10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Luk 12:32).

God’s children have been called to learn to love righteousness and hate iniquity (“thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity“) as we go through a lifetime which demonstrates that contrast for us (1Jn 4:17, Rom 6:21-23) bringing us to the conclusion that the only way Christ is going to be formed within us is to have that extra oil, that anointing God is giving the bride as we learn that everything He has created in the physical and carnal realm is going to pass and has been created for our sakes (2Co 4:15) to teach us our old man must perish, and we must decrease in order for Christ to increase (Joh 3:30). Christ will see to it that all the creation will wax old like a garment within us and serve its purpose of bringing about the new creation, our hope of glory within us, who is the same yesterday today and forever (Heb 13:8-10) “but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail“. The conclusion and the beginning of the matter therefore must be to fear God and work righteousness (Ecc 12:3, Pro 9:10).

Rom 6:21  What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
Rom 6:22  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

God has indeed called us to sit at His right hand that represents the power He can give us to “make thine enemies thy footstool“. Christ is the one who is doing that within us both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure (Php 2:13). Those enemies, or powers and principalities, were created by Christ and are “all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” serving us in their unbelief as much as the angels who ministered to Christ in the garden in the positive sense of ministering to Him so He could endure through the temptation that was brought upon Him from the devil who God caused to tempt Christ but not beyond the measure He could endure.

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

We tend to only see ministering angels as only being the ones who bind the wounds, but in reality God is in perfect control of Satan who is loosed upon the flesh of humanity in the exact predetermined measure He has ordained for our good, as was demonstrated in the type and shadow events of Job’s life which were written for the sake of God’s elect who also must lose everything and then be reinstated with our new family in Christ, as Job’s life typified on this earth (Job 1:6-22, Mat 10:39, Mat 19:28-30).

Job 1:9  Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10  Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

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

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Heb 1:9  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity^G458; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev 19:7) is the end result (Col 1:24) of loving righteousness (Christ’s righteousness – Php 3:9) and hating iniquity (self-righteousness). We naturally are self-righteous and don’t detect it until the Lord burns it out of us through our struggles and trials He brings upon us. More than ever we need to rejoice and give glory to God who is fashioning us into kings and priests through the process of filling up what is behind of His afflictions within the body of Christ even as we acknowledge who it is that God has determined to start and finish this work through in each of our particular ages.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

There is a “gladness above thy fellows“that we share together as the body of Christ as we let love continue, love that is demonstrated by an obedience to His commandments and an accepting and understanding that we must, as Christ did, go where our flesh does not want to go in order to learn that obedience (Joh 21:18, Gal 5:17, Heb 5:8, 1Jn 4:17). Being bound to the altar is only possible with the anointing God has given us so we can overcome in this life and be of that generation spoken of in Matthew 24:34 who rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice (Php 4:4).

We do not naturally love righteousness and hate iniquity, unless the Lord is tearing down the old self and building up the new temple to the glory of God.

Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. [Psa 127:1]
Joh 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity^G458, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. [Joh 2:17]

Heb 1:10  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 
Heb 1:11  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 

Yes, God created all things through Christ, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.” This physical creation represents the workmanship of His hands which we are (Eph 2:10) that must perish like the temple which is destroyed and then raised in three days. The forty-six years in building it is the symbolic number which reveals all the physical creation was made by God and was never meant to be sustained (“They shall perish; but thou remainest”  – 2Pe 3:10-11, Rev 21:1). The old nature in me must perish or “wax old as doth a garment” and my perception of the world around should be the same knowing that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50).

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.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

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

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

Heb 1:12  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 

Verse twelve is a witness to verse eleven and says the same thing regarding the dealings God will have with flesh which He tells us “as a vesture shalt thou fold them up”  which is another way of saying that God won’t always wrestle with man’s flesh (Gen 6:3). That wrestling match will come to an end with a predetermined conclusion of bringing all of God’s creation to see that we are beasts (Ecc 3:18) and that “thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” meaning He will not fail in saving all of His creation (1Co 15:22, Joh 18:9). The hundred and twenty years spoken of in Genesis 6:3 simply reminds us that the old negative foundation of the fleshly way we were governed only led to death (Pro 14:12), and is something God will destroy (“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”)  in order to build the new foundation represents in the positive the number twelve that typifies Christ and His Christ who will make up that new government (Rev 7:4). This 144,000 represents the kingship and priesthood God is building in the church, the body of Christ, that the gates of hell will not prevail against (Col 1:24, Mat 16:17-19).

