Gathering – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:48:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cropped-headerlogo-32x32.png Gathering – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com 32 32 Ezekiel 36:22–38 I Will Put My Spirit Within You https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/ezekiel-3622-38-i-will-put-my-spirit-within-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ezekiel-3622-38-i-will-put-my-spirit-within-you Mon, 11 Nov 2024 17:19:25 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=31333 Audio Download

Ezekiel 36:22–38 I Will Put My Spirit Within You

[Study Aired Nov 11, 2024]

 

INTRODUCTION

Today’s study looks at the intervention of the Lord in our lives to make us learn righteousness as we are given the resources we need to become the Lord’s sons. The resources mentioned in the verses we are studying include putting within us a new heart and a new spirit by taking away our stony heart of flesh, sprinkling upon us clean water, multiplying the fruit of the tree, the increase of the field, restoring our desolated and waste cities, and making our land like the garden of Eden. In our study today, we shall go into details of what all these resources imply to us, His elect.

Being given these resources is the same as being clothed with the full armor of the Lord in order for us to wage a good warfare.

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

The Lord’s Concern for His Holy Name

Eze 36:22  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 
Eze 36:23  And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

To understand these verses, we need to go back to the previous verses (Ezekiel 36:19-21) which show us how we had strayed as the lost sheep of the Lord and as a result, we have desecrated His name among the heathen. This is what we captured in the previous study:

Verses 22-23 in Today’s study therefore show us the Lord coming to us to deliver us from our sins. This intervention is not because of what we have done but it is as a result being jealous for His name sake, such that we do not drag His name in the mud.

Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous,is a jealous God:

Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psa 106:8  Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

1Jn 2:12  I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

Eze 36:24  For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

In this age, what the Lord is doing is calling us out of various nations and gathering us together as the New Jerusalem as we possess our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord. This gathering from the nations is also highlighted in Isaiah 11 as follows:

Isa 11:11  At that time the Lord will use his power again to recover what remains of his people in Assyria, Upper and Lower Egypt, Sudan, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and the islands of the sea.
Isa 11:12  He will raise a banner for the nations to gather around. He will gather the outcasts of Israel and bring together the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isa 11:15  The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian Sea. He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River with his scorching wind and divide it into seven streams so that people can walk over it in their sandals.
Isa 11:16 There will be a highway for the remaining few of his people left in Assyria like there was for Israel when it came out of Egypt. (GW)

Here in Isaiah, we are given additional information about how the Lord is gathering us together from the nations. The Lord is drying up the gulf of the Egyptian sea and dividing the Euphrates river with His scorching wind to make a way for His elect to be gathered together. The Egyptian sea refers to the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions and the Euphrates river also describes the false doctrines which sustains Babylon or the physical churches of this world. It is through the scorching wind that we shall have power over, or be not hurt by, these false doctrines.

The scorching wind is a symbol of the judgement that the Lord is taking us through in this life which will enlighten our understanding of the truth of the Lord’s words and at the same time destroys these false doctrines in our heavens which had kept us bound in Babylon. The clean water in verse 25 is the truth of the word of the Lord which cleanses us from the filthiness of idols of the heart resulting from the false doctrines of the Egyptian sea and Euphrates river.

Rev 9:13  And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Rev 9:14  Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
Rev 9:15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

Verses 24 and 25 together with Isaiah 11:11-16 therefore show us how the Lord is dealing with us in this age to possess our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds and therefore do not conform to the standards of this world.

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.

A New Heart and a New Spirit

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 

The new heart that the Lord is giving us signifies the new man within us that is created after the image of Christ. The taking away of the stony heart out of our flesh refers to the dying of the old man or flesh within us through the Lord’s judgement. As our old man (stony heart) is dying, we are giving birth to the new man which is symbolized here as the heart of flesh.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

This new heart is the same as the clean heart that David yearned for when Nathan the prophet came to confront David about his adulterous relationship with Bethsheba.

Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

In verses 24 and 27, the Lord is also telling us that He will put a new spirit within us. This is the Holy Spirit that the Lord promised His disciples on His ascension day, and was given to the disciples on the day of Pentecost.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

It is this Spirit that the Lord has freely given to us which makes us realize our status as the sons of God or His elect. This spirit quickens our mortal bodies to walk in the Lord’s statues and to keep His judgements as shown in verse 27.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

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

Eze 36:28  And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 
Eze 36:29  I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 
Eze 36:30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. 

