Jdg 19:22-30 Since This Man has Come into My House, do not do This Folly

Jdg 19:22  Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.
Jdg 19:23  And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
Jdg 19:24  Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.
Jdg 19:25  But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 
Jdg 19:26  Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light. 
Jdg 19:27  And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 
Jdg 19:28  And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 
Jdg 19:29  And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 
Jdg 19:30  And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds. 

The first part of Judges chapter 19 ended with the following:

Jdg 19:21 So he [the old man] brought him into his house and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet and did eat and drink.

Bringing the Levite home is the same as coming to abide in Christ. When we abide in Christ, we end up washing our feet, eating and drinking. Washing our feet means removing all the dirt or anything unclean that we have gathered in our walk. Eating and drinking here signify the opening of our eyes to see and our ears to hear the word of the Lord.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Today’s study focuses on the fiery trials we face in our walk with Christ who is represented here by the old man.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

These fiery trials we go through are about the raising of the storm in our lives which bring us to our wits’ end.

Psa 107:25  For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
Psa 107:26  They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;
Psa 107:27  they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Psa 107:29  He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Psa 107:30  Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

Jdg 19:22  Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

As we are learning to know our Lord through the opening of our eyes to see and our ears to hear (Making their hearts merry), we must be aware that there will be persecutions and tribulation which will come to us because of the word we are receiving.

Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

In this instance, God made use of certain sons of Belial to judge us. According to Strong, Belial means wicked or evil and so the sons of Belial here represent wicked men whom our Lord uses as His sword to judge us.

Psa 17:13 Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

These men requested the old man, in whose house the Levite and his concubine have taken residence, to bring out of his house the Levite so that they may sexually assault him. Verse 22 here gives us insight into the fact that all the chaos and evil that are increasing in measure as this age draws closer and closer is all part of the counsel of God.

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:

In the word of God, whenever homosexuality rises to the fore as we see all around us, then it gives us an indication that judgment is at the corner, as we will see later in this story the destructive judgment of God.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Rom 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

These verses show us the chronological order of the deterioration of our relationship with Christ and how we are to know that His judgment is at the door. We start by not being grateful to God and so we take the next step of being vain in our thinking and our minds become darkened.

Being darkened in our minds leads us to change the glory of God into an image made of corruptible man. In other words, we worship men rather than God. This brings us to a situation where we change the truth of God for a lie. The final stage is that we are given over to vile affection – homosexuality. So, the spiritual significance of homosexuality is that it shows us the final stage of our rebellion against God. It also indicates that judgment is at the door. The fact that we see this all over the world is to let us know that the end of this age is just around the corner.

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

An example to underscore the point being made that the spiritual significance of homosexuality is that our rebellion against God is complete and therefore our judgment is at the door is when an angel went to Sodom to rescue Lot and his people.

Gen 19:4  But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Gen 19:5  And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Whereare the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Gen 19:6  And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
Gen 19:7  And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Gen 19:12  And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

Gen 19:13  For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

Jdg 19:23  And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.

The master of the house is our Lord Jesus Christ. When we abide in Him, nothing can touch us. Yes, we will go through the fire, but it will not burn us.

Isa 43:1  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Isa 43:2  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Isa 43:3  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
Isa 43:4  Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

Jdg 19:24  Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.

What the Master of the house was telling the wicked men, which are His sword, is that they cannot touch the Levite which refers to us but can touch the Levite’s concubine and his daughter. What we are being told here is that our fiery trials are to destroy Babylon within us (represented by the concubine and the daughter).

Rev 16:17  The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
Rev 16:18  And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.
Rev 16:19  The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.

The encounter here of the master of the house with the wicked men is similar to when our Lord instructed Satan to deal with Job but not touch him. Here the Levite is being spared, but all that he holds dear (His concubine) is being taken away.

Job 1:12  And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Jdg 19:25  But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

As indicated earlier, our fiery trials are to destroy all of Babylon within us, represented by the concubine. We are all going through different phases of the destruction of Babylon within each one of us.  This will precede the outward destruction of Babylon (the religions of this world) which will take place before the millennial rule by the Lord and His Christs.