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Rev 7:4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Heb 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 
Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

These last two verses of our study are speaking of Christ, but we just read what Christ told Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This reveals to us that these verses also apply to Christ’s Christ who is seated in heavenly places today witnessing the power of Christ in us as our hope of glory who can and will “make thine enemies thy footstool” within (Eph 2:6, Col 1:27, Rom 8:35-39).

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

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:

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those enemies, as we mentioned in the introduction of our study, are used by God to strengthen and build us up as we overcome those giants in our land which shall be bread for us (Num 14:9). After the battles are fought and won through Christ, then we also have need of having angels come and minister to us as they did for Christ on several occasions (Mat 4:11, Luk 22:43).

Num 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD (Pro 3:5-6, Mat 24:46-50), neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us (2Co 4:15): their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

[Christ can strengthen us to not circumvent the process of fulfilling God’s will (Luk 22:42) by leaning to our own understanding (Pro 3:5-7). Christ can give us the power to stop being frustrated or easily beset to the point where we beat up the manservant within ourselves spoken of in (Mat 24:46-50). We need patience and a longsuffering approach through this life in order to possess our souls so we never “rebel not ye against the LORD”]

Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

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 24:48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Mat 24:49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

The “heirs of salvation?” are those who are called and chosen and faithful to the end, enduring to the end through Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith who tells us to know and understand that our escape is meant to be narrow but certain (1Pe 4:18-19, Joh 16:21). He will provide all that we need, both our trials and the ability to overcome and endure until the end and God is doing this to His glory, and it is his good pleasure to make us ready and equipped to be those kings and priests, or saviours who will come up on mount Zion one day in moment and in twinkling of an eye (Oba 1:21, 1Co 15:52, Luk 12:32).

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Joh 16:21  A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

A study with Matthew 24 Part 5 Verses 32-43

[Study Aired January 13, 2020]

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 
Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 
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. 
Mat 24:40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
Mat 24:41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [Mat 24:36] 
Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. [Rev 16:15]

This section of Matthew chapter 24, along with every other section of this prophecy, is telling us what is happening to this generation that shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled, said this way: “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

The “This generation” is speaking of those who are predestined to be judged first in this life (1Pe 4:17, Eph 1:12 , Joh 15:16, Rom 8:28-30), and that judgment is expressed through parables that hide Gods purpose and meaning from those who are not meant to understand these things that are hidden from the world at this time by God’s design (Mat 13:10-11).

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? 

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

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

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 
Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. [1Jn 4:17, Eph 1:4]
Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 

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. [Psa 8:4 , Luk 19:44]

We can rejoice in knowing that Christ is associating “This generation that shall not pass” to a fig tree and his branch that is yet tender and putting forth leaves (Mat 24:32), making the point clear that this is an event happening to a small elect group who have been called to this blessing (Luk 12:32). The next comparative parable starting in verse 37 (Mat 24:37) that demonstrates God is dealing with a little flock at first declares: “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be“. Then for added confirmation this is talking about believing and blinded Christians, two women grinding at the mill are spoken of starting in verse 40 (Mat 24:40), one is taken the other is left; meaning one is caught unawares, that being the one who is taken, and the other being left representing the small remnant whom God has blessed and given eyes to see and ears to hear how this generation is to keep the sayings of this prophecy in every age, so that we are always ready and about our Father’s business as Christ was (1Th 5:4).

(The world is seeking Christ with blind hearts (2Ti 3:7) not knowing that He is found and understood by being about our Father’s business (Luk 2:49), a business that can only be accomplished within those who have God’s holy spirit within them (Rom 8:9) as Christ accomplishes that work within us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:13). That is why we are able to read, hear and keep the sayings of the prophecy today in this generation (Rev 1:3), with eyes that God has mercifully enlightened to see the truth (Mat 13:11).

2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Luk 2:49  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? 

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. [“my Father’s business“]

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. 

We are told to “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” of Matthew 24:42, a verse that corresponds with Matthew 24:36). We are told to “know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up” in Matthew 24:43, a verse that corresponds with Revelation 16:15.

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 

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

Let’s now look at this second-to-last section of verses of this chapter of Matthew 24 keeping in mind, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. [Hab 2:2-4]

The “yet tender” and “putteth forth leaves” time of this fig tree’s growth tells us “that summer is nigh“, and this parable as we will see is connected to the generation that “shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled“. The growth of that fig tree is given to those who are of that generation who are having their faith tried in the fire so that they can grow and go unto maturity in the Lord.