Dwelling in the land that the Lord gave to our fathers means being given to possess our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. In verse 28, we are therefore told that the requirement of becoming part of the Lord’s people or His elect, is being given to dwell in the land or possess our bodies, which means being an overcomer. That is when our Lord becomes our God. This is a process which takes a lifetime. The goal of our walk is therefore to possess the land. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 show us the reward awaiting us if we are able to overcome our flesh or possess our bodies.

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

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

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

Being saved from all our uncleanness in verse 29 implies being delivered from our sins. Our deliverance from sin is through the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh.

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are also told in verse 29 that the Lord shall not lay famine upon us but increase the corn on our behalf. The ‘corn’ signifies the truth of the word of the Lord and it is the same as ‘the multiplying of the fruit of the tree’ and ‘the increase in the field’ as stated in verse 30. When the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness, that is the time that our eyes are opened and ears start to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God. This period is ‘the increase in corn’ or ‘the multiplying of the fruit of the tree’ or ‘the increase in the field’ that the Lord has promised us in verses 29 and 30.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:16  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.

Eze 36:31  Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 
Eze 36:32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. 

We have to come to the place where we recognize our iniquities and abominations before we can be helped by the Lord. This is what the Lord told Isaiah:

Isa 58:1  Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

Loathing ourselves in our own sight for our iniquity and our abomination in verse 31 is an experience that we have all gone through after the Lord opened our eyes to see the filth we have left behind. We were just like the prodigal son as we wasted away, thinking we were enjoying life.

Luk 15:17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luk 15:19  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Luk 15:20  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

In verse 32, the Lord is reminding us that it is not because of any good thing that we have done that He came to us, but it is because of His name.

Eze 36:22  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

Eze 36:33  Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 

As we are aware, our cleansing from all our iniquities is a lifelong process, although here in verse 33, the Lord is saying that we shall be cleansed ‘in a day’. We know that a day in the sight of the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. Thus, the day of our cleansing refers to the period of our lives when the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to destroy all that offends in our walk with Him. During this period, the Lord is saying that He will cause us to dwell in the cities. As we have indicated in previous studies, cities represent the churches. The Lord causing us to dwell in cities during the period of our purification is to let us know that it is while we remain in the assembly of the Lord’s elect that we are cleansed from all unrighteousness through what every joint supplies. That is why we are admonished not to forsake our gathering together as we see the day approaching.

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
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.

The building of the wastes in verse 33 signifies our being marred (waste) in the hand of the potter and therefore He makes us into another vessel fit for His purpose.

Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Eze 36:34  And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. 
Eze 36:35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. 

The land which lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by here in verse 34 refers to our flesh when we are under its dictates. Our condition of being unfaithful to Christ is obvious for the people of the world to see when we were in the churches of this world. The desolate land being tilled therefore means that our flesh shall be judged by the Lord.  It is through the Lord’s judgement that we learn righteousness and transition from a desolate land to become like the garden of Eden which was nourished by one river which is the truth of the word of the Lord. When this river leaves the garden of Eden which also signify the assembly of the Lord’s elect, it divides into four rivers which nourish the world including Babylon. The four rivers therefore represent the whole of the false doctrines of this world.

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.

Gen 2:10  And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
Gen 2:11  The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
Gen 2:12  And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
Gen 2:13  And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
Gen 2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

The name of the first river is Pison which means ‘dispersive’. It goes to the land that is filled with gold, bdellium and onyx. This land here is Babylon or the physical churches of this world who had the truth of the word of the Lord but turned the truth into images of men. The result is the dispersive nature of the word which has created many denominations and divisions in Babylon.

Eze 16:13  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

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

The second river is called Gihon which means ‘bursting forth’. The bursting forth implies that the river has become a flood of false doctrines that sweeps away humanity, just like the flood in Noah’s time. The third river is called Hiddekel which means ‘rapid’. Just like the Gihon river which burst forth, the river Hiddekel is rapid and easily sweeps away humanity just like a flood. The fourth river is Euphrates and it means ‘fruitfulness’. As we are aware, it is this river that nourishes our brothers and sisters in Babylon, who are deceived into thinking that the word they receive in Babylon is fruitful.