Rev 18:7  As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’
Rev 18:8  For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.
Rev 18:10  They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.

The woman was abused all night until the morning. The morning here outwardly is when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christs.

Rev 11:15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Internally, the morning here refers to the rising of the day star in our hearts.

2Pe 1:19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

In verse 25, it is stated that the men would not hearken to the old man but grabbed the concubine and messed her up. When we look critically at what the old man said in verse 24, we can see that the wicked men did not flout his suggestion. This is to let us know that our Lord is in perfect control of our situations and will always provide a way of escape so that we may be able to bear it.

1Co 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Jdg 19:26  Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.
Jdg 19:27  And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

It is in the morning when the daystar rises in our hearts that we come to realize the work that the Lord has accomplished through the destruction of Babylon within us.

Rev 18:16  “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!
Rev 18:17  For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off
Rev 18:18  and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”
Rev 18:19  And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
Rev 18:20  Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”
Rev 18:21  Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;

Jdg 19:28  And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.

During this period of the night that we are being judged, we do not see what God is accomplishing within us. After our fiery trials, we think Babylon within us is still alive, but the truth is that it has commenced its death process. We only see the death of Babylon within us in the morning when the daystar rises in our hearts.

Rev 18:21  Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
Rev 18:22  and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more,
Rev 18:23  and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.

Jdg 19:29  And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

This Levite did not take kindly to the death of his concubine. Instead of giving her concubine a befitting burial, he rather chose to cut her body up and distribute it to all the tribes of Israel. In other words, this Levite who represents us, was disannulling God’s judgment just as Job did when he was judged. We all resist the judgment of God in our time, and in doing so try to suggest that we are more righteous than our Lord.

Job 40:6  Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Job 40:7  Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job 40:8  Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

Jdg 19:30  And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

When the children of Israel saw what has been done, they unanimously agreed that the sin that has been committed against the Levite was unprecedented and demanded an action from the tribes. We usually see the sins of others, but do not take to heart that, given the opportunity, we would also commit such heinous crimes since we are all operating under the same beast.

Mat 7:3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

In the final analysis, the Lord will use the occasion to come and judge us, and it is through this judgment that we learn to walk in a way that pleases the Lord.

Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

May the Lord grant us the grace not to disannual His judgements but to submit to Him in every way so that He can make us into another vessel fit for His purpose. Amen!!

[Study Aired April 14, 2020]

Luk 17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Luk 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 
Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

This phrase “offend one of these little ones” is also used in Mark and Matthew.

Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 

Mat 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Mat 18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Using the sum of God’s word we can see the complete statement Christ is making in Luke 17:2.

Psa 119:160 The sum of Thy word is truth, And to the age is every judgment of Thy righteousness! (YLT)

Luk 17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Luk 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Mat 18:9 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

The phrase “offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea” is used three times by Christ, telling us this is a process of judgment. The little ones which are offended are those that “believe in me (Christ).” The offenders, our old man and those yet to be saved, are those that do not believe in Christ, especially those who claim His name but do not the things that He says.

Mat 18:9 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

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

Joh 12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
Joh 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
Joh 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Joh 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
Joh 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Joh 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
Joh 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
Joh 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 

Our old man, and the whole world, loves the praise of men more than the praise of God. These are the offenders, and God is causing them to not believe at this time.

What is the meaning of “it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea”, and why is it better?

It is better because this is what we all must experience in order to be saved. The “millstone hanged about his neck” represents the heavy burdens of this world.

Isa 30:27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
Isa 30:28 And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

Isa 46:1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.
Isa 46:2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
Isa 46:3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:
Isa 46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Psa 38:1 A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Psa 38:2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
Psa 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
Psa 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

These burdens are the beginnings of our salvation. The Lord’s salvation is mentioned in the same books mentioned above.