When we know that we are in sinful flesh (Psa 51:5), we will want to cover ourselves by dying daily (Rev 16:15 , 1Co 15:31), and when we understand the need for the sacrifice of Christ in our lives, for the need for a physician to heal us spiritually (Mar 2:17, Joh 9:39) “when ye shall see all these things“, it will be with the mindset that we will see the need to purchase gold tried in the fire so we can have eyes that see and ears that hear (Rev 3:18). It is when we are assured “that it is near, even at the doors“(Rom 8:16), meaning Christ our hope of glory is within (Col 1:27, 1Jn 4:2) and the holy spirit is working in us (Php 2:13), that we can fill up what is behind of His afflictions for his body’s sake which is the church, through this process of being spiritually healed by Christ’s word (Col 1:24 , Joh 17:17).

Adam and Eve covered themselves with the leaves of a “fig tree” that is symbolic of their own works of discerning good and evil without the burnt offering of Christ, symbolized by the skin of the lamb that was given to them for a covering (Gen 3:7 , Gen 3:21). 

The “fig tree” can be symbolic of both Israel of old (2Ki 18:31, Psa 105:33, Isa 36:16, Jer 5:17, Hos 9:10, Amo 4:9), and as it is in this parable, the “fig tree” (Mat 24:32) representing the new man in Christ, “the Israel of God” (Luk 13:6-9, Gal 6:16) who is covered by works of righteousness that are now attributed solely to Christ as he or she knows “that summer is nigh” and have been blessed to pray that their flight is not in the winter or during the sabbath where symbolically we are being told no spiritual work can be accomplished (Mat 24:20). Because we can see all these things for what these parables mean we can “know that it is near, even at the doors“. What is near? “That summer is nigh“, and that summer represents the life of Christ within us that can bring forth that growth, that tender branch that brings forth leaves for the healing of the nations within me today (Rev 22:2).

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

“All these things” must be fulfilled in this generation with which Christ is working, and what must be fulfilled is the tearing down of the old temple within us (Mat 24:2) and the building up of the new temple that can only occur by being given a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21:1) which replaces the old heaven and earth that “shall pass away“. It passes away by the new creation being formed through the keeping of the sayings of the prophesy (Rev 1:3), which statement reveals the process of judgment that comes about that tears down the old temple, through reading, hearing, (Mat 13:16) and keeping (Joh 8:31-32) the saying of Christ, the words that “shall not pass away“. 

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” is just another way of showing us that “the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it” through His eternal words which will not pass away (Joh 6:68).

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 
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.

Very specifically, Christ tells us of His return, both inwardly and dispensationally, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels^G32 of heaven, but my Father only.” 

Inwardly we know God is the one who gives the increase (1Co 3:6) which comes at a time He has predetermined for us (1Pe 1:20, Eph 1:4, Eph 2:10), and so we are warned not to be presumptuous in regard to our labour in the Lord where we journey to a far city, Jerusalem above (Eph 2:6), and labour together for the meat that shall not perish (Joh 6:27), experiencing growth that comes about through Christ working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure of watering and planting, which all precedes the increase given from our Father in heaven (Jas 4:13-15).

Right after Christ declares “that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only“, He continues on with this parable pointing to the building of the ark which is the symbolic event of old representing how we must be working out our own salvation today, knowing that it is Christ who is working this work within us, even as we move with fear to the saving of our own and others’ spiritual houses (Heb 11:7, 2Pe 1:1)

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

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. [Psa 40:10, Isa 56:1, Rom 10:10]

2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 

We were all “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark“, which is a reminder that Noe, who represents Christ, has entered into our temple, represented by “the ark“. When this initially happened, we “knew not until the flood came, and took them (us) all away“, which is what God’s word does to the many beasts within us that need to be brought into subjection two by two by the grace and faith of Christ (Gen 7:9 , Eph 2:8). 

The flood that represents Christ’s words coming into our life systematically takes away all the false doctrines within God’s elect as we are baptized with the fire of His word that cleanses and sanctifies us in this age (Joh 17:17). That word is sweet in our mouth but bitter in our belly (Rom 6:3 , Rev 10:9, Eze 3:3). The world is not experiencing this fiery baptism by God’s word today [the bitter in the belly part] but will experience the water baptism of John during the rule and reign of Christ, and then the spiritual baptism of fire in the lake of fire at the end of the age where the rest of the world will learn it is a bitter thing “that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts”  (Mat 3:11, Rev 19:20 , Jer 2:19). We are admonished therefore in Revelation 2:24-25) to hold fast to God’s word until He comes.

