The Book of Amos – Chapter 4:1-13: Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord

Our Lord GOD will slay our sons, our children of spiritual lies before our eyes – Jer 29:21-23– Amo 3:7

[Aired December 7, 2024]

The entire twelve ‘Minor Prophets’ mostly sequentially frame our transition to becoming Christ’s Christs in pointing to other Biblical Books that go into greater detail of our transformation. Classically, they begin with Hosea and his harlot wife, Gomer, starkly representing us as a spiritual whore. Following is the Book of Joel informing us of locusts and all sorts of pestilence manifesting as doctrines of self-righteousness. Those dreadfully annoying ‘pricks in our flesh’ don’t inspire us to repent genuinely since their representations in Babylon are seen as a physical outward commentary on Old Israel. We deludedly imagine that they have no relevance to us since our Babylonian churches teach that we are saved from chastisement since Christ exchanged our accountability on the cross. All of Judah and Israel’s judgment and punishments, in deluded thankfulness, are seen as dead and buried in boring chronicles. How incredibly mistaken is that dismissal?! Rather, those with eyes to see and ears to hear rejoice in spiritually coming behind in Christ, fulfilling his very same sufferings mostly spiritually.

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:
Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

As seen in the previous study in this series in Amos, indeed, the Bible, we are espoused to our husband, Christ. Every fleshy, unconverted, and converted husband experiences his wife’s innate bias of withholding her body and mind and not giving her all alone to him. Be we male or female, we are she and every negatively representative female in scripture standing defiantly before our Husband, even walking away to pleasure ourselves whoreishly in other intrigues deemed more captivating than he can conspire. Old Judah and Israel, Oholah and Oholibah serve as a perfect reflection of our identity, as does King Zedekiah.

What can we learn from our indifference, similar to Gomer, Queen Vashti, Oholah, and Oholibah and other flighty female traits concentrated in the Zedekiah within?

Zedekiah represents us as Kings in our own right in Babylon, sitting on God’s throne, attempting to replace him as God. Consequently, the Lord uses our enemies to judge us in our appointed time.

The cup of spiritual fornication is in the hand of the harlot; however, we, as the Zedekiah-like harlot, are in God’s hand for His workmanship when, like Gomer, we are blatantly fornicating in plain sight among our Babylonian churches, and God forbid, with falsehoods among ourselves (1Co 5:1-13). Hence, the Lord says to Zedekiah,

Jer 29:21  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them [You and I spiritually] into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
Jer 29:22  And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah [You and I] which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; 
Jer 29:23  Because they have committed villany [Indolent ‘senselessness, folly, immorality disgrace’] in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.

Significations:

Amo 4:1  Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. 

As with Old Israel, whenever life is full of riches, and we need nothing other than grander examples of the riches already possessed, our flesh unconsciously dismisses our need for God. As Solomon did not deny himself of any pleasure (Ecc 2:10), our constant upgrading to greater material wealth causes us to spiritually seek more beautiful women to satiate our sensualities, represented as fornicating self-righteousness, and we insidiously become God (2Th 2:4). Accordingly, Amos 4:1 presents us as cattle, even a ‘fruitful cow’ (‘Kine & Bashan’) oppressing ourselves, the ‘poor and needy’ within, drunk on our own righteousness. When we overflow with the peace riches endow, we imagine that we are like Job where people hail us with titles and effectively bow before us and seek our counsel because the outward appearance commands respect.

Job 29:7  When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!
Job 29:8  The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
Job 29:9  The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
Job 29:10  The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
Job 29:11  When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
Job 29:12  Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
Job 29:13  The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
Job 29:14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Job 29:15  I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
Job 29:16  I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
Job 29:17  And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
Job 29:18  Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
Job 29:19  My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
Job 29:20  My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
Job 29:21  Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
Job 29:22  After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
Job 29:23  And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 
Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 
Heb 12:8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Heb 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us [As seen with the entier Bible, and here, with the Minor Prophets], and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 
Heb 12:10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 
Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Heb 12:12  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Amo 4:2  The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. 

