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[Part 2 of this Study Aired February 11, 2025]

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The Purpose of Christ’s Millennial Reign

Christ’s thousand-year reign serves as a crucial stage in fulfilling God’s eternal purpose for mankind. This purpose was first declared in Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth.” While this declaration includes dominion over creation, its deeper significance points to mankind bearing God’s image internally, following the principle that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). The millennium demonstrates why external dominion without internal transformation cannot fulfill God’s ultimate purpose.

Looking at Genesis 2:7, we see Adam’s fundamental nature: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” This shows Adam was created from earth – natural, not spiritual. Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47: “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.“

God’s eternal purposes cannot be thwarted, as Isaiah declares: “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand” (Isaiah 14:24). This unchangeable purpose is further confirmed by Ephesians 1:11, which states that God “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.“

The millennium reveals how Christ, as the last Adam, fulfills God’s eternal purpose by bringing forth spiritual life where only natural life existed before. As Paul explains: “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). This follows God’s order – “that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46).

God’s work of restoration through Christ’s millennial reign follows His unchangeable pattern seen throughout scripture – the old must be removed before the new can be established. The prophet Jeremiah revealed God’s method: “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). Ezekiel further confirmed this pattern, declaring: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown…I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him” (Ezekiel 21:26-27). This principle reflects the truth that “the law having a shadow of good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1) must give way to the spiritual reality it foreshadowed.

The millennium fulfills a crucial purpose in revealing the limitations of external righteousness. God establishes this period of just governance under Christ to prove conclusively that even ideal conditions cannot transform human nature. Despite experiencing Christ’s righteous rule, Satan’s binding, and enforced peace, the natural mind retains its fundamental opposition to God. John exposes this unchangeable reality: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). This truth explains why Jesus emphasized that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). The prophet Jeremiah further revealed this internal condition: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). These scriptures together demonstrate that true transformation must occur from within, not through external circumstances, no matter how good they may appear to be.

The millennium serves as the ultimate demonstration of mankind’s need for spiritual regeneration. God previously revealed this truth through Israel’s wilderness experience, where despite daily miracles, heavenly provision, and the Lord’s visible presence, the people repeatedly rebelled. As scripture records: “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy” (Psalm 78:41-42). Now through the millennium, God expands this lesson to encompass all nations, proving universally what He showed through Israel – that prime external conditions cannot transform the human heart. The prophet Jeremiah revealed God’s solution to this deep-seated problem: “And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7). This work of internal transformation accomplishes what a thousand years of ideal conditions cannot achieve.

The timing of the millennium in God’s plan reveals profound spiritual wisdom. By placing this thousand-year period before the final judgment, God establishes an undeniable witness to humanity’s need for spiritual rebirth. Jesus laid the foundation for understanding this truth when He declared: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The millennium demonstrates the full implications of this statement by showing how even the most righteous external conditions cannot elevate the flesh to spiritual life. This aligns with Paul’s revelation that “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” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Through the millennium, God proves conclusively that transformation must come through His work alone, “for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Signs Before the Thousand Year Reign

While God reserves the precise timing of Christ’s millennial reign in His sovereign wisdom, He provides clear signs to prepare His people for these momentous events. Jesus established this principle of watching for signs while acknowledging godly timing: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Yet He also commanded vigilance: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42). This aligns with God’s consistent pattern of revealing His purposes progressively, as Amos declared: “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Through these revelations, God enables His people to recognize the season of His appearing, even while the exact timing remains hidden in His counsel.

As we examine the signs preceding Christ’s millennial reign, we must remember that these prophecies reveal spiritual truths about mankind’s condition and need for transformation, rather than serving as a checklist of current events to interpret. The purpose of understanding these signs is to recognize mankind’s need for spiritual rebirth, not to predict specific dates or match prophecies to world events.

The first major sign Jesus identified centers on widespread spiritual deception. This deception manifests through false claims to Christ’s authority: “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). This proliferation of spiritual counterfeits matches God’s revealed pattern of testing His people, as Moses warned: “For the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 13:3). The Holy Spirit further detailed this spiritual climate through Paul: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). The prophet Joel saw this period as one of profound spiritual darkness: “A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness” (Joel 2:2). This spiritual confusion serves God’s purpose of separating those who truly love truth from those who merely profess it, as Paul explained: “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).

The intensification of international conflicts stands as another crucial sign of Christ’s approaching reign. Jesus provided specific details about this increasing turmoil: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6-7). This upheaval fulfills what God revealed through Isaiah: “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard” (Isaiah 24:19-20). The prophet Daniel received further insight about this tumultuous period: “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time” (Daniel 12:1). This unprecedented level of conflict serves God’s purpose of shaking all human institutions, as Haggai prophesied: “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations” (Haggai 2:6-7). Through these events, God exposes the futility of human attempts at peace apart from His rule, fulfilling Paul’s words: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Throughout history, God has used natural phenomena to accomplish His purposes, and the approach of Christ’s reign follows this pattern. Jesus specifically identified environmental upheaval as a key sign: “And there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:7). These disturbances reflect a deeper spiritual shaking, as the prophet Isaiah foresaw: “The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24:4-5).

These natural disruptions serve as both judgment and warning. The prophet Amos revealed this purpose: “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. And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest… yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD” (Amos 4:6-7). Even these judgments demonstrate God’s mercy, as He uses physical circumstances to draw people to repentance. This follows His unchanging pattern seen in Joel’s prophecy: “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful” (Joel 2:12-13).

The intensity and frequency of these events will increase as Christ’s return approaches. The prophet Joel specifically addressed this escalation: “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:30-31). These shakings serve to remove confidence in human systems and prepare hearts for Christ’s rule.

The degradation of moral standards serves as another unmistakable sign of Christ’s approaching reign. Paul provided a detailed prophecy of this moral collapse: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good” (2 Timothy 3:1-3). This deterioration reflects what happened in Noah’s time, as Jesus warned: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

The prophet Isaiah identified a key aspect of this moral decay – the deliberate confusion of good and evil: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21). This confusion doesn’t happen by accident but results from rejecting divine standards, as Paul explained: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind” (Romans 1:28).

This moral decline particularly affects family relationships, fulfilling Jesus’s prophecy: “And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death” (Matthew 10:21). The breakdown of natural affection that Paul mentioned manifests especially in family structures, demonstrating how deeply this moral decay penetrates society’s foundations. The prophet Micah saw this dissolution of family bonds: “Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother” (Micah 7:5-6).

Daniel’s prophecy about the end times specifically highlighted an unprecedented increase in knowledge and mobility: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4). This explosion of information and travel capabilities marks our era distinctly from all previous generations. Yet this increase in knowledge, while fulfilling prophecy, often leads to what Paul described: “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).

The prophet Isaiah foresaw this paradox of increased knowledge without true wisdom: “The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid” (Isaiah 29:14). This validates Solomon’s observation that “in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:18). Human knowledge, divorced from God’s wisdom, leads to pride rather than understanding, fulfilling Paul’s warning that “knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (1 Corinthians 8:1).

This technological advancement, while appearing as progress, often serves to deceive through “signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The ability to manipulate creation at increasingly fundamental levels reflects mankind’s continued attempt to usurp God’s role, echoing the tower of Babel incident where God observed: “and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do” (Genesis 11:6). Yet all this knowledge and technological power ultimately fails to address humanity’s fundamental spiritual need, proving Solomon’s wisdom that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

Israel’s restoration as a nation stands as one of the most visible signs heralding Christ’s approaching reign. Jesus used the fig tree, a consistent biblical symbol for Israel, to mark prophetic timing: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:32-33). This regathering of Israel fulfills numerous prophetic promises, demonstrating God’s faithfulness to His covenants.

The prophet Ezekiel detailed this restoration with remarkable precision: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land” (Ezekiel 37:21). Amos further specified that this restored nation would maintain permanent residence in their land: “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God” (Amos 9:15). Isaiah foresaw this gathering happening suddenly: “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once?” (Isaiah 66:8).

This restoration serves multiple purposes. First, it demonstrates God’s sovereign control over nations, fulfilling His word through Jeremiah: “For, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid” (Jeremiah 30:10). Second, it provides a visible witness to all nations of God’s faithfulness, as Ezekiel prophesied: “And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore” (Ezekiel 37:28). Finally, it prepares for Christ’s millennial reign from Jerusalem, fulfilling Isaiah’s vision: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2).