Rev 2:24  But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 
Rev 2:25  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 

Mat 24:40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
Mat 24:41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

The elect of God and those who say they are spiritual Jews and are not (Rev 3:9) are represented by these two groups mentioned in this verses that simply tell us: “then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left“. 

That “synagogue of Satan” of (Rev 3:9) is initially within us and can only be destroyed by the brightness of Christ coming into our lives (2Th 2:8) so that we are not taken or “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph 4:14).

“Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left” reminds us that while we are “in the field“, which  represents the world (Mat 13:38), a work is being accomplished by God “grinding at the mill” within two folds, one that God has predestined to “be taken” [Joh 10:16] and “the other left“[Luk 12:32].

Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [Mat 24:36]
Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. [Rev 16:15]

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 

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

These last two verses of our study tonight focus on the urgency of staying spiritually awake and praying always that we may be counted worthy to escape those things that are going to come upon the earth (Luk 21:36, Hab 2:2-4).

Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 

The angels^G32 or ‘messengers’ of God “know not what hour your Lord doth come“, as it is declared in Matthew 24:36.

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels^G32 of heaven, but my Father only. 

The lesson of urgency cannot be any brighter than it is in this last verse of our study tonight: “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up“. The confirming words of this scripture in the book of Revelation tells us the same thing (Rev 16:15) and describes that generation that “shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled“.

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

The “goodman of the house” is none other than Jesus Christ, our hope of glory within, who is the author and finisher of our faith (Php 1:6, Heb 10:35 , Heb 11:26), who knows how to bind all the powers and principalities within us “except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house” (Mar 3:27), so that we can and will overcome through him (Mar 3:27 , Eph 6:12, Eph 1:21). He is the reason we can be more than conquerors and be convinced we are truly “This generation [that] shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled“.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 

Mar 3:27  No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
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. 

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 53 Discussion

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Isaiah 11:9-16 He Shall Set Up An Ensign For The Nations

Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Isa 11:11  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
Isa 11:12  And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isa 11:13  The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
Isa 11:14  But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
Isa 11:15  And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
Isa 11:16  And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

The fact that this chapter concludes with a mention of "an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left from Assyria", makes clear this chapter is not primarily concerned with the millennium. Anything concerned with the "highway for... the few chosen" also known as "the remnant of His people" is speaking of some time before the beginning of the millennium for the simple reason that it is the elect, the "few chosen, the remnant of His people, the one hundred forty and four thousand", who are ruling the earth throughout that one thousand year period:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Any "highway for the remnant of His people" must surely be here at this very moment for that remnant to be walking upon it here and now if they are to "live and reign with Christ for a thousand years". Those who are "beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands" are manifestly "the remnant of His people" who live in the aions preceding the millennial reign of Christ, and preceding the time of mankind being ruled with a rod of iron which rulers will not tolerate the "worship [of] the beast".

With this in mind let's begin our study of the last part of this 11th chapter of the prophet Isaiah:

Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain" refers back to all the beasts of the previous verses:

Isa 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

All these wild beasts - the wolf, the leopard, lion, bear, the asp and the cockatrice - are all symbols of the one beast of Revelation 13, of which beasts we are told we must "read... hear, and keep" within our own lives.

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.

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

To understand Rev 1:3 and Mat 4:4 fulfills "the waters cover the sea" of Isa 11:9.

An integral part of "the things which are written [here]in" are these words concerning "the beast", which 'beast' we all just naturally are, is found in these verses:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [Hebrew: ruach - spirit]; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

Isa 63:14  As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

What we are being told is that all these wild beasts within us will dwell at peace with all the domesticated beasts within us. The Lamb, the Kid, the Calf, the Cow, and the Ox, are one and all sacrificial types of the crucified Christ living His submissive, domesticated life within these clay vessels of flesh and blood, which 'clay vessels' are nothing more than another type of the wild beast within us which "cannot inherit the kingdom of God":

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

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

Now let's read the next two verses and ask ourselves, "Is His remnant being recovered during the thousand years?" How could God be gathering His "remnant" during an age which is characterized as a time of being ruled with a rod of iron, which is immediately followed by the great white throne judgment in which all men are brought to God? (Rev 20:7-15) The only time for God to gather together the remnant of His people is in this age of grace, when He is dragging them to Himself against the will of both the flesh and the adversary.