Even today, in remote tribes, a small metal pin or smooth stick through the sensitive nose of a beast of burden linked to reins causes an instant directional response. Similarly, ancient conquering forces would literally pierce captive’s jaws behind their lower teeth and out through their mouth with metal hooks that would guarantee instant submission wherever they were led. If we are the Elect, that figuratively is a blessing our Lord bestows on us, assuring our part in the First Resurrection. When we have endured tribulations and life-changing chastisements, we will first rule with Christ, our brothers and sisters, in the One Thousand Year reign and then Gog and Magog in judgment in the Lake of Fire.

In the meantime, the Gentile Christian churches, as we once did, deludedly think that they have utter control over Satan in casting out demons. Similarly, Gog and Magog, the world, equally sit on God’s throne as masters of their destiny, presenting themselves as God unwittingly making a covenant with Satan.

Job 41:1  Canst thou draw out leviathan [Satan] with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
Job 41:2  Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
Job 41:3  Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
Job 41:4  Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

We quickly learn to glorify our Lord for choosing us and dragging us out of Babylon with a hook in our noses to turn us back in the same manner we came into Babylon.

Joh 21:18  Truly, truly, I say to you, When you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you wished. But when you grow old, you shall stretch forth your hands and another shall gird you and carry you where you do not wish.
Joh 21:19  He spoke this signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, Follow Me.

Isa 37:29  Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. 
Isa 37:30  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
Isa 37:31  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
Isa 37:32  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant [The Elect of God], and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

Isa 41:15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

People are hills, mountains, nations, kings, kingdoms, etc, and God is bringing chastisement to the world’s nations depicted as Gog and Magog, and he will do it through his Elect, who are first to be spiritually threshed and beaten to a fine powder before they judge their kin in the Lake of Fire.

Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Amo 4:3  And ye shall go out at the breaches [a gap in a city’s wall], every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD. 

When cattle or sheep find a breach in a fence to better pasture, once one passes through, all the rest gallop en mass and, by volume, enlarge the gap like a breach in a dam wall. That pictorial indicates the eventual mighty flood of God’s word upon all men on the Eighth Day, the Lake of Fire. In the meantime, the Elect are nearing the consummation of their learning through transgressions with their husband, Christ’s progressive correction (number 3), in “Bethel” (H1008), meaning the house of God.

Amo 4:4  Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: 

The doctrine of tithing from the Old Testament is not present in the teachings of Christ found in the New Testament. When I was in the Worldwide Chruch of God, we believed that we should tithe a first tithe of our increase of physical wealth to the church (we had to keep the A1 jet fuel up to the prestigious Gulfstream) and a second tithe to spend upon the Feast of Tabernacles or as the Old Testament calls it, the Feast of Booths representing our temporary bodies. Not only that, but every third year, we were hit with a third tithe to break the proverbial camel’s back fully.

Deu 14:22  Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
Deu 14:23  And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
Deu 14:24  And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
Deu 14:25  Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:
Deu 14:26  And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
Deu 14:27  And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
Deu 14:28  At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: 
Deu 14:29  And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

In Amos 4:4, the God-given transgressions he gives us through his servant, Satan, and their inevitable chastisements demonstrate our steady transition toward becoming Christ-like as the number 3, “after three years,” unveils the meaning and progression for the ‘time of reformation’.

Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 

Amo 4:5  And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. 

Therefore, our New Covenant ‘tithe’ symbolises a transformed heart in perfect unity with our husband’s heart, one that is not puffed up by the leaven of our impudent self-righteousness but highly aroused to keeping his commandments.

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.

And, of course, in classical hindsight of Israel’s passivity towards her Lord’s ardour, typified by us, wouldn’t you know it, they, like Gomer to Hosea, did not return the Lord. Accordingly, the following verses, picturing our rejection of his physical gifts now transformed into pestilence and tribulations, will continually prick our comfort more violently until we, with spiritual breath like the smell of apples, do enthusiastically respond to his ravishings.

Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord

Amo 4:6  And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 
Amo 4:7  And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 

Our Lord is the Master Potter who creates each of us to his design; one for honourable use, and another for dishonourable use, but in our time and order, we experience both (Rom 9). We receive the bread and water of affliction from false teachings and wonder why we seem accursed and in prison while our Babylonian brothers and sisters glory in their physical riches. Of course, the violent imagery in all scripture is the Lord’s purpose to benefit his Elect for their spiritual understanding alarmingly for their expected end. Upon having the keys to understand every detail of his word, we tremble in immense gratitude in knowing the end of this saga in Amos of Israel not returning to the Lord.