These prophetic signs should stir believers to spiritual preparation rather than fear or anxiety. Paul explains this distinct position of God’s people: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). This knowledge brings acknowledgment of God’s work, as Peter emphasizes: “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11). This verse shows us examining and giving account of what God is producing in us, for “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

The prophet Isaiah provides specific guidance for this preparation: “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). This internal preparation matters more than external responses. Again the prophet Isaiah describes the character God seeks during times of judgment: “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Understanding these signs should deepen our reliance on God’s wisdom rather than human understanding. As Solomon counsels: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). This dependence becomes especially crucial as deception increases, fulfilling Jesus’s warning: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).

Rather than being overcome by events, believers should find hope in seeing God’s prophecies fulfilled. As Jesus encouraged: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). These signs confirm that God works all things according to His eternal purpose, as Paul declared: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

The Preparation for Christ’s Kingdom

God orchestrates specific events to prepare for Christ’s millennial reign, each following His sovereign timing and eternal purpose. The prophet Isaiah revealed this orchestration: “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). The first major preparatory event involves the resurrection and transformation of those who died in Christ. Paul unveils this mystery: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This resurrection marks the beginning of God’s visible intervention to establish His kingdom through Christ.

The priority of this resurrection follows God’s established pattern seen throughout scripture. God commanded Israel concerning harvests: “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God” (Exodus 23:19). This physical requirement revealed a deeper spiritual truth about God’s order of resurrection. Christ fulfilled the firstfruits pattern in His own resurrection, as Paul explains: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:20-21). These resurrected saints represent the next wave of God’s spiritual harvest, following Christ the firstfruits. The prophet Isaiah glimpsed this order: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isaiah 26:19). Hosea further confirmed this promise of resurrection: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death” (Hosea 13:14).

Following the resurrection of the dead in Christ, living believers undergo an instantaneous transformation. Paul reveals the sequence: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). He further unveils the nature of this transformation: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). This change reflects Christ’s own glorification, as John testifies: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Paul elaborates on this conformity to Christ’s image: “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:21). The prophet Isaiah foresaw this glorious transformation: “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).

The establishment of Christ’s kingdom requires the removal of all opposing spiritual influences, beginning with Satan himself. God revealed this necessity through Isaiah: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17). John witnesses this purifying action in his vision: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled” (Revelation 20:1-3). This binding fulfills God’s ancient promise to crush the serpent’s power, first declared in Genesis: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head” (Genesis 3:15). The prophet Zechariah foresaw the complete purification this brings: “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zechariah 13:2). Through this action, the way is prepared for Christ’s uncontested rule over the earth.

The Structure of Christ’s Government

The governmental structure of Christ’s millennial kingdom reveals God’s pattern of authority and administration. At its center stands Jerusalem, the city God chose for His eternal purpose. David captured this holy selection in Psalm 132:13-14: “For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” The prophet Jeremiah further elaborated on Jerusalem’s future role: “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 3:17).

While Scripture provides these detailed descriptions of governmental structure, we must remember that ”the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) and that Jesus’ words are ”spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). These prophecies and descriptions do represent profound spiritual realities rather than purely physical arrangements. Just as the law served as ”a shadow of good things to come’‘ (Hebrews 10:1), these governmental descriptions do reveal spiritual truths about Christ’s authority and rule in His people rather than merely detailing physical administrative structures. Following the principle that we should compare ”spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13), we understand these prophecies have deeper spiritual significance beyond literal physical fulfillment. While God will establish His authority through Christ’s reign, the exact physical manifestation of this government may differ from interpretations of these prophetic passages.

From this heavenly center, Christ and His transformed saints will administer righteous judgment throughout the earth. Isaiah provides a detailed picture of this worldwide government: “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). This governance fulfills God’s original purpose declared through Daniel: “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away” (Daniel 7:14).

The distribution of authority within this government follows principles of proven faithfulness. Christ Himself established this standard in His parable: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:21). This pattern appears again when He teaches: “And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17). These passages reveal that positions of authority in Christ’s kingdom are assigned based on proven character rather than natural abilities or human selection.

The structure of Christ’s millennial government includes clearly defined roles, beginning with the twelve apostles. Jesus personally guaranteed their positions of authority: “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30). He further confirmed this appointment with a specific promise: “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” (Matthew 19:28).

Beyond the apostles’ authority over Israel’s tribes, transformed saints exercise authority over other aspects of the kingdom. Daniel foresaw this shared reign: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High” (Daniel 7:27). The prophet Isaiah detailed how this righteous rule would function: “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:1-2).

This government maintains order through godly power because those being ruled still possess a carnal nature requiring strict oversight. Paul explains this fundamental opposition between flesh and spirit: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7). Therefore, as John reveals, Christ “shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27). The prophet Isaiah describes this firm but righteous rule: “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4).

From Jerusalem’s throne, God’s truth and authority extend outward to encompass all nations. Ezekiel saw this expansion symbolized through an extraordinary vision of water flowing from the temple: “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward…And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles…Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over” (Ezekiel 47:1,3,5).

This expanding river represents how knowledge and authority progressively fill the earth. The prophet Habakkuk foresaw this universal spread of truth: “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). Isaiah reveals how this instruction reaches individuals: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21). Under Christ’s government, confusion about God’s will vanishes as “the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken” (Isaiah 32:3).

During this period, nations regularly journey to Jerusalem to learn God’s ways. Zechariah describes this pattern: “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16). Isaiah expands on this prophetic picture: “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3).

This millennial government serves a purpose beyond maintaining external order – it demonstrates profound spiritual truths about human nature. Just as Israel in the wilderness received perfect leadership through Moses, daily miracles of provision, and God’s visible presence, yet remained carnal in their thinking, so will the nations during the millennium experience favorable conditions under Christ’s rule while their inner nature remains unchanged. Paul recorded this crucial lesson from Israel’s experience: “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness” (1 Corinthians 10:5).

This godly administration reveals why external perfection cannot transform the inner nature of man. The prophet Isaiah described this limitation: “Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD” (Isaiah 26:10). Even with righteousness enforced and Satan bound, the natural heart remains resistant to God’s rule. Because “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).

The millennium particularly demonstrates the insufficiency of knowledge alone to change human nature. Though truth fills the earth “as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9), the prophet Amos foresaw a different kind of famine: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11). This prophecy reveals how even amid abundant spiritual light, the natural mind remains spiritually deaf and blind unless transformed by God’s power. As Isaiah explained: “And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not” (Isaiah 6:9).

Satan Loosed: The Final Testing

After a thousand years of the rulership of Christ’s, God administers a final test that conclusively reveals the true state of human nature. John describes this divine purpose: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison” (Revelation 20:7). This release follows God’s consistent pattern of testing seen throughout scripture, serving to manifest what lies within unregenerate hearts. Moses explained this principle to Israel: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

God’s method of testing always exposes what already exists within, as Jeremiah revealed: “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10). This final test proves definitively that even favorable conditions cannot transform human nature – only regeneration through Christ can accomplish this change. The prophet Ezekiel foretold this necessary internal transformation: “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” (Ezekiel 36:26).

This testing follows the pattern God established with Israel, where external blessings often revealed internal rebellion. As Moses warned: “But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation” (Deuteronomy 32:15). The millennium’s conditions similarly expose mankind’s continued opposition to God’s rule, fulfilling what David prophetically observed: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 53:1).

The End of the Millennial Reign

The results of Satan’s release provide conclusive evidence about mankind’s true spiritual condition. After being bound for a thousand years as John witnessed: “And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Revelation 20:3). This divinely determined “little season” serves God’s purpose – it is long enough to manifest what lies in unregenerate hearts, yet brief enough to demonstrate God’s complete control over evil. Despite experiencing a thousand years of just government, peace, ideal conditions, and abundant provision, the nations of the world quickly succumb to Satan’s deception. John records the astonishing scope of this rebellion: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 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” (Revelation 20:7-8).