This is what is happening in the here and now. This is not what will be taking place during the thousand year reign of "the Lord and His Christ" (Act 4:26-28, Rev 11:15).

Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Isa 11:11  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Does anyone even teach that the Lord will "set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt..." etc. during the time of the thousand year reign of Christ? Does anyone think for one moment that God's elect will tolerate the existence of an Assyrian and Egyptian captivity of the Lord's remnant elect during a thousand year period which is characterized by a "rod of iron" in the hand of the Lord and His remnant elect?

Let's read once more who it is who the scriptures reveal is ruling all the nations of this world during that period which is symbolized by the phrase "a thousand years":

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel trumpeted. And there were great voices in Heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world became our Lord's, even of His Christ; and He shall reign to the ages of the ages. (LITV)

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel coming down out of Heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain on his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold of the dragon, the old serpent who is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  and threw him into the abyss, and shut him up, and sealed over him, that he should not still lead astray the nations, until the thousand years are fulfilled. And after these things, he must be set loose a little time.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat on them. And judgment was given to them ["His... our Lord's... Christ", Rev 11:15], and the souls of the ones having been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus, and because of the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor its image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (LITV)

Here is what we are informed about those who "reign with Christ a thousand years... [over] the kingdoms of the world":

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

As we see it is "our Lord's... Christ" who is "the outcasts of Israel... His remnant", who "[take] part in the first resurrection", and who are given to "live and reign a thousand years" with Christ.

In spite of the obvious fact that these "remnant... outcasts of Israel" must of necessity take part in that "blessed and holy first resurrection" which precedes the thousand years, the adversary wants us all to believe that this entire chapter of Isaiah, including these next verses, has no personal application except during the thousand year reign of Christ and His Christ:

Isa 11:12  And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isa 11:13  The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
Isa 11:14  But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

The adversary must keep us from seeing who we really are and what the promises given to us are. The last thing he wants us to know is who we are and what we have and what we have been given as the Lord's 'anointed... His Christ'.

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

These verses here in Isaiah 11 plainly affirm that "the outcasts of Israel" who will "fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines [and] spoil them of the east... lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon" are "Ephraim... and... Judah..." the 'Israel of God' (Gal 6:15-16) who will no longer envy each other.

Korah and company are given us as and example of this spirit:

Num 16:10  And he hath brought thee [Korah and the Levites] near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
Num 16:11  For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

"The envy... of Ephraim shall depart" is part of the "exceeding great and precious promises: [by which we] might be partakers of the divine nature" (2Pe 2:14). So let's ask ourselves if there is anyone within "Ephraim and Judah", within the body of Christ, of whom we are envious? If there is, then let us beg our Lord to remove from us that spirit, and replace that spirit with "the sacrifice of thanksgiving" for that which we have already been given (Psa 107:22).

The Lord's Israel, His Ephraim and Judah, are grateful that the Lord is here and now, in this age, "conform[ing us] to this principle":

Gal 3:28  There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants and heirs, as God promised. (GWV)

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn't matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

These words in Isaiah are the Lord Himself speaking, and this is what He tells us of His words:

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

When the Lord tells us, He "shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth", these "words are spirit, and they are life" for those who are granted to receive them as such.

Where else have we read these very same words? Did not Christ Himself tell us:

Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

When are the Lord's elect, His Ephraim and His Judah, to be gathered together by His messengers? This is what we are told just a few verses later about the timing of these words:

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The gathering together of the Lord's Ephraim and Judah, His elect, will be fulfilled in "this generation", meaning every generation of those who "read [and] understand... all these things [which] are spirit and are life". It is Christ's words in the mouths of His messengers which "shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other".

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mat 24:15 admonishes us to glean the spiritual meaning of what we are reading here in Matthew 24 as well as all of the Lord's words, because in reality they are all spirit and life. So what, then, is the spiritual meaning of the Lord raising up an ensign to the nations?

Here is Strong's definition of the Hebrew word translated as 'ensign':

H5251
נֵס
nês
nace
From H5264; a flag; also a sail; by implication a flagstaff; generally a signal; figuratively a token: - banner, pole, sail, (en-) sign, standard.

 A 'nes', pronounced 'nace', is a flag... a signal... a banner... a sign.