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

Isa 46:13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

Psa 38:21 Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.
Psa 38:22 Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

What is being drowned in the scriptures? Here are a few verses showing how drowned is used. This word is not the same Greek word being used in Luke 17, but it is synonymous.

Heb 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Exo 14:4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

As we know, Egyptians represent the world, and Babylon, the churches of the world and especially the old man.

The following is from Mike’s study of Isaiah chapter 30. Our Rebellion Leads to Our Shame

Isa 30:6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. 

Egypt, this world, our own flesh, is “the beast of the south… the land of trouble and anguish from which come the young and old lion, the viper and the fiery flying serpent” all of which are types of the adversary himself. It is we who carry our riches on the shoulders of young asses and our treasures upon the bunches of camels to a people that shall not profit us no matter how faithfully we pay our tithes and regardless of how big a check we place in the offering plate, or how hard we try to save this world and our country. This world and its churches are “a people that shall not profit” us. In time we will be ashamed of our actions, and we will come to see:

Isa 30:7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. 

“Their strength is to sit still” means that we only receive our strength when we finally learn to trust in the Lord and we quit depending upon ourselves and upon this world and the ministers of the churches of this world, who are actually nothing more than those whom the Lord has given to Satan to afflict and destroy us. “Their strength is to sit still” is the same as what God spoke to Israel through Moses, when Israel was accusing Moses of bringing them out into the wilderness to kill them:

Exo 14:9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
Exo 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
Exo 14:11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
Exo 14:12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

It is miraculous how the Lord has given us to slavishly serve our own flesh and the churches of the great harlot, but we accuse Him of wanting to destroy us when we face our first fiery trials. We have great faith in Egypt and in Babylon, and our flesh wants to return there, but notice what God tells Israel both here in Isaiah and again in Hosea 11:

Exo 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
Exo 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

We will never “see the salvation of the Lord” as long as we continue to complain about the afflictions the Lord has placed upon us. We will begin to see His salvation when we “bring to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving”. Our sister, Bettie, shared a completely secular and scientific yet Biblical article which demonstrated the physical benefits of “bringing to [the Lord] the sacrifice of thanksgiving” and living with an attitude of gratitude:

Psa 107:21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his [chastening] goodness, and for his wonderful [fiery] works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Our flesh cannot praise the Lord while He is chastening us. Our flesh cannot express gratitude for the Lord’s loving discipline upon us. It takes “Christ in [us]” to do such a thing, and for Christ to grow to that point takes time.

Continuing with the use of drowned, the following verse in Timothy adds to our understanding.

1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Tying this to our last study which was about the parable of Lazarus and the rich man showing us that the rich also represents the same as the Egyptians represent:

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man
Who is the rich man?

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; 
1Co 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

“All things” include both Lazarus and the rich man. We are, at our appointed time, both of these men, and we are all first the rich man. According to these verses, all of God’s apostles are ours. So also is death ours. As Job asks:

Job 2:10 But he said unto her [Job’s wife], Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

That is the point of Paul’s statement that “all things are yours, whether life or death or things present or things to come.” In other words we will “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

What does all of that have to do with this parable of Lazarus and the rich man? It tells us that we all are that rich man who thinks of himself as rich and increased with goods and having need of nothing, when in reality we are poor and wretched and miserable and blind and naked and in need of buying gold of God tried in the fire. “He that hath ears, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.”

Continuing with the parable in Luke 17:3-4:

Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Here is the parable of the unforgiving servant to help us understand.

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

If a member of the body of Christ trespasses against us and they repent, we must forgive them, if they repent. As they grow in maturity, Lord willing, this will decrease as time goes along. The reason this should decrease is because the trespasser was weak in the faith. As they grow in faith, their sinful nature will diminish.

Rom 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

Rom 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

The strong must take heed to not become a stumbling block to the weak.

1Co 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
1Co 8:5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
1Co 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
1Co 8:8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
1Co 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

1Th 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
1Th 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

The strong in faith are to support the weak increasing their faith by rebuking them, causing them to repent. Here are the reasons the more mature must rebuke the little ones.