This rapid turning against God’s rule mirrors Israel’s pattern in the wilderness. Despite witnessing God’s miracles daily – the manna, the pillar of fire, the cloud of glory – they repeatedly rebelled. The psalmist captured this persistent ingratitude: “How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy” (Psalm 78:40-42). This pattern reveals a profound truth about human nature – external blessings without internal transformation lead to greater rebellion.

The deceived nations gather for one final assault against Jerusalem and God’s people. John describes this culminating rebellion: “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city” (Revelation 20:9). The prophet Joel foresaw this gathering: “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up… Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about” (Joel 3:9,11). However, God’s judgment comes swiftly and decisively: “And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9).

After this final rebellion is crushed, Satan faces his ultimate judgment. John witnesses this decisive moment: “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” (Revelation 20:10). This judgment fulfills the prophetic promise: “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet” (Psalm 91:13). The prophet Isaiah had glimpsed this final defeat: “In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1).

Then comes the great white throne judgment, where all remaining issues find resolution. John describes this awesome scene: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them” (Revelation 20:11). This judgment fulfills what Daniel foresaw: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10).

At this judgment, even death itself faces final destruction: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:14). This fulfills Paul’s prophecy that “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26) and realizes God’s promise: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces” (Isaiah 25:8).

God’s Ultimate Purpose Accomplished

These events reveal profound spiritual truths about God’s work in mankind. The millennium demonstrates what Paul explained about the natural and spiritual order: “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46). Just as God created the natural Adam before bringing forth the spiritual Christ, He uses the millennium to prove conclusively that even exemplary physical conditions cannot produce spiritual life.

The lake of fire represents God’s method of bringing spiritual life through death, following Christ’s fundamental principle: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24). The prophet Isaiah foresaw this transformative process: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isaiah 43:2).

All these events lead to the fulfillment of God’s ultimate purpose, as Paul declares: “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power… And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:24, 28). Through this sequence, God accomplishes His eternal plan of bringing all creation to spiritual life in Christ, fulfilling His original declaration about mankind: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

What appears as defeat serves God’s purpose of victory. The natural creation’s complete failure during the millennium, despite suitable conditions, leads to the very circumstances through which God brings forth spiritual life. As Paul reveals: “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21).

The millennium and its aftermath demonstrate God’s righteous wisdom in bringing forth spiritual life. What begins with mankind’s creation in God’s image finds its fulfillment through a carefully designed process that proves one essential truth – spiritual life cannot emerge from improving the natural, but must come through death and resurrection. As Paul explains: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-24).

This process fulfills what Paul revealed as God’s ultimate purpose: “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever” (Romans 11:36). The message of Numbers glimpsed this glorious outcome: “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD” (Numbers 14:21). Isaiah too saw this completion: “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1).

Through these events, God demonstrates His sovereign control over all creation, working everything according to His eternal purpose. As Daniel declared: “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:35). This fulfills God’s declaration through Isaiah: “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand” (Isaiah 14:24).

The millennium thus serves its purpose in God’s plan, proving that true transformation comes only through His work. As Jeremiah prophesied: “This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Through this process, God achieves His eternal purpose of conforming all creation to the image of His Son, that Christ “might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

[Study Aired January 16, 2020]

Psa 142:1  Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. 
Psa 142:2  I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. 
Psa 142:3  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. 
Psa 142:4  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 
Psa 142:5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 
Psa 142:6  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 
Psa 142:7  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. 

The  “living” of the “land of the living” in verse 5, where we find our refuge in the Lord, are those who have God’s holy spirit within them, also likened to “living waters” by our Lord, waters that are given to very few in this life to water our lands that represent our souls and specifically our inward man who is renewed daily (2Co 4:16) and belongs to God (Rom 8:9, Joh 7:38, Mat 22:14, Eze 18:4). 

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 

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. 

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me [Joh 6:44], and drink. [each in his appointed time]
Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

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

Eze 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 

The Lord has another fold, the rest of the world (Joh 10:16) whom He is directing to fulfill His overall purpose for humanity, but it is judgment now that blesses us to be called the land of the living as opposed to the dead who are burying the dead and are not at this time being buried into Christ’s death (Joh 10:16, Mat 8:22, Rom 6:4). We cannot die to self in the manner Christ described in Matthew 10:28 and become a new creation except through Christ (Joh 8:36, 1Co 15:22). This is what God has ordained from the foundation of the world to His glory that all men would be saved, but each man in his order (1Co 15:20) starting with His kind of first fruits, who are called the weak of the world through whom He makes his strength perfect first (Jas 1:18, 1Co 1:26, 2Co 12:9).

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

Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

David’s experience was written for the sake of the elect (2Co 4:15, 1Pe 1:12) and this particular Psalm tonight shows us how God uses our isolation, among other divers trials and temptations (Jas 1:2-4), to bring us to learn that “Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living”.

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

Psa 142:1  Maschil of David; A Prayer^H8605 when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. 
Psa 142:2  I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. 

The imagery in this Psalm shows us that David was being sore-pressed and brought to his wits’ end in this cave according to the counsel of our Lord (Eph 1:11) so he would cry “unto the LORD with my voice” and “with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication“.

This was “A Prayer^H8605 “that David was making that is a type of the fervent and effectual prayers (Jas 5:16) that God’s elect offer up as His “David“^H1732=beloved whose lives are likened unto a song or poem, “Maschil^H4905“, that the world hears but cannot receive.

Eze 33:32  And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 

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

Christ is being represented in the life of David who identifies with our struggles in the flesh and cries out to God, as Christ does for us today as He works in us both to will and to do. This pouring out of our “complaint before him” who brings us to our wits’ end is so that we learn to show “before him my trouble” just as David did in this “cave“. 

There is a difference between making a “complaint^H7879” before God, a crying out to him, versus “murmurings and disputings”, and the Lord has to prepare us through our trials so we overcome the spirit that caused much of the Israel of old to perish in the wilderness, being destroyed of the destroyer, always for our admonition. 

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 
Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 

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. 

1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

If we are not brought to our wits’ end, we won’t cry out to God, but if God is working with us in this age, He will bring us to and through (1Co 10:13) these difficult places for our flesh (Joh 21:18) that will cause us to cry out because of the faith He grants us. This is the hunger and thirst we need in our time of need, just as Christ himself demonstrated in His own life, as we “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Jas 4:2-3, Luk 22:32, Heb 5:7, Heb 4:16). When God gets our flesh out of the way, our prayer takes on the mind of Christ that prevails and perseveres in prayer, which is a gift of God so “that thy faith fail not“.

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 
Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 

Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

The word “prayer”^H8605 is often used in the context of God’s elect or “remnant” in the old covenant, where we’re shown types and shadows of how God had always intended to build up the body of Christ, the spiritual temple that we are (1Co 3:16, Eph 2:21, 1Pe 2:5) through Christ who inspires us to offer up those fervent prayers to God in spirit and truth. These “prayers” that are typified in several verses in the old covenant witness to this truth of  (Joh 4:24). They are prayers that typify the acceptable prayers God gives his elect through Christ (Eph 1:6, Jas 4:3).

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

2Sa 7:27  For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayerH8605  unto thee. 

1Ki 8:28  Yet have thou respect unto the prayer^H8605 of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth^H8605 before thee to day:
1Ki 8:29  That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer^H8605 which thy servant shall make toward this place.

1Ki 8:38  What prayer^H8605 and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: 

2Ki 19:4  It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer^H8605 for the remnant that are left. 

2Ki 20:5  Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer^H8605, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. 

2Ch 6:20  That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer^H8605 which thy servant prayeth toward this place. 

Psa 142:3  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. 

It takes our spirit being “overwhelmed within me” to bring us to cry out to God because of how “they privily laid a snare for me…in the way wherein I walked“. It is the Lord who directs our steps (Pro 16:9), “the way wherein I walked”, to bring us to the point where we cry out, and it is the Lord who allows our enemies to privily lay “a snare for me” (Amo 3:6). Our hope and belief is that God is in all the details, the light and the darkness He forms and works in each of our lives (Isa 45:7), so that we never lose sight of His sovereignty with every jot and tittle He is working in each of our lives “till all be fulfilled” (Mat 5:18, Mat 6:10).

Pro 16:9  A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. 

Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? 