Jer 29:10  For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Amo 4:8  So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 

That verse typifies us, the unwitting remnant’s parched search for truth in Babylonian churches prior to coming to the heavenly Jerusalem of truth. Many are called, but few return unto Christ.

Isa 10:20  And it shall come to pass in that day [today since the cross], that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
Isa 10:21  The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
Isa 10:22  For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption [a complete destruction or our old ways] decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 
Isa 10:23  For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

Amo 4:9  I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 
Amo 4:10  I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 
Amo 4:11  I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 
Amo 4:12  Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 

Our understanding of the effects of palmerworms, locusts, cankerworms, mildew, drought, and famine was thoroughly explored in our Joel series. These elements illustrate the consequences of our disregard for the Lord’s blessings, immaturely stubbornly pouting at being treated in this way.

Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

Joe 1:18  How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

However, the Lord of hosts has a grand plan to save all of mankind through his remnant Elect, his Bride, who is today becoming his Wife.

Amo 4:13  For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. 

In Babylon, we saw those foreboding prophecies phenomenally cryptic, dismissed to be awarded vengefully to the many disgusting wretches who didn’t believe in our supposedly truthful version of Christ’s commands. We didn’t see that every man is chastised in his order for salvation until our earthquake awakened us that Christ chose his Elect first to be chastised, and now, to confused onlookers, we relish reproof since,

Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days [today, if you hear His voice], saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Act 2:18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Next week, Lord willing, he will arouse our spiritual minds, not masochistically, but joyfully see Israel’s continued tongue-lashing most positively as imperative for our path to life eternal.

Ezekiel 38:1-23 Prophesy Against Gog

[Study Aired December 2, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

In Today’s study, we turn our attention to Gog, who is described as a leader of a great army, whose kingdom is called Magog, whom the Lord is going to use to attack the people of Israel who had come back to their land from captivity and are living peacefully and unsuspectingly at the time.

Apart from the fact that Magog appears as grandson of Noah, there are limited references to Gog and Magog in the Bible. They appear only in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 and Revelation chapter 20. In order for us to understand Today’s study and the subsequent one, we need to know what Gog represents spiritually. From the Book of Ezekiel, we can deduce that Gog and his kingdom Magog represents a formidable challenge to the Lord’s elect (the people of Israel) after they have come back from captivity and are living without walls in Israel.

Eze 38:10  Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
Eze 38:11  And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
Eze 38:12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

In the Book of Revelation chapter 20, Gog and Magog again poses a threat to the reign of the Lord’s elect over the kingdoms of this world.

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

As we have learnt in the study of the word of the Lord, there is past, present and future application of the word of the Lord. The present reality of the word of the Lord is the “is” part of the word of the Lord and the future application is the “will be” part of the word. Since Jesus Christ represents the word of the Lord, “Jesus today” is the “is” part and “Jesus forever” is the future application part.

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.  

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

With this in mind, let’s see how the study of Ezekiel chapter 38 today applies to us now. In this chapter and chapter 39, there is no mention of Satan. However, in the Book of Revelation, we are given additional information that it is Satan who will deceive the people of the world to engage the Lord and His elect in a battle. In other words, the chief prince, Gog, represents Satan. In today’s and the next study, there are references in the two chapters (38 and 39) which confirm this assertion that Satan represents Gog, who uses the people of this world (many nations) as His great army to fight the Lord’s elect. The Lord calls this invasion of Gog and his great army against the Lord’s elect, a great shaking in the land of the people of Israel.

Eze 38:19  For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 

This great shaking is the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh using Satan or the devil as His instrument that blows the coals in the fire.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

Here in this study, we shall see the Lord using the tools of His four sore judgements – every man’s sword being against his brother, and pestilence to destroy the old man or flesh within us. This destruction implies the ruin of the influence of the devil or Gog in our lives.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
Eze 38:22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Ezekiel chapter 38 comes right after the Lord had brought to life the dry bones and is gathering us, His elect from the four corners of the earth. Today’s study therefore shows us the present danger – the devil (Gog), who can derail our restful life in Christ. As the Lord’s elect, we need to be watchful of the devices of the devil.