Again in verse 35, we are told that the waste, desolate and ruined cities are become fenced and inhabited. This refers to our transition from Babylon or the physical churches of this world into the church of the Lord’s elect or the firstborn where we are protected (fenced) by the Lord as He brings in His elect to inhabit the city of new Jerusalem.

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Psa 91:9  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
Psa 91:10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

It is worth noting that the Lord giving His angels charge over us is to keep us in all our ways. The angels that keep charge over us are our leaders or elders. Through the multitude of counsellors of the elders, we are given direction to keep us in all our ways.

Rev 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

We shall Come to Know the Lord

Eze 36:36  Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. 

Our being made into another vessel fit for the Lord’s purpose will make the people around us recognize the hand of the Lord in turning our lives around as our light shines before men.

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.

Eze 36:37  Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. 
Eze 36:38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

As we are gathered together in the New Jerusalem, we shall come to know the Lord through what every joint supplies.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
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,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

May His name be praised for His wonderful work towards us. Amen!!

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“Musical Instruments in the Bible” Part 3 – Wind – [Hatsotserah=Trumpet] https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/musical-instruments-in-the-bible-part-3-wind-hatsotserahtrumpet/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=musical-instruments-in-the-bible-part-3-wind-hatsotserahtrumpet Thu, 28 Sep 2023 19:25:22 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=28413 Audio Download

“Musical Instruments in the Bible” Part 3 – Wind – [Hatsotserah=Trumpet]

[Study Aired September 28, 2023]

In this week’s study we will look at another wind instrument called the Hatsotserah, which is a trumpet. Below is the Strong’s number for this word and the verses that you will find it in.

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This type of trumpet was used to signal the Israelites, when they wandered the wilderness for forty years, to assemble and break camp (Num 10:5). It was an important part of temple worship (1Ch 15:28, 2Ch 15:14) and considered one of the sacred utensils (2Ki 12:13, Num 31:6). The hatsotserah was blown on New Moons and other festive occasions as well as at the temple’s daily offerings (2Ki 11:14, Hos 5:8, Psa 98:6).

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I’ll start our study off with the first time that the word Hatsotserah is used in the bible which is found in Numbers 10:2-10, and look at the surrounding verses that will bring out the spiritual meaning of what the Hatsotserah trumpet signifies for the body of Christ today.

Num 10:2  Make thee two trumpetsH2689 of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
Num 10:3  And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Num 10:4  And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.
Num 10:5  When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 
Num 10:6  When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. 
Num 10:7  But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.
Num 10:8  And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. 
Num 10:9  And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 
Num 10:10  Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

These last words in Numbers 10:10 (“I am the LORD your God”) are what these previous verses are all pointing to as we learn that Christ is ‘the LORD your God.’ Christ is the true witness in our lives, the two silver trumpets [witness] that become such in the lives of God’s elect as a result of their being able to hear the voice of the true Shepherd and be led by the spirit of God (Rom 8:14). When we clearly hear the sound of the trumpet of Christ’s voice (1Co 14:8, Joh 10:27), we are hearing the message of being judged in this age (1Pe 4:17). That judgment produces direction in our lives that glorifies God and gives us victory over our enemies in the land which represents our bodies (Num 10:3-10). In Numbers 10:8 we learn that it is Aaron’s sons, representing the elect, who blow the trumpets telling the congregation to “assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation” (Num 10:3). Being ‘assembled at the door’ is typical of coming before Christ as our high priest Who is the door (Joh 10:9, Rev 3:20).

Num 10:10  Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

1Co 14:8  For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me [Joh 6:44].

When we are blessed to hear the voice of the true Shepherd and not despise His leading us to repentance (Rom 2:4), then we see that we are connected to the whole body, “a whole piece shalt thou make them” (Num 10:2), and our repentance (“make thee two trumpets of silver“) to which God leads us makes us zealous for the congregation (2Co 7:11, Rom 10:10) to provoke each other to love and good works, which is what these words signify “that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.”

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation [silver trumpets are blown].

This ‘journeying of the camps’ of those who are hearing the trumpets blown by Aaron’s sons is all symbolic language representing how God’s elect are to be led by the spirit of God today (Rom 8:14-16) in order to overcome in this age. When we mortify the deeds of the flesh and bring our bodies into subjection to Christ (Rom 12:1), we are fulfilling the typical example of those actions in this verse, “And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee” (1Jn 2:15-17). 