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

The “then thou knewest my path” part of this Psalm does not mean that God did not always know our path, but rather that when we are at our wits’ end, He remains sovereign and completely in control of our every step according to His purpose that brings us to our wits’ end so we learn to trust God (Eph 1:11, 2Co 1:9, 1Pe 4:1-2). Many translations add the word “then”, but it is not in the Hebrew. Also, the verb “knewest” is in the Qal tense (a caused action). The Good News Bible translation says this verse in this way:

Psa 142:3  When I am ready to give up, he knows what I should do. In the path where I walk, my enemies have hidden a trap for me. (GNB)

Psa 142:3  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou^H859 knewest^H3045 [H8804 = Qal] my path^H5410. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. (KJV)

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

These prayers that avail much are being made “in the land of the living” and most assuredly do avail much and fill us with hope by which we are saved (Rom 8:24, Php 1:19).

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 

Php 1:19  For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 

Psa 142:4  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 
Psa 142:5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 

The power man looks to for deliverance is in the flesh that will always ultimately fail, and knowing Christ after the flesh is as great an example of “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me” because we don’t know Christ after the flesh in each other but rather in the spirit (2Co 5:16-18, Rom 8:16). That is where our “refuge” lies, and why we can with our hope of glory within (Col 1:27) cry out “in the land of the living“. The body of Christ provides that refuge through each joint that supplies in love (Eph 4:16), a love that is being shown and will witness to all the world who it is God has determined from the foundation of the world to be those disciples who would show that love to one another; His love which is shed abroad in our hearts (Joh 13:35, Rom 5:5).

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. 

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 
2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 
2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 

One day the very workmanship of God He formed to His glory to demonstrate how true discipleship can only be formed in the land of the living, will be revealed in a moment and in a twinkling of an eye.

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

Isa 66:8  Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. 

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Psa 142:6  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 
Psa 142:7  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

When we have been truly humbled under God’s mighty hand by His bringing us “very low” (1Pe 5:6),  then He delivers us “from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I“. Those persecutors are within and are overcome by Christ who is stronger than all the powers and principalities against which we are wrestling (Eph 6:12, Eph 1:21). Those “persecutors” that are primarily within and are represented by the “strong man” in this verse in Luke 11:22, remind us of the heritage that the saints will receive as overcomers through Christ (Rev 21:7) spoken of as “his spoils“. 

Luk 11:22  But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 

Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

The “strong man armed” of the verse right before this in Luke 11:21 typifies Satan and his influence in our heavens, who offered Christ the world because it was his to offer (Mat 4:9), but when Christ overtakes that strong man within us, the man of perdition who is being destroyed by the brightness of His coming, He prepares us through to be the bride of Christ who will inherit eternal life (Rom 6:23). 

Luk 11:21  When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 

Rom 6:22  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 
Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our whole life being given to God as a living sacrifice in the land of the living is also typified by the story of Abraham who meets the king Melchizedek who is a type of Christ that Abraham gives a “tithes of all” that represents all of our life, all of our heart, mind and strength that belong to him “his spoils” (Luk 11:22, Isa 53:12, Zec 14:1, Gen 14:18-20, Mat 22:37-39).

Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

[Christ is numbered with us the transgressors who are blessed to have this spoil of spiritual warfare given to us because His strength made us the weak of the world “the strong.“]

Zec 14:1  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

Gen 14:18  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 
Gen 14:19  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 
Gen 14:20  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

If God delivers us from those spirits which hold us back from worshipping Him fervently and effectively in spirit and in truth, it will happen because the son of God has set us free (Joh 8:36) because he is able to “bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name“. He did just this with Joseph who was miraculously delivered by being given the ability to interpret the dreams brought to him that symbolize for God’s elect today our being able to rightly divide the word of God and understand that the dream is one. It is through rightly dividing the word of God that we will be made free from the bondage of sin as God’s word heals us from all doubt, fear and desolation which are so commonly associated with prisons, or in this Psalm we could say the confined space being talked about “was in the cave” (Gen 41:14, Gen 41:26).  The lean and the fat calves, the blighted and healthy wheat in this story of deliverance from famine reveal the process of light and darkness within us and how we should move with fear just as Noah did to the saving of our house while we live and move and have our being in Christ, not forgetting to lay up store for the days are evil (1Ti 6:19, Mat 6:19).

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

1Ti 6:19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 
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: 
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

The next question to answer is where exactly is this liberty taking place where we are being delivered from our “persecutors” and our souls that are being brought “out of prison“? The answer is in the land of the living where our refuge is and where “the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me“.

We are blessed to deal bountifully with each other as we bring the words of truth God gives us to bring healing to each other so that we can move forward in faith and overcome in this age (Psa 107:20-21, Joh 20:21, Eph 3:10, 1Co 14:26). It’s because of those words of eternal life (Joh 6:68) that we can say “Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living”.

Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. 
Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

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

Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 

1Co 14:26  How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 

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. 

Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 10 Discussion

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Isa 2:6-14 Enter Into The Rock

Isa 2:6 Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
Isa 2:7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
Isa 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
Isa 2:9 And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.
Isa 2:10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Isa 2:13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
Isa 2:14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,

Our study today will demonstrate that it is God who leads us into temptation, and it is He who brings us out. We will see that this was His plan from "before the world began" (2Ti 1:9 and Tit 1:2) and that He is carrying out this plan in every life (Ecc 9:2), "each in his own order" (1Co 15:23). It is this knowledge which will explain the abrupt change in tone between the last week's study and this week's study.

The first five verses of this chapter are in stark contrast in tone, and in time, to the entire first chapter of Isaiah. Both chapters are addressed to the same audience, to the Lord's own people. Of course all men are the Lord's creation, and thereby they belong to Him, but scripture is not intended to be understood by all men at this time, as Matthew 13 and Ephesians 1 make clear concerning the difference between those who "are not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" in this age, and those who are given "eyes that see... and ... ears that hear" in this age, and who are given to be those "who first trusted in Christ":

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

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.

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Paul says "In whom we have redemption". So we must ask, "is that not referring to all who will be given life in Adam (1Co 15:22)?" The answer is an unequivocal, No, it is not! We know this is so, because he qualifies all these personal pronouns with "We... who first trusted in Christ", and he tells us we were chosen in Christ "before the foundation of the world [to be] those who fist trusted in Christ" . He is not at this place in scripture speaking of or to 'all in Adam'.

Verse 10 is speaking of 'all in Adam as well as all the heavenly realm:

Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

This next verse is the "we" of Ephesians 1, and this is who Isaiah also is addressing in this age:

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

Those who first "enter into the Rock.. for the fear of the Lord " are those to whom it is given to be those for whom "judgment must first begin" (1Pe 4:17), those who are the first to be "given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" and who were "chosen in Him before the foundation of the world... to be the firstfruits unto God and the lamb" (Rev 14:4). These are "the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb" (Rev 14:4). But they are nowhere ever called 'the only fruits". This first harvest is said to be "few", and these few are called those who "first trusted in Christ". It will be these "few... who first trusted in Christ [who will] have part in the... blessed and holy... first resurrection" (Rev 20:6).

Just as the phrase "the first resurrection" necessitates a later resurrection at the "great white throne judgment", so also does the phrase "the firstfruits" necessitate a later harvest of "all in Adam" (1Co 15:22), at that same later "great white throne... judgment". Those who are resurrected at this later, great, white throne judgment are those who are raised to what the King James calls the "resurrection of damnation".

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ["the first resurrection"]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [resurrection of condemnation, not "damnation'].

The 'condemnation' is the same condemnation under which our own old man, our own "first man Adam", is condemned:

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

But contrary to what the daughters of the great harlot teach about how easy it is to become a faithful disciple of Christ and to appear in that blessed and holy first resurrection, the truth is the exact opposite, that it is only through "much tribulation that we must enter into the kingdom of God.

Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

The message of our study is that we must all, each in our own time, first be the children of that great whore, who are "not given... to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven... because you have forsaken you children" (Isa 2:6). Only after we have spent a symbolic 'seventy years' being completely deceived by the great harlot, then we must all "come out of her" (Rev 18:4) before we can truly "enter into the Rock... for the fear of the Lord (Isa 2:10)". All these words are addressed to us, and they are "for [our] sakes" (1Co 3:22), nevertheless it is those to whom it is "not given... to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" in this age who comprise the harlot herself. This is the harlot of whom Isaiah 1 and all but the first five verses of chapter two tell us we must "come out" (Rev 18:4):

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.