2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Our protection is therefore to put on the full armor of the Lord, so that we can be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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

We also need to know the future application of Today’s study which is consistent with that of Revelation chapter 20. After the symbolic thousand year reign with Christ over the kingdoms of this world, all humanity shall be deceived by the devil to rebel against the Lord and His elect, which will cause the Lord to destroy all flesh or human beings living at that time by His fire from heaven. That is how death shall be destroyed.

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

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Having this understanding that Gog represents the devil and Magog, the people of this world whom Satan has blinded and therefore uses them against the Lord’s elect, our study today becomes easier to understand.

Eze 38:1  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 38:2  Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 
Eze 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 

As indicated in previous studies, the word of the Lord coming to Ezekiel signifies our Lord Jesus coming with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to His elect. It is in this coming that we are gradually given the keys of the kingdom of the Lord to understand its mysteries.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
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:

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.

In verse 2, we are introduced to Gog as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, ruling over the land of Magog. Gog means ‘mountain’. In other words, Gog signifies a formidable opposition that the Lord has raised against His elect. Magog means ‘the land of Gog’ or ‘the kingdom of Gog’. The Jewish historian Josephus recognized Magog as the Scythians, known for their destructive warfare. In the subsequent verses, the army of Gog encompasses several nations. In the Book of Revelation, we can easily infer that the leader who is playing the role of Gog to gather together the armies of the whole world (the kingdom of Magog) against the Lord and His elect, is Satan. Gog is therefore a symbol of Satan, whom the Lord has fashioned as the waster to destroy.

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Gog, being the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal is significant. Meshech means ‘drawing out’ and Tubal signifies ‘thou shall be brought’. The devil’s role is to draw out or bring out sin in our lives. As we can remember, before the devil showed up, Adam and Eve did not know their state as sinful beings. That is what it means to be naked and not know it. However, the devil coming to the scene exposed their nakedness.

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Gen 3:9  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Gen 3:11  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

In verse 3, the Lord is telling us that He is against the adversary, the devil. Being against the devil means our Lord opposes or resists the devil. As the Lord’s representatives here on earth, we are therefore called to resist the devil and we can only do it when we first submit to Christ our Lord.

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

Eze 38:4  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 
Eze 38:5  Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 
Eze 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 

Turning Gog back and putting hooks into Gog’s jaws in verse 4 signify that  the Lord controls all that the devil does. As we are aware, in this world, we go through an experience of evil orchestrated by the devil. However, all that the devil does is in accordance with the counsel of the Lord’s will. The fact that the devil comes with an army of horses and horsemen, clothed with all sorts of armor implies that we, His elect are in a spiritual warfare against the devil and his cohorts. This is described as follows:

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.

It is instructive to note that in verse 4 this great army of Gog or the devil are all capable of handling the sword. The sword here refers to the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. This great army is Satan’s messengers of false apostles parading as angels of light.

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.

In the Book of Revelation, this great army represents the locusts that come out of the bottomless pit.

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5  And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6  And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Rev 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

The countries mentioned who are part of the army included Persia, Ethiopia, Libya and Gomer. These four countries represent a significant portion of the world at that time and as we are aware, the number four symbolizes the whole of the issue at stake. Therefore, these countries represent the whole of the world and as we can see, later in the Book of Revelation, the army of Gog comes from the people of the whole world.

Eze 38:7  Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 
Eze 38:8  After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 
Eze 38:9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. 

It is instructive to note that the devil and his cohorts have been prepared for us, the Lord’s elect as shown in verse 7. As we come out of the churches of this world, or Babylon, and become part of the church of the firstborn or the Jerusalem above which is symbolized here in verse 8 as the mountains of Israel, that is when the Lord calls the evil one and his cohorts to service in verse 8, to be used as instruments of His judgement of our old man or flesh. The story of Job, a symbol of the Lord’s elect shows us how the Lord uses the devil (Gog) to administer His judgement of our flesh with the view of destroying it.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

The handing over of the man in the church in Corinth to the devil after sleeping with his father’s wife affirms how the Lord uses the devil for the destruction of our flesh.