Here is how it is used in the Old Testament:

נס
nês
Total KJV Occurrences: 20
standard, 7
Isa_49:22, Isa_62:10, Jer_4:6, Jer_4:21, Jer_50:2, Jer_51:12, Jer_51:27
ensign, 6
Isa_5:26, Isa_11:10, Isa_11:12, Isa_18:3, Isa_30:17, Isa_31:9
banner, 2
Psa_60:4, Isa_13:2
pole, 2
Num_21:8-9 (2)
sail, 2
Isa_33:23, Eze_27:7
sign, 1
Num_26:10

It is most commonly translated in the King James Version as 'standard'. But it is also translated as 'ensign... banner... pole... sail... and sign'.

Here is one of the seven times 'nes' is translated as 'standard':

Isa 49:22  Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

The Lord's "standard" makes it clear and distinguishes who are His elect to whom the Gentiles must bring in their sons and His daughters.

The next most common English word used to translate this Hebrew word is the English word 'banner'. Here is an example of the use of that word:

Psa 60:4  Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

Because of our faithfulness to His Word, "the Truth", we will be made to be the object of the Lord's glory to be bestowed first upon us. The apostle Paul also declares:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Here is the one time this Hebrew word 'nes' is translated as 'sign'. This is a negative application of this word:

Num 26:10  And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign [Hebrew: nes].

Korah and company became "a sign", an example to us all of what happens to us when we reject the Lord's order, His schedule of events, and His sovereignty in our lives.

The Lord's elect, like the Lord Himself, are called "the light of the world... a city on a hill" which cannot be hid.

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
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.

Anyone who believes he can just keep a low profile and avoid the persecution of the cross has a very sad lesson to learn. While we are told that if we are persecuted in one city flee to the next, and we are admonished against casting our pearls before swine and not to give that which is holy to the dogs (Mat 7:6), nowhere are we ever told that we can deny the Lord's doctrine and escape our own judgment. We must all drink of Christ's cup and endure His baptism of dying daily and being crucified with Him:

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

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

Rom 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.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

That is the very meaning of:

Psa 60:4  Thou hast given a banner [Hebrew: nes - a sign] to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

We are not left to guess what this 'standard', banner or sign is. Like Joseph, we must wear the clothes our Father has given us. Those garments are designed to make us stand out from the rest of our brothers. 'Clothing' in scripture signifies either righteousness or the lack thereof, depending on whether they are clean or filthy.

Gen 37:2  These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Wearing the clothes given us by our heavenly Father is the same as bringing to Him their evil report. Wearing the clothes He has prepared for us to wear signifies that we fear our heavenly Father more than we fear our brothers in this world. Our obedience and faithfulness to Him automatically condemns our brothers.

Christ asks the simple question:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Then He goes on to make clear what is the standard He has raised up to distinguish those who are His "that it may be displayed because of the Truth":

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Joseph signifies us. Our brothers who hate us and cannot speak peaceably to us, equate to these words of our Lord:

Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Christ's "name's sake" is for the sake of His doctrine. If we "endure to the end [we] shall be saved", which brings us to our last verses in this 11th chapter:

Isa 11:15  And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
Isa 11:16  And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

The Egyptian sea is the flesh of all men, His mighty wind is the power of His Words, His spirit, which will destroy the river, the words and doctrines of "the Egyptian sea". The 'seven streams' of the river of Egypt signify the complete destruction of all the wood, hay, and stubble", which is the doctrine of that Egyptian river which comes up out of the bellies of those who believe those false doctrines of death and destruction.

It is "rivers of living waters" which then will come "out of [the] belly" of those who have the words and doctrines of Christ.

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

The "highway... like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt", we must remember, was not an easy path. It was a 'highway' which contains ten rebellions and lasted for forty years of trials in the wilderness, enduring the wrath of God against those ten rebellions:

Num 14:22  Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

What that means is that "the remnant of His people, which be left from Assyria", are those who come out of Babylon, fulfill the seven last plagues in their lives and stand with Christ on the sea of glass mingled with fire.

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.

For whom are these plagues "full of the wrath of God" designed? Who is expected to fulfill these seven plagues?

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

This is the judgment of the great harlot within all of us. It is only after keeping the seven vials of the seven last plagues of the wrath of God, that any of us can then "come out of her [and] enter into the temple... in heaven":

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will see that we also here and now, in this age, in down payment form, receive the rewards of our faithfulness, and we will discover how we are given to be able to endure the wrath of God upon the kingdom of our old man:

Isa 12:1  And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
Isa 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isa 12:3  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Isa 12:4  And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Isa 12:5  Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
Isa 12:6  Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

These words are not just for the future. They also have a very present application because "the time is at hand" to keep the sayings of this book:

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

Rev 22:7  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.