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

2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

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.

Look at the message and tone of Isaiah 1:

Isa 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward ["because you have forsaken your people..." Isa 2:6]

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

Pro 20:24 Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

Verse 10 tells us "Judah and Jerusalem" are the same as "Sodom and Gomorrah", and verse 21 tells us Judah and Jerusalem are the great harlot of Revelation 17 and 18. That "great harlot" is God's own people who "have rebelled against [Him]". (Isa 1:2)

Now we can understand what is the reason for the stark change in tone in verse 6, from the first five verses of chapter 2, which we covered in last week's study. Going from chapter 1, informing us of our rebellious and whorish ways which we all are given to live through as we live out our symbolic seventy years in Babylon, where we believe and claim to be His people, chapter 2 jumps way ahead to "the last days" and begins with a very different tone:

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

It is only the "few... firstfruits, [the] overcomers" who live out and experience Isa 2:1-5 inwardly in this age. These verses do have an inward application at this time, but that application is only lived out in this time in God's elect few.

Now let's go to the rest of this chapter beginning with verse 6, the first of the 9 verses we will be covering in today's study, and ask ourselves why the sudden and dramatic change of tone:

Now let's read verses 5 and 6 together and see if we can make any sense of why we have this incredible change of tone between these two verses:

Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Isa 2:6 Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

Taken by themselves these verses appear to say "Let us walk in the light of the Lord. Therefore you have forsaken your people the house of Jacob..." and that appears completely incoherent.

God does not forsake His people because they walk in the light of the Lord. According to Christ Himself to "walk in the light of the Lord" is to "follow [the Lord]":

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

If we follow Christ, why then, are we being told "Therefore you have forsaken your people..." That appears to be completely contradictory... 'Follow Christ... therefore Christ has forsaken [His] people the house of Israel'???

There are two reasons why that appears so impossible to understand. The first is that, as is so often the case, it is not properly translated, and the second reason is that we are forgetting that the first five verses concern themselves with what will "come to pass in the last days", while verse 6 is bringing us back to the necessary process which God uses to get us each to our "last days".

Let's read it again:

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

So if we want to understand why there is such an abrupt change in tone from verse 5 to verse 6, we must keep in mind first, that the work of God in His creation is through the process of judgment He is working in all men to judge and to destroy the kingdom of the carnal, rebellious, beastly man of sin, the first man Adam, the old man within all of us. Then secondly, when we discover that the word translated as "therefore" is the exact same word translated as "because" in this very same verse, then these two verses begin to make much more spiritual sense to those who know something of that spiritual process known as God's chastening judgment:

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned [to a later judgment] with the world.

With the necessity of that chastening process in mind, notice that the word "therefore", the first word of verse 6, has the exact same Strong's number as the word translated "because" in this very same verse. Here is this verse with all of its Strong's numbers:

Isa 2:6 Therefore^H3588 thou hast forsaken^H5203 thy people^H5971 the house^H1004 of Jacob^H3290, because^H3588 they be replenished^H4390 from the east^{H4480 H6924}, and are soothsayers^H6049 like the Philistines^H6430, and they please themselves^H5606 in the children^H3206 of strangers^H5237.

So how is this Hebrew word most commonly translated? Here is where it appears in the Old Testament, and the various ways it is translated in the order of the most common to the least common:

H3588
כּי
kı̂y
Total KJV Occurrences: 1120
because, 460; when, 245; if, 166; surely, 58; though, 48; yet, 15; save, 14; how, 11; yea, 10; except, 9; seeing, 9; although, 8; even, 7; nevertheless, 5; whereas, 5; much, 4
assuredly, 3; else, 3; now, 3; than, 3; until, 3; while, 3; forasmuch, 2; so, 2; then, 2; therefore, 2; unless, 2; whether, 2; certainly, 1; doubtless, 1; either, 1; inasmuch, 1; more, 1; rightly, 1; since, 1; thus, 1; till, 1; truly, 1; truth, 1; what, 1; wherefore, 1; which, 1; whom, 1; whose, 1

The English word 'because' is by far the most common translation for this Hebrew word 'kiy'. Of the 1120 times this Hebrew word appears in the Old Testament, it is translated as 'therefore' only two other times. Now 'therefore' and 'because' are not that different in meaning. So let's replace 'therefore' with 'because', and let's replace 'because' with 'therefore' remembering that the first five verses "concern... the Lord's house... in the last days", and let's see what verses 5 and 6 reveal to us when this change is made:

To get the proper understanding of what the holy spirit is telling us, I will read the first five verses along with verse 6:

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Isa 2:6 [Because] thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, [therefore] they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

While the word 'because' may seem little different from the word 'therefore' to those who are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the word 'because', which is the proper translation for the Hebrew word 'kiy', connects that which comes to pass in the last days to what the Lord Himself must first do in the lives of His people before they can be prepared to "come out of [Babylon]. What God must do before He can bring His people out of Babylon is to "forsake your people the house of Jacob", turn them over to a cruel task master, replenish them from the east, and make them soothsayers like the Philistines. He must send them as slaves into Babylon to serve a symbolic 70 years in the deceitful lies of that apostate, adulterous system. It is He who is ruling in the kingdoms of men and in the lives of all men who live in those kingdoms, and it is He who makes His own people to err and who hardens their hearts from His fear. That is why that change of tone is there, and that is exactly what these verses reveal:

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

Dan 4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

The future is no mystery to God. He foretold exactly how long Israel would serve Babylon, exactly what would be the fruit of that curse upon His people, and exactly what would become of their oppressors when they had served their purpose.

Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual [Hebrew: olawm - age] desolations.

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.

Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

It is Jer 29:10 which explains what God tells us in verse 6 of Isaiah 2. The "good word[s] toward you" of the first five verses of chapter 2 can only come to pass after '[He] forsakes [His] people the house of Israel', sends them to Babylon for seventy years, and only then can the Lord can call them out of Babylon to walk in the light of the Lord.'

Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Isa 2:6 Because thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, therefore they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

In other words, it is all being worked by God for Himself after the counsel of His own will:

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

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Now we will return to the judgment we must endure before we can truly walk in the light of the Lord and establish the Lord's house in the top of the mountains of our lives (Isa 2:2).

And where do we get all of this silver and gold and treasures with which Babylon is so full? Here is where it originates:

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,

Rev 18:12 The [spiritual] merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, [in spiritual Babylon].

It is with God's own word that we make false doctrines that accord with our own deceived minds, and it is with His own word, symbolized in this verse by gold and silver, that we make to ourselves our "idols of the heart" (Eze 14:1-9). In that deceived state, 'olawm', an age, becomes 'perpetual', and in the Greek, the word 'aion', an age, becomes 'eternity'.

But as the next two verses of Ezekiel 16 reveal, we only want God's name to justify our shameful actions even as we insist on wearing our own garments and eating our own food, both of which we took from Him and now use to prostitute ourselves to our own shame, in which shameful works we glory as did Sodom.

Eze 16:18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them [our idols of our hearts]: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them [wresting the scriptures, 2Pe 3:16].
Eze 16:19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee [the Word of God], thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.

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

Isa 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Where do we get the chariots in which we trust while living in our deceit? Here is the source of all of our supposed great strength as we live the life of a whore:

Isa 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

'Egypt' typifies this world which lives in rebellion against the laws of God. That is the source of our strength while we, too, live in rebellion to the Words of Christ. But Egypt will sadly disappoint us:

Isa 36:6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

In the spiritual realm we trust in our own idols of our hearts, and in the physical realm we trust in our own physical strength and physical weapons of war. Both are of no value when the iniquities of our lives and our nation are fulfilled, and our day of judgment has arrived:

Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

The next verse fits right in with all the idols we make for ourselves at this time "[because God] has forsaken [His] people".

Isa 2:6 [Because] thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

The mark of God and the mark of the beast are both 'in our right hand and in our foreheads':

Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them [God's commandments] for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

"The work of [our] own hands, that which [our] own fingers have made" refers particularly to the idols of our hearts, which we place ahead of and before the words of Christ and His Father. The "land" is our individual lives, and at this time in our lives we have very little or no time or thought for the words of Christ and His Father simply "because [God] has foresaken [His] people" at this time in our experience. It is the same "one event" in the process of being judged, which is to be experienced by all men of all time (Ecc 9:2).