1Co 5:1  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.
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Co 5:3  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,
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 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.

Verse 9 tells us that the coming of the evil one in our lives as an instrument of judgement is like a storm or a cloud that covers our land, representing our bodies. In the Book of Psalms, the Lord had vividly shown us what we go through when He raises a storm, through the agency of Gog or the devil.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

When the devil comes with his cohorts as a cloud over our land, we barely can see the sun which is Christ during this period. Our Lord Jesus also went through this experience of the devil as a cloud covering Him when He said why had the Lord forsaken Him.

Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

In all of this evil experience that we go through, we are assured by the Lord that we shall come out victorious and that no weapon formed or fashioned against us shall prosper.

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Eze 38:10  Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 
Eze 38:11  And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 

Verses 10 and 11 are saying that a time shall come that ideas will enter Gog’s head and will make wicked plans of attacking the Lord’s elect who are at rest in the Lord after their exit from Babylon. We know from the word of the Lord that our thought process and what we settle on to execute in our lives all originates from the Lord. This also applies to Satan or Gog. As indicated in Ezekiel 38:4, it is the Lord that drags Satan to attack the Lord’s elect for the destruction of our flesh.

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

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

Eze 38:4  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

Eze 38:12  To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 
Eze 38:13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? 

In verses 12 and 13, we are told that the aim of the Lord dragging the devil to attack us is to take a spoil or prey. This spoil or prey is our old man or flesh which is the result of the Lord’s judgement.

1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 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.

In verse 13, it is stated that Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish shall all conclude that Gog and his army have come to the people of Israel to take a spoil or prey. Sheba means ‘complete’, Dedan signifies ‘low country’ and Tarshish refers to ‘jasper’. What these names suggest is that we were like a low country (Dedan) that had been overrun by the Philistines which represents our flesh and as we mature spiritually or become complete in Him (Sheba), we come to see through the word of the Lord (jasper) that the judgement of our flesh is through the agency of the devil and that it is for the purpose of taking a prey or spoil of our flesh.

2Ch 28:18  The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.

Eze 38:14  Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 
Eze 38:15  And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: 
Eze 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. 

In verse 14, a rhetorical question was asked of Gog if he recognizes that the people of Israel are dwelling in safety. The answer of course is that the devil (Gog) knows when we are dwelling in safety. In the Book of Jeremiah, we are told what it means to dwell in safety, as follows:

Jer 32:37  Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:
Jer 32:38  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
Jer 32:39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

From these verses, we can see that dwelling in safety means being delivered from captivity (Babylon) and brought together to Jerusalem where we are given one heart as we all follow one way.  In other words, we have been delivered from the physical churches of this world or Babylon and brought together from every tribe and kindred to become the New Jerusalem. It is in the church of the firstborn that we dwell in safety.

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.

In verse 15, we are made aware that it is as we come to the New Jerusalem that the Lord drags the devil (Gog) to gather his forces from the north to attack us, His elect. It is instructive that the army of Gog comes from the north which means judgement. What this implies is that it is when we have come to the New Jerusalem that our judgement begins. As mentioned earlier and in verse 16, this army of Gog from the north comes against us like a cloud that covers our land or bodies. That is to say that during this period of our trials, we barely see Christ working all things according to the counsel of His will. However, the Lord has shown us in verse 16 that it is through our trials that He is sanctified. The Lord’s sanctification is our sanctification.

Jer 1:14  Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
Jer 1:15  For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set everyone his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
Jer 1:16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.  

Jer 10:22  The voice of tidings, behold, it cometh, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling-place of jackals. (ASV)

Eze 38:17  Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, that prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them? 

Verse 17 affirms to us that Gog is the old serpent who had been prophesied in old time by the servants of the Lord that he shall come against the Lord’s people or elect. That is why the devil is called an old serpent. Right in the beginning of the Lord’s creation, when the serpent deceived Eve we are warned by the Lord of the impending attacks of the devil against the Lord’s people.

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Eze 38:18  And it shall come to pass in that day, when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, that my wrath shall come up into my nostrils. 
Eze 38:19  For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 
Eze 38:20  so that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

These verses show us that Gog, who signifies the devil, is the instrument that the Lord uses to judge our old man. Statements such as the Lord’s wrath coming up into his nostrils, the jealousy and the fire of the Lord’s wrath, and the great shaking in the land of Israel on that day, all signify the judgement of our old man, or flesh, through the agency of the devil or Satan.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

2Ki 22:13  Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

2Ch 12:12  And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.