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 
Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 

1Jn 2:15  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.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, 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.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The enemy that oppresses us in our land represents the powers and principalities that we fight against (Eph 6:12) that only Christ is far higher than and able to overcome (Eph 1:21-22). All Israel needed to do was “blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies”, telling us that all we need to do is confess our faults, represented by the blowing of the silver trumpets (Rom 10:10), then we will be remembered by the Lord “and ye shall be saved from your enemies” (Num 10:4, Num 10:9, Lev 26:40-42, Psa 32:5, Joh 8:36). 

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, [Joh 8:36]
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

Lev 26:40  If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 
Lev 26:41  And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
Lev 26:42  Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. 

Psa 32:5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 

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

The heads of thousands [10x10x10=1000] (Num 10:4) represent the leadership roles God has ordained in the body of Christ in order to help bring the entire body of Christ, typified by the camp of Israel, into subjection to Him “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). This happens through a lifelong process of having our life judged (10X10X10=1000)

In Numbers 10:5 the movement of the camp is from the east part that shall go forward, and this is mentioned first as our spiritual journey or sojourn begins on the right foot when Christ the morning star is rising in our hearts and shining forth from the east to the west as He works in us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure (Rev 22:16, Rev 2:28, Mat 24:27, Php 2:12-13). 

Then in Numbers 10:6 we read of the alarm being blown a second time to tell the camps in the south to take their journeys. Moving from the south is not possible without the first alarm being blown that tells the camp from the east to move forward. Israel moved in many directions as a congregation, but the point being shown here is for our edification. The Israel of God (Gal 6:16) moving forward and overcoming in this life is accomplished by our being judged by God who is going to destroy the man of perdition on the throne of our hearts so we take our direction from Christ and not operate in our flesh (2Th 2:8, Tit 2:12, Eph 2:8). When we are in subjection to our head, we are able to go where the Lord directs us. 

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

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

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

These two verses (Num 10:5-6) discuss the only way we can move forward spiritually in this life, represented by the south that only moves after that symbolic judgment begins as the eastern camp which moves forward after hearing the silver trumpet.

Num 10:5  When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 
Num 10:6  When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.

When all the congregation is gathered together, a trumpet is blown, but no alarm is mentioned being blown in Numbers 10:7, telling us that although we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities, there must be times when we are not in the thick of the battle but given rest and prepared together as a congregation of saints to prepare for future battles. Every conference I’ve ever gone to has refreshed the body of Christ and been followed by some large to great trial or series of trials. Lord willing, this refreshing of the saints that is coming up in November in Mobile, AL will be more great preparation for ruling over the kingdoms of this world (Rev 11:15). That time will come soon enough and God will not tarry (Heb 10:37-38) whether this is the season it occurs or not, and then the saints will begin to fulfill the role spoken of in Numbers 10:4.

2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 
Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 

Num 10:4  And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.

Getting back to the instruments themselves, these beaten-out long and straight silver instruments which were blown to tell the camp of Israel that they needed to move, represent the elect who have been worked with by God’s grace and through the faith of Jesus Christ (Tit 2:12, Heb 12:38, Eph 2:8), and the message we blow is the same as John the Baptist; to make straight the ways of the Lord (Joh 1:23). The message is loud and clear and with the flared end of the trumpet the sound is further amplified, typifying how the gospel will be preached far and wide to all nations as a witness, then shall the end come. It is first clearly and properly heard, however, only in the hearts and minds of those whom God has ordained to have eyes that see and ears that hear in this generation (Mat 24:14, Mat 13:16).

Joh 1:23  He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Num 10:2  Make thee two trumpetsH2689 of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. 

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

In verse ten we see more of an example of how the silver trumpets, the Hatsotserah, are incorporated in our walk with the Lord:

Num 10:10  Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

We see here that there are also festive occasions connected with the trumpet, where we are brought into remembrance of God’s great deliverance from the enemies within our lands, which we have seen represent the bondage sin brings. This liberty God gives us through Christ is “the day of your gladness” and spoken of as being “in your solemn days”H4150  reminding us that there is a season for all things, “a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecc 3:4). It is also “in the beginningsH7218 of your months” that the trumpet is blown, showing us that when we come into this relationship with our Father and Christ and one another it is a lifelong journey which has a beginning, middle and end through and unto which we pray we will all be able to endure (Mat 24:12-13). 