Psa 39:11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

Psa 119:17 GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
Psa 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Psa 119:19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
Psa 119:20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
Psa 119:21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
Psa 119:22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
Psa 119:23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
Psa 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.

Pro 28:21 To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.
Pro 28:22 He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
Pro 28:23 He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.
Pro 28:24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
Pro 28:25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
Pro 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Pro 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
Pro 28:28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.

2Ti 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Tit 2:9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
Tit 2:10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching (chastening) us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

I will end with this:  What is repentance?

According to scripture, repentance is not something we possess.

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

So, repentance is a product of God given in faith and is a gift from God. It is not, as religion teaches us, that we possess something in us, inherent in us from the creation of the first Adam, that would make us capable of repenting. This verse above tells us repentance is granted to acknowledge the truth of the gospel. If repentance is acknowledging truth, then it also denotes rejecting error.

Eze 14:6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent^H7725, and turn^H7725 yourselves from your idols; and turn away^H7725 your faces from all your abominations. [Worshiping the man of sin and seeing the abomination that causes desolation by God granting us repentance (2Th 2:5, Mat 24:15)]
Eze 14:7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
Eze 14:8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. [Being granted repentance through chastening.]
Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
Eze 14:11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD. [Again, being granted repentance by chastening.]

From these above verses we have seen that repentance comes from God, and it is for the purpose of us seeing the truth of the gospel. We cannot acknowledge the truth of the gospel unless we have been granted faith to acknowledge it and then turn from the idol of our heart, ourselves. Contrary to religion, it is not a one-time act in a ten-second sinner’s prayer, but a lifetime of “repenting” (It is in the aorist tense).

Psa 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
Psa 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
Psa 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psa 68:20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.
Psa 68:21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
Psa 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:
Psa 68:23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

What do chariots and millstones have to do with our overcoming in this age, and how will God go about creating a holy people that will come to “ascribe strength” unto Him?

In tonight’s study we will look at the word “chariots” more closely and the counterpart word “millstone”. We will see once again that God has used the historical figures of Israel and the surrounding nations to teach us today, as His elect, that all things are for our sakes (2Co 4:15) and for our learning of how God destroys the man of perdition who resides on the throne of every man’s heart until the Lord comes in to destroy him by the brightness of his coming (2Th 2:8).

It is in this process of overcoming (which God gives to very few in this age) that we learn to “Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds”.

Psa 68:17 The chariots (H7393) of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

H7393
רכב
rekeb
reh’-keb
From H7392; a vehicle; by implication a team; by extension cavalry; by analogy a rider, that is, the upper millstone: – chariot, (upper) millstone, multitude [from the margin], wagon.
Total KJV Occurrences: 119
• chariot, 29
• chariots, 86
• millstone, 2 Jdg 9:53; 2Sa 11:21
• upper millstone, 1 Deu 24:6
• wagons, 1

The chariots of God are connected to the word millstone and are come to do battle against the first man Adam, to cause division in the positive sense of division cutting away and destroying that which needs to be taken away and cast into the sea, that which is in us which offends (Luk 17:2, Mar 9:42).

“The chariots (H7393) of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels” as opposed to 1Sa 13:5 or 1Ch 19:7, and the angels are discussed as being in “thousands of angels” to demonstrate that they are used for the judgment of the flesh that is being destroyed via a process of judgment 10X10X10=1000 (Mat 26:53 [12 legions], Mar 5:9 [legion], Luk 12:51).

1Sa 13:5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots (H7393), and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.
[36 thousand total has 3+6 in it=9 demonstrating judgment once again]

1Ch 19:7 So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots(H7393), and the king of Maachah and his people; who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.
[32 thousand has 3+2 in it demonstrating grace and faith by which we are saved]

Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

Mar 5:9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

Luk 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

We know there is only one law giver and judge (Jas 4:12-13) and that Christ and His Father are one (Joh 10:30) and that we can judge righteous judgment when we seek not our own judgment but the judgment that Christ can give when we commit and cast our cares unto the