In verse 20, we are shown what the wrath of the Lord or His judgement accomplishes. The fishes of the sea denote our lives dominated by our flesh, the birds of the heavens signifies the influence of the evil one on our hearts and mind, and the beasts of the field is our flesh. The creeping things upon the earth represent the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition which we imbibe or eat to defile ourselves.

Lev 11:41  And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

Lev 11:43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.

The statement that all men upon the face of the earth shall shake at the presence of the Lord means that all men shall be judged. Concerning the Lord’s elect, our judgement is meted out to us in this age. The rest of humanity shall be judged in the lake of fire age. At the end of the Lord’s judgement, all our mountains, the steep places and every wall that separates us from the Lord shall be destroyed.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 
Eze 38:22  And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 
Eze 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

The whole of the Lord’s tools for judging us are the sword, famine, pestilence and noisome beast.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

In verses 21 and 22, we are shown some of the tools that the Lord uses to judge us and they are the sword and pestilence. The overflowing rain, hailstones, fire and brimstones that the Lord will rain on the devil and all his cohorts all relates to the truth of the Lord’s words which destroys the works and devices of the adversary in our lives.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

In verse 23, we are shown the effects of the Lord’s judgement. The Lord shall be magnified and sanctified in our lives. The Lord’s sanctification is our sanctification. As the Lord is magnified and sanctified in us, we shall come to know Him intimately.

May the Lord continue His work of sanctification in us. Amen!!

Ezekiel 29:1-21 Prophesy Against Egypt

Introduction

[Study Aired August 26, 2024]

Today’s study is about King Pharoah and Egypt. The Lord told Ezekiel to speak His words concerning the impending destruction of Pharoah and also the desolation of the land of Egypt. The chapter also promise a restoration for the Egyptians after forty years and the giving of the land of Egypt by the Lord to Nebuchadnezzar as a reward for the destruction of Tyre. The chapter ends with a promise of the Lord’s goodness to the people of Israel who represents His elect.  

The Prophesy Against Pharoah, the King of Egypt

Eze 29:1  In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 29:2  Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: 
Eze 29:3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. 

The tenth year in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month spiritually suggests that it is when the sins of our flesh have become complete (significance of the number 10) that the Lord (significance of the number 12) comes to us with His word. His coming is the beginning of the judgement of our old man. 

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
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:

Verse 2 shows us that the King of Egypt, Pharoah, is the focus of the Lord’s words. The question is, who does Pharoah signify spiritually?  To answer this, we need to look at what is said about Pharoah in verse 3 which states that the King of Egypt, Pharoah, is the great dragon that lies in the midst of his rivers. In the following verses, the rivers are the same as the deep which refers to the sea:

Isa 44:27  That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

Eze 31:15  Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 

The midst of thy rivers in verse 3 refers to the sea of flesh. The King of Egypt lying in the midst of his rivers therefore means that the King of Egypt or Pharoah is our flesh. Just as we represent Christ and therefore, we can be referred to as Jesus, the children of Satan (Those who live by the flesh) who is the great dragon, can be referred to as the great dragon. Thus, the King of Pharoah is not Satan but represents our flesh or old man who is empowered or influenced by Satan.

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.

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

Here in verse 3, Pharoah is saying that he has his own river and has made it for himself. The river here is the false doctrines emanating from our flesh, that is, man’s wisdom and traditions, which the devil is using to deceive the whole world.  

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 

Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 
Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 

Eze 29:4  But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. 
Eze 29:5  And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

In view of the sins of our flesh, the Lord comes to us with His judgement. In verse 4, the Lord is saying that He will put hooks in our jaws and will cause the fish of our rivers to stick unto our scales by putting us out of the midst of our rivers. Putting the hooks in our jaws means the Lord will be dragging us. The scales in this case, spiritually indicates the pride of our old man as shown in the following verse:

Job 41:15  His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

The Lord used the phrase “I will make you fishers of men” to refer to those that He will drag to Himself through the apostles. The fish of our rivers in verse 3 therefore refers to us His elect who were dominated by our old man or flesh through the deception of the false doctrine of man’s wisdom and tradition which makes us proud.