Ecc 3:4  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

We “blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings”, actions that bring us into remembrance of how our Sovereign God and Father has given us the life of Christ through His spirit so we can be nourished by the burnt offerings and peace offerings which Christ and His Christ represent. That rich life of Christ within us, Who is our sufficiency (2Co 3:5), comes to us through a lifetime of overcoming and confessing our faults symbolized by the blowing of the silver trumpets over these offerings, both burnt and peace (Rom 10:10). 

Num 10:10  Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation [silver trumpets are blown].

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at the next two wind instruments, the Kehren which is a Cornet and the Mashroqiy which is a flute. The following week I plan to look at the Shofar which is called a Cornet or Trumpet in modern language.

Hebrew: Kehren
KJV Name: Cornet
Strong’s: #H7162
References: Daniel 3:5, 7, 10, 15

This musical instrument, found only in the book of Daniel, was commonly used in the court of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar. According to Clarke’s Commentary, it was a horn that could make a deep and hollow sound as well as one that was piercing.

The cornet, along with other instruments, was used by Nebuchadnezzar at the dedication of a huge golden statue in his likeness. The statue was 60 cubits (at least 87.5 feet or 26.7 meters) tall by six cubits (8.75 feet or 2.67 meters) wide.

Babylon’s officials, as well as the people, were commanded to bow down and worship the image when they heard the instruments play (Daniel 3:3 – 5). All those refusing to do so would be put to death in a fiery furnace. Daniel’s three friends, who rejected this idolatry, were thrown into this fiery trial of their faith but were miraculously saved by God (Daniel 3).

Hebrew: Mashroqiy
KJV Name: Flute
Strong’s: #H4953
References: Daniel 3:5, 7, 10, 15

This instrument is found only in Daniel in the KJV. It, along with others, were used by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar to signal when those he ruled over were to worship a huge golden statue made in his likeness. The mashroqiy may have been the Chaldean name for a flute with two reeds. Tyndale’s Dictionary and the ISBE believe it was similar to Pan’s pipe.

Hebrew: Shofar
KJV Name: Cornet / Trumpet
Strong’s: #H7782
References: Exodus 19:16, 19, 20:18, Leviticus 25:9, Joshua 6:4 – 20, Judges 3:27, etc.

The Hebrew word shofar is recorded 72 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, all of which are mistranslated in the KJV. It is erroneously called a trumpet 68 times and a cornet 4 times (Psalm 98:6, 1Chronicles 15:28, 2Chronicles 15:14, Hosea 5:8). The shofar and trumpet, according to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, are two distinct instruments as delineated in Psalm 98:6 and 1Chronicles 15:28.

The shofar is mentioned more than any other musical instrument in the Bible. It is the only instrument that survives in its original form and is still used in modern Jewish liturgy. It was usually made from the curved horn of a ram or goat. Shofars announced the New Moons and Sabbaths (Psalm 81:3), warned of approaching danger, and signaled the death of nobility.

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Laying Up In Store https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/laying-up-in-store/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=laying-up-in-store Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:00:01 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=3337

Mike, I started seeing this and wanted to share. 1Co 16:1-3 What is the spiriual significance of this passage, and can we compare spiritual with spiritual to this? 1Co 16:1  Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
1Co 16:2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
1Co 16:3  And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. Now comparing spiritual with spiritual. Those in the first spiritual birth see this as giving money on Sunday (first day of the week) to those in need within the church. Now for the next spiritual comparison. Spiritually speaking the first day of the week is the day Christ (in us) is being raised from the dead (us). Also the first day of the week is the eighth day. For God’s elect the eighth day is the day we are being circumcised (or putting off the flesh). Now what is it (spiritually) that we are to lay by in store, as God has prospered us, on this day (within)? God is prospering us with spiritual riches (truth). We are to lay up treasures in the heavens.
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
We are to do this on this day of the Lord (the first day of the week). So that there be no gatherings when I come. 1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God (bring with him). Paul is saying to gather up these treasures now, so that we will not be gathering these treasures during the lake of fire, when he (Paul) comes with (the) Christ. Your brother in the Christ, R____

Amen R____!
That is “comparing spiritual things with spiritual in order to understand “the things of the spirit of God.” That is how “the holy spirit teaches” us.  Thank you for sharing this spiritual application of God’s Word with me.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike >

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