Every facet of our lives, everything great and small, is given over to bowing down before the dominion of sin in our lives at this time in our experience. We live these words inwardly, and we are watching this take place outwardly and dispensationally as we witness the decline of our society and our nation and the entire world in which we live. It is only at the point of the full bloom of the self-destructive nature of the kingdom of our old man that our loving heavenly Father admonishes us:

Saul of Tarsus is a Biblical type of each of us and also of the outward, dispensational application of these words. At a young age he had arisen within the harlot system of His day to the position of being given the charge of overseeing the persecution of the body of Christ.

Act 7:58 And cast him [Stephen] out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

But Saul was zealous to serve his harlot mother, to the extent that he desired from the high priest letters authorizing him to bind Christians outside Israel in Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem to be judged.

Act 9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Act 9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Even though Saul is a Pharisee, he is now allied with, and at the zenith of his zeal for the worship of his obsolete, false god, the corrupt Jerusalem Sanhedrin, whose leaders, the high priests, were Sadducees, who did not even believe in a resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits.

Mar 12:18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,

Act 23:8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

Just like the churches today, the one thing that unites them is their hatred for Christ and His Christ, and they are intent on putting their dead bodies in the street of the 'great city, where also our Lord was crucified':

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt (Isa 1:10 and 21), where also our Lord was crucified.

But it is just at this point of the apparent victory of the beast over the Christ of Christ, when we are all brought by God to our wits' end, that the fear of God strikes our hearts and we cry out to the rocks to fall on us and hide us from the face of the Judge of all men. This is the point where we want to "enter into the Rock for fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty":

Here is how that all worked out in the life of Saul of Tarsus:

Act 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
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.
Act 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

This "fear of God" takes place within us spiritually, but it will also come over the whole world when 'the iniquities of the Amorites' are fulfilled on an international scale at the time of the manifestation of the sons of God. This is all foreshadowed by the fear which God struck into the hearts of all the nations which He gave over to Israel when they came up out of Egypt:

Jos 2:9 And she [Rahab the harlot] said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
Jos 2:10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
Jos 2:11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

That is what happened to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Here is that same experience as it is described for us in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ and it is lived out in our lives:

Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? [Isa 2:10]

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies [of the two witnesses] shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

This horrifying experience is not unique to Saul of Tarsus. While our experience may not be as immediate or as dramatic as that of Saul, it is still the same "one event [common] to all" (Ecc 9:2), and this is the product of what happened to Saul of Tarsus, and this is the product of God's wonderful works in all the children of men (Psa 107:21-31).

The phrases "that day, [and] the day of the Lord" are always speaking of the day of His judgments upon His people. That is why He must first "forsake His people", humble them, instill His fear within us all and bring us "to [our] wits' end" (Psa 107:27), and then place within us His kingdom [Luk 17:20-21]. It is at that point in our walk the mountain of the Lord's house will begin to be placed in the top of the mountains to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Then when the thousand years are expired, we are given to judge all the messengers, all the angels of Satan, in the lake of fire.

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

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

Rev 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.
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. ["We shall judge angels"]
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire [the destruction of "the last enemy... death" 1Co 15:26]. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. [The second death, the lake of fire, is the destruction of death].

This "great white throne judgment, [which is] the lake of fire" is not a bad thing for mankind. This is the very foundation of the beginning of the process of the salvation of all men to bring them to learn and to live righteous lives:

Psa 119:67 Before I was afflicted [judged] I went astray: but now [that your judgments are in the earth] have I kept thy word.

Psa 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted [judged]; that I might learn thy statutes.

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.

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Awesome Hands – part 39

“ Whom thy brethren shall praise”

At the end of the conclusion of the previous study, we learned that the elder shall serve the younger and the institution of this spiritual Truth is orchestrated by the “hands” of the living God.

In today’s study, we are going to cover the few times that “hands” are mentioned in chapter 49 of Genesis.

At the beginning of chapter 49, Jacob calls his sons together so that he can tell them what will become of them.

At the start, we should see that this is telling us that God indeed in working all things after the counsel of His own will.

He tells us at the start what His process for our lives and those of the rest of mankind is, though the details vary.

Gen 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
Gen 49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

Instead of covering every verse in the chapter, I am going to focus on the context of what is said concerning God working His hands in these brothers’ lives.

Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

From the start of this chapter, we can see a type and shadow which sets the stage for what we are being told.

Jacob tells his children to gather themselves together, but notice he is doing this so that he can essentially instruct them of the judgment that is coming to them.

We can take this admonition and see what we are being told by looking at other examples of being gathered together.

Jer 4:5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.

Jer 6:1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

So, it is easy for anyone to look for the phrase “gather yourselves together,” but as we all know it is here a little and there a little that we see biblical truths and patterns.

So, I am going to look at a few more examples to get a clearer picture of what we are seeing happening.

Eze 39:17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
Eze 39:18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
Eze 39:19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
Eze 39:20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 39:21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
Eze 39:22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.

Here in Ezekiel, we see judgment is being instituted, but just how is it that judgment happens or “comes from the north?”

Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Rev 19:18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

“Judgment begins”

What we are reading about in these groups of scripture is none other than the old man being judged along with “Babylon the great.”

What we are seeing is the “people of Israel” being compared with the “gentiles” and the “fowls of the air” being compared with “He who dwells in heaven.”

This all is summed in a very easily understood way by simply being given the eyes to see that “judgment must being at the house of God.”

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

As we look at the rest of the study, we should keep this idea at the front of our minds.

So, let us look at the first time “hands” are mentioned in chapter 49 and then we will divide the verse up into smaller “bite size chunks” of edification and nourishment.

Gen 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Gen 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Gen 49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

We know there are twelve tribes of Israel, and as we read this chapter, Jacob passes judgment on all of the brothers, his sons.

However, for Judah and Joseph we can see some very interesting admonitions of what happens from these two lineages.

It just so happens that these two brothers also have the only specific mentioning of “hands” being mentioned in these judgments. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the Lord isn’t working in the judgments of the others because He is.

What it means for this study is that we will focus our time on Judah and Joseph because they have some very particular judgments which are extremely instructional for the “hope that is in us”.

First notice, that Judah is proclaimed to “receive praise from his brethren and will have his hand on the neck of his enemies.”

It is Jacob, typifying the judgment of the Father, who is passing on this judgment to His “sons”. Christ typifies Joseph and Benjamin typifies the called, chosen and faithful elect.

Even in type and shadow however, we must take the sum of the Word to establish any doctrine or Truth we are trying to understand. With that in mind, we must consider first where Christ came from “in the flesh” and what that flesh means/ shows us.

Out of the tribe of Judah comes Christ.

Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Psa 78:67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
Psa 78:68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
Psa 78:69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
Psa 78:70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

So, “in the flesh” comes Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

In type and shadow, we see the blessing/ judgment that is being passed on Judah as a prophecy of that which will come to pass. David was a man after “God’s own heart,” yet David in the flesh wanted his enemies to have revenge paid on them as he “laid on his death bed.”

Yet, God uses the “seed of David” to merge the “twain into one.”

Act 13:21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
Act 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Act 13:23 Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

The lion of the tribe of Judah, made in sinful flesh, is able to abolish “in his flesh,” the HATRED that is there due to the sin that it is.

If this is what Christ went through, and we are “His flesh”, then this too will happen to us. Continuing we read:

Gen 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Gen 49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

It seems like there is also some cryptic language being used to describe these blessings, but as we compare spiritual with spiritual we start to see a lot more clearly what we are being told.

This is the blessing that has come on the “lion of the tribe of Judah”. You may be thinking that this blessing is on Judah himself, and that is true, but as we know how God sees, He views Judah as his seed and Judah’s seed as Judah. The concept is no different than what Christ told us about Him and His Father, they are One and the same.

Christ, in his flesh, BINDS the FOAL to the VINE and the ASS’s COLT to the choice VINE. This same exact concept is repeated right away in us being told that “his garments” are washed in WINE and his clothes in BLOOD.

If we compare spiritual with spiritual, the fowls of the air and the ass’s colt are DOCTRINES; i. e. not the mind of Christ and His doctrine, and the vine of course, is Christ or His MIND, which is the Father’s mind and will.