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 
Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

In verses 4 and 5, the Lord is saying that He will bring us up out of the midst of our rivers by throwing us into the wilderness where we shall fall into the open fields and not be gathered together. In this situation, we become like meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. As the Lord’s elect, we shall surely be delivered from all the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions. However, verses 4 and 5 show us that the Lord’s deliverance is through an evil experience which starts with the Lord dragging us into the wilderness which represents Babylon or the physical churches of this world where we are starved of the word of the Lord. 

1Sa 3:1  Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. (ESV)

This Babylon is also likened to open fields which means that the churches of this world is part of the world system. At this stage, we, His elect, are not part of the assembly of the church of the firstborn as we have not yet been gathered together with His people as the Lord has promised. 

Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 

During this walk with the Lord in the wilderness or open fields, we are given as meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. The beasts of the field refers to these men who walk in the flesh but parade as apostles of Christ in the churches of this world, deceiving us. This is how the apostles, Peter and Jude, referred to them:

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Jud 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 

As Jesus indicated, the fowls of the heaven signify the devil or evil one when He explained the parable of the sower to His disciples. 

Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 
Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside. 

Being meat to the fowls of the heaven therefore means that we become victims of the devil as every word of the Lord that is shown in our hearts is  taken away.

Eze 29:6  And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 
Eze 29:7  When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. 

In verse 6, the house of Israel here refers to the Lord’s elect. The inhabitants of Egypt signify all those who walk according to worldly principles of man’s wisdom and tradition which we were being fed with when we were in the churches of this world. It also means all those who are dominated by the flesh. Verse 6 shows us that walking in the flesh is likened to a staff of reed or an unreliable walking stick. The verse is therefore telling us that as the Lord’s elect (house of Israel), we shall come to see that we cannot rely on our walk in the flesh or worldly principles before Him. 

Verse 7 shows us the unreliability of our flesh in serving the Lord. When we depends on our flesh or the worldly wisdom and traditions of this world, we are going to be disappointed. The verse likens our walk in the flesh as walking with a stick which when we use, it splinters and tear up our shoulders and when we lean on, it breaks and wrench our backs. All of this is showing us that there is no good thing in our flesh or our old man when it comes to serving the Lord.

Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

As we can see from Romans 7:24-25, when we are under the control of our old man or flesh, we are wretched, poor and blind until the Lord Jesus Christ comes to us with His judgement. 

The Benefits of the Judgment of the Lord

Eze 29:8  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cutoff man and beast out of thee. 
Eze 29:9  And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. 
Eze 29:10  Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. 
Eze 29:11 No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 

Verse 8 is shows us the way the Lord comes to deal with us to destroy our old man or flesh – by  coming to us with His judgement. The Lord’s judgement in this case is the sword which He uses to cut off man and beast from our lives. The man and beast here refers to the beast within manor our flesh, which the Lord deals with through the spirit of His mouth (sword) and His brightness.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
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:  

The land of Egypt in verse 9 refers to our bodies when we are under the dominion of the flesh. In such a state, we are just like anybody pursuing the things of this world. As indicated earlier, the rivers in verse 9 symbolize the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions of this world. These rivers are what sustain Egypt or Babylon. At the time of Jacob and his sons, Egypt represents Babylon. Here in verses 9 and 10, the Lord has promised to come and judge our old man or body (the land of Egypt) together with destruction of her rivers which is the false doctrines. The land of Egypt becoming desolate and waste implies that nothing can grow on the land since there is no water or river to nourish the land. Since the land is our bodies, the Lord’s judgment ensures that our old man or flesh together with the false doctrines in our heavens are destroyed, paving the way for the birth and growth of our new man created after the image of Christ.

It is instructive to note that in verse 11, we are told that the land shall not be inhabited for forty years and that no foot of man or the foot of beast shall pass through it. The number forty signifies the period of our fiery trial or judgement. 

Gen 7:4  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Gen 7:17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

As the Lord’s elect, our period of judgment lasts until our last breadth. This implies that during this period of our lives as we are being judged by the Lord in this life, our land shall not be inhabited by any beast or man. That is to say that our old man or flesh shall be put to death and shall not have any influence in our lives again. 