The ass’s colt is just a way of saying the “young of the beasts,” and we know that the beasts of the field include us.

What Christ did and does today “in his flesh” is that He brings the flesh into subjection to His mind.

The spiritually minded new man is given dominance over the carnally minded old man.

“Whose branches run over the wall”

So that covers Judah’s blessing, so now we will move on to Joseph’s.

Joseph, of course, typifies Christ, but didn’t we just say Christ is “the lion of the tribe of Judah?” Yes, we did, but everything in scripture is Christ because Christ is the Word of God.

So, when we read Joseph’s blessing/ judgment, we are reading a progression of the type and shadow we are covering today.

As we progress to Joseph, we see:

Gen 49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
Gen 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
Gen 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Gen 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Gen 49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

The word used here are “bough” is only used here in Gen 49 as bough.

H1121

be n

Total KJV Occurrences:4902

There are 4902 occurrences of this word with 1895 being translated as son, 1543 as children, 1033 as sons and the rest being made up of differing English words. The word used as the ass’s “colt” in Judah’s blessing is the same word H1121.

So the thought that is being conveyed by the Holy Spirit is that this is the fruit of the loin or fruit of the vine. However, the spiritual meaning that we should focus on is this the FIRST son or FIRST fruit.

Here is where this concept comes from:

Exo 12:5 Your lamb H7716 shall be H1961 without blemish, H8549 a male H2145 of the first H1121 year: H8141 ye shall take it out H3947 from H4480 the sheep, H3532 or from H4480 the goats: H5795

Exo 29:38 Now this H2088is that which H834 thou shalt offer H6213 upon H5921 the altar; H4196 two H8147 lambs H3532 of the first H1121 year H8141 day by day H3117 continually. H8548

Eze 46:13 Thou shalt daily H3117 prepare H6213 a burnt offering H5930 unto the LORD H3068of a lamb H3532 of the first H1121 year H8141 without blemish: H8549 thou shalt prepare H6213 it every morning. H1242 H1242

There are many other examples of first, 51 according to strong’s concordance, but that should these verses should be sufficient to make this point.

What we are being told about the blessing that is being bestowed onto Joseph is exactly what we know to be true scripturally and what has already been covered within this awesome hands series.

Joseph was the first in spirit to be separated from his brethren. He is the first fruit in this regard.

Since we have established that Joseph is Christ in type, who are the branches?

Joh 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If the “archers” hated Christ our Master, how much more with they hate the Master’s servants?

Gen 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
Gen 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

Joh 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Rest assured, just as Christ the first fruit went ahead of His brethren being the “bough of God,” so too, does our Lord and God go before us and strengthen the arms of our hands thus creating in us to be shepherds of the flock!

Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

We are able to do this and the strengthening comes because we have the Living Word sitting on the throne within us, which is what this whole study is focused on.

Christ “in His flesh” abolishes with the cross, the enmity that the flesh represents. The way this is done is that the mind of Christ, the Word of God, is living in “fleshy hearts” which are created because our stony hearts are CRUSHED with the STONE OF ISRAEL.

Mat 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Joh 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Joh 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
2Co 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God- ward:

This all comes about because the blessings that are given to “him that is separated from His brethren.”

Just as Joseph who was loved by His Father more than his brothers, and received a coat of many colors because of that love, so too, are these “kinds of first fruits” who go through this process first, now while in this tabernacle of flesh where Christ has come.

Gen 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Gen 49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

“All things are yours” means just that. The God of our fathers, “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” is and has blessed us with the blessings which are of heaven above and ALSO with blessings of the DEEP.

The fiery trials we must endure are BLESSINGS which show us the judgment of the Father on our lives.

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

Christ suffered, Joseph suffered and we too, if we are loved by our Father, will also be judged and TRIED in the Fire of the Word so that the chastening in us produces the righteousness of God.

This whole process is so important and precious to our Father in heaven.

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Finally, in this type and shadow we see the blessing on Benjamin which goes as follows:

Gen 49:27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

God will give Benjamin the blessing of being blessed in the morning and the night. In other “spiritual” words, the chosen elect of God will be given the whole scope of blessing of which we have seen come to Judah and Joseph.

Of course, the other brothers received blessings, too, and we will in our time live out those words of the Lord as well.

Our focus in this study today though is to see what the Lord is doing with those of whom He is building up His spiritual Kingdom in now.

This chapter finishes up with Israel blessing his sons, (just as God blesses His sons) and then he instructs his sons to bury him appropriately with his kinfolk.

Gen 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

Gen 49:33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Getting High In Two Worlds

It may seem like a strange subject, but we all get high in two worlds. The beast in us is driven by our desire to be worldly minded, while the new man in us is driven by the desire to “keep my commandments…”

Rev 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

The beast in us is given strength and power by what is happening in the spiritual realm, so that we can see that whatever is bound in heaven is already bound in the earth. The spiritual man in us is dying daily to those things only to be daily reminded that we struggle and endure until the end if we have any hope of being “blessed and Holy is he that has part in that first resurrection…”

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

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Dying daily, we must be subject to letting ourselves be subservient to “thy will be done” and when we die, both physically and spiritually, we go to the grave. There will be a day, however, that that same grave will no longer bind us and we will be resurrected into the fullness of Jesus Christ.

This is the time; the time is at hand, that the Fire of the Word of God be mingled with brimstone and that lake of fire consumes everything in its path as we dwell in the consuming Fire.

In today’s study, I hope we can all walk away with a better understanding of what it is that drives our lives as demonstrated in the Word of God.

Aliens, Zombies and Bears! Oh My!

I’ll admit, there are no bears but there are plenty of aliens and zombies walking around. Have you ever noticed how man with His beast creates vast amounts of imaginative babblings, but when those same imaginations are compared to the Word of God, their true intent and nature are brought to light? Literally.

Let me explain what I am trying to convey with a few examples. I’ve lived out a few crazy ideas and bene through the process of having crazy times be used in my life in order for the Lord to bring me through that so that I could be in a position to worship Him in Spirit and Truth.

UFOS

We all have heard about UFOs and some of us may have had desire to know more, but there comes a time when you see the miraculous way in which we came into existence.

Have aliens supplanted us here and watched us grow from afar? Rather, I would inject that it is God the Father and Jesus Christ who have given us all life and we indeed were supplanted, so I guess the “alien theorists” are on the right path depending on how you define the words.

Zombies

What about zombies? In Hollywood, we have always been given an image of what it would be like to have this “walking dead” roaming around and devouring the flesh of anyone they can catch.

Christ said, “let the dead bury the dead”, so we literally see zombies everyday who do not even know that they are being driven through a plan that has been divine since it’s been put into play. We spiritually dead people everywhere.

Getting back to how this relates to the topic of today is that this is how I started thinking when I first came to understand the milk of the Word. I didn’t fully seperate, nor was I capable to do so, what it is to have leaven mixed with the whole lump.

Telephone Poles

I use to smoke marijuana daily. When I did that I would get high of course, and my mind would be re- shaped in how it dissimulated the information that was presented to it.  In other words, when I was high my mind was able to dump its baggage off for a moment and escape the “truths of the world” with those truths being whatever they are for each of us.

I was able to relax and forget all my worldly troubles.

One day, I was driving down a fairly long road while getting high, and I noticed a fairly old looking telephone pole leaning with the weight of the cables it was supporting. It struck me that as I looked at the other poles down the line they were all identical except they had not been broken and leaning. It was then that I saw the shape they held, a T. Being high, my brain focused in on this point.

Mind you, I was high, but I started to see Christ in everything on the road. The lines in the middle were shaped like a finger:

il

il

il

il

il

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The trees I saw reminded me of me being a tree which God has grown.

I started to see Christ in a way that I never had and this was all while I was high. The focus that I am trying to make is that it had nothing to do with being high except that the high provided the means for my mind to be opened to some other thought processes which could not happen with my everyday mind and life happening.

The Lord used that moment to help me to be drawn to Him more, but it had nothing to do with being high and more to do with the Lord “meeting me at the well” while I yet lived in sin.

Once that door had been opened, the Lord used it to do away with my desire to be high on worldly lusts and to embrace the new mind that the Lord was introducing me to through His word.