Psa 119:67  Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Psa 119:71  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. 

Psa 119:75  I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  

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.  

Eze 29:12  And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 
Eze 29:13 Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: 

As indicated earlier, Egypt also refers to Babylon. The Lord making Egypt the most desolate country in the world means that the Lord shall destroy Babylon within us through His judgment of our old man. The forty years represents the period we are being judged in this life. 

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. 

Outwardly, the Lord shall judge Babylon in the fulness of time.

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.

In verse 13, we are being assured that the Lord’s judgment of Babylon will result in the saving of our brothers and sisters in Babylon as they will be gathered together after a symbolic forty years. 

Eze 29:14  And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom. 
Eze 29:15 It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. 

These verses continue to assure us that the Lord’s judgement of Babylon shall result in restoration as He brings again the captivity of Egypt. As indicated, Egypt represented Babylon at a certain stage of the Lord’s people and therefore the Egyptians represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon of which we were part of when we were in the churches of this world, conforming to its worldly standards. In verse 14, the Lord is saying that the Egyptians shall possess their land. This implies that the Lord’s judgement shall result in the possession of their soul just as the people of Israel, the Lord’s elect, shall possess their bodies and offer them as living sacrifices to the Lord. However, as stated in verse 14 and 15, our brothers and sisters in Babylon shall not be given to rule the nations as they shall be the basest of the kingdoms. As stated in verse 15, they shall no more rule over the nations. It is only the Lord’s elect who are given to rule the nations of this world as they overcome the flesh or old man through the Lord’s judgment in this age. 

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.

Eze 29:16  And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 

A simpler rendition of this verse is as follows:

Eze 29:16  The nation of Israel will never trust Egypt again. The people of Israel will remember how wrong they were whenever they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Almighty LORD.'” (GW)

The house of Israel in verse 16 refers to the Lord’s elect. As the Lord’s elect, we shall not have confidence in the flesh which is the hallmark of all those who walk in the flesh who are symbolically represented by Egypt. As the Lord takes us though His judgment to destroy our old man or flesh, we shall come to remember how wrong we were when depended on our flesh or have confidence in our flesh. At the end of the day, this process of the Lord’s judgment will cause us to know who the Lord really is as we come to have the mind of 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. 
Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 
Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 
Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 
Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

The Reward for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

Eze 29:17  And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 

The first day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year when the Lord came to Ezekiel is very significant. The number one symbolizes that everything is from the Lord. The number twenty-seven is used in the Bible to signify the visiting of the Lord with His goodness after His judgment. This is made clear in the following verses:

Gen 8:14  And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried (after the flood).

2Ki 25:27  And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;   

This implies that the word of the Lord spoken to Ezekiel on the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year, is to show us the goodness of the Lord as He comes to visit us after we have gone through His judgment.

Eze 29:18  Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: 
Eze 29:19  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. 
Eze 29:20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD. 

These verses show us the goodness of the Lord which is extended to all His creation, even people who do not know Him. In verses 18 to 20, the Lord is saying that He is a rewarder even to the people of this world that He uses to judge us. Here the Lord is rewarding the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar  with the land and people of Egypt for sending him to conquer Tyre. Seeing that our Lord is a rewarder, we are assured that He will surely come to us with His reward!! Faithful is He who has called us!! 

Heb 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 

Spiritually, the verses also show us how the Lord is rewarding our brothers and sisters in Babylon even for the work that He has given to them – to keep the multitude from coming to know Him in this age.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

If we look around, we can see how the Lord has given to the churches of this world, the wealth of this world (Egypt) even for this evil work that they are doing. 

Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city (Babylon), that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 
Rev 18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 

Eze 29:21  In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

In this verse, the Lord is telling us that He has not forgotten His elect and that He will cause us to be strong in Him through what He gives to us through what every joint supplies. That is what will guarantee our reward in the fulness of time as we come to know Him.  Knowing this, we can clearly see that our labor shall be rewarded even in this life and in another age. However, what we receive here in this life is only a down payment for the real riches that awaits us.

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 
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. 

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. 

May the Name of the Lord be praised!! Amen!!