I tell you all this information as a back drop to the rest of the study, because it is our very mind which must be being changed into the image of the Son of God.

We are all soldiers

The last few minutes, I have put some emphasis on my mind being opened and how all of our minds must be opened in order for us to begin our walk with the Lord.

Time and time again, we see in the scripture that man is shaped into his use and used as he or she fits in the plan of God. There are few indeed who realize that the elect of God are in a war which the Lord has caused to happen.

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

I often talk about being a soldier because as a young man, I use to be confronted with the aspect of joining the military to protect God and country. However, I now understand that I was indeed drafted but it is to a completely different type of war.

This war is fought in the hearts and minds of everyday people whom the Lord is working with. We are continually confronted with the battlefield of our mind in an effort to wear us down and a lot of times if we would just settle down and let the Lord do His work, we would better off mentally for doing so.

Right about now, you might be saying, “Steven, why are you so enamored with your mind?” The truth of the matter is, the Lord is very interested in just what is in my mind because this is where His battle between the doctrines of the world and the doctrines of Christ are battling. The end result will be love, but there will be bloodshed to get there.

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1Jn 4:21  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

I am asked by the world around me to love my country and go kill my brother who lives in another country. I am brothers with every man, woman and child I see, but my government insists on asking me to kill them.

High on World, High on Spirit

I am not sure how many are aware of it, but marijuana and hemp and outlawed in this “great” country of ours, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t around. Marijuana is worth more ounce per ounce than gold, and it is responsible for roughly half of all of the US’ inmates. This natural weed is big business.

I use to get high from it, and I use to worry about all the garbage that is told about how it affects you until as time passed and I hadn’t seen any of these symptoms in myself, I started to realize it was all a way for man to control one another. I honestly quit because the Lord said it was time to stop and no other reason. In and of myself, I couldn’t breathe without the Lord.

Anyhow, with marijuana I realized how big of a business marijuana was and why I could see why it is it was illegal. You just need to follow the money like anything else. So why am I even talking about this?

Well, I want to take everything that has been mentioned so far and bring it around full circle to the Word of God.

In our natural environment, marijuana is all over the planet and can be grown in 100s off different environments. There are 100s of uses for the hemp in industry, there are documented medical uses for it, and there have been zero reported deaths from it uses reported.

What does mankind do with what God has freely given them?

We make it illegal.

This is man’s wisdom. We take nature, make powerful drugs with it, and then sell it for huge profit and many side affect’s. We take what God had made and make it a federal and state crime to use.

…and I use this example to illustrate that this is exactly what we do spiritually with God’s word.

We take simple verses like:

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

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

And we turn it into:

“Sinners will burn in hell for all eternity if they don’t get saved…”

We take what God had freely given all of us, and we abuse it in ways we will only know of when God is All in All and in most of us we never come to this knowledge in this life because we have another mind.

God’s word says it best in Timothy:

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

There are three things I want to bring into focus with the above verses:

1. The last days
2. Houses with silly women
3. Never have knowledge of the truth

Let’s reverse that:

1. Never have knowledge of the truth
2. Houses with silly women
3. The last days

Where do we see in scripture examples of ever having or never having the knowledge of the truth:

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth

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

Hos 4:1  Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Rom 2:20  An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Rom 2:21  Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

What is this “knowledge of truth” then? Among other things, it is us being given the truth that we are all in Christ, we are all brothers and we all must love one another as ourselves. For our flesh, it is just too much to ask but for the mind of God it is nothing.

Notice that in 2Ti 3 in verses 2 through 4 we are given descriptions of the types of things going on in the minds and hearts of those being talked about. I want you to pay close attention to when this is happening and what is happening to whom.

2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

“For this sort…” everything we just described is “they which creep into houses”. The houses are US where God dwells and the WOMEN are led away with diverse lusts.

Who is the woman? We are, rather, the mind that is in us which is the mother of harlots.

Isn’t it clear that we are dealing with two minds battling for the land? Isn’t that what we saw earlier?

Hos 4:1  Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

In one part of our land, we have a soldier fighting tooth and nail to save this flesh or what will come to this and all flesh eventually.

We have one man who is gonna “choose” to fight and we have another man who knows we have nothing to do with being here except that we are told that this is now our war.

In other words, we have:

Old man saying “I choose” and the

New man says “The choice has already been made”

Ironically, it is the old man who has the youthful thinking of “life is so short; therefore, eat, drink and be merry”. However, it is the new man that has the mature thinking of “life is so short; therefore, cherish every second you have”.

All the while, these types of things are happening “in the last days”. I am sure everyone here is aware of what is meant by “in the last days” but if not I assure you it is not talking about the end of days as talked about in the modern church.

Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, 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:

Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

2Pe 3:2  That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Jas 5:1  Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Jas 5:2  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
Jas 5:3  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Jas 5:4  Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Jas 5:5  Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
Jas 5:6  Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Jas 5:8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Clearly, there is more going on than just a simple few “last days” which have no days after them. The last days, scripturally speaking, is spiritual speak the start of something miraculous in our lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are in the “last days” and that has bene true for thousdands of years even though this seems like a huge contradiction to the natural man.

This is when Christ’s battle is brought forth to the forefronts of our minds and this is what happened with me when I use to get high.  I would actually love talking about God while being high as if I knew some “inside information”, but all the while I would doing something that was not expedient and pleased my flesh.

These last days are happening as a “last days” period of time in our life where we are seeing this war within us waged out. We are seeing the ends of the ages come upon the generations within us, and this is all just the beginning.

Have you ever noticed in Mike’s revelation series how the vials, plagues and trumpets are just the beginning of your walk with Christ? When you have or are going through these things and you can look back to see where you have come from, at this point you have just STARTED. In order for God to destroy the 200 thousand, thousand doctrines in our minds, this war must never end until those in who dwell in the fire BECOME the fire.

Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

 

Conclusion

It is when we are sick of this world and the death it offers that we come to see that only life in Jesus Christ can sustain us forever. We can become soldiers for the ways of this world, in their various forms, or we can become soldiers of Christ in how we approach everything thought we have.

I use to get high and have a freeing of my mind about world matters which eventually lead me to realizing that what I had sown in the time dedicated to smoking some dead weed could somewhat be recouped if I was somehow able to become high on what God provides for me spiritually.

God gives us His spirit and we need to be conscious of what we are doing, saying and thinking when we are confronted with the things in our life. How we handle these things tells us how much we value or don’t value what God freely gives us.

No need to answer this e- mail. Just wanted to encourage you. Your work as servants of Jesus Christ has impacted many lives, of this I am sure.

What powerful teachings have come from you in being obedient to Christ to disciple all men.

I have saved ALL of the documents from your web site (e- mails too) on my computer and backed them up on a CD. It has taken many months, but I have read all of your teachings, some 4 or 5 times, and each time they get deeper and richer into the truths of God. Have also read Andrew Jukes’ and William Law’s teachings as posted on your website.

I am truly blessed that God has used Internet technology and given you the spiritual ability to scripturally unveil the truth. Praise His Holy Name!

When you stand before Him, perhaps Our Lord will show you a vision, the size of a huge continent, full of scales, and then say something like “these are the billions of scales I removed, through your faithful service, from the eyes of those who desperately needed the light of truth during a very dark age.”

Much love and gratitude,

S____

Thank you for your kind words. As for the number of ‘scales,’ that we remove from peoples eyes, we may well see such a vision after the great white throne judgment. I most assuredly will not be before then:

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

There was no great revival “in the days of Noe.” Neither was there a great day of repentance in the days of Lot:

Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [ them] all.
Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

All of these words of our Lord are in responses to the disciples’ question,

Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

My guess is that Christ knew whereof He spoke. Here is how He summed up these times we live in:

Luk 18:8 … When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

I have said it many times before: IF Christ had said ‘Remember Nineveh,’ Then I too, would say ‘Remember Nineveh.’ But that is not what He said. Instead he tells us “Remember Lot’s wife.” There was no great revival in the days of Noah or in the days or Lot. Many were called but few were chosen. So it is today.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This is all bad news for the flesh. But it is good news for the spirit and for all who are faithful to God’s Word. It is good news for the human race as a whole because when all is said and done, God “will have all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the Truth.”

I hope this gives you a realistic and scriptural perspective on what to expect in these last days.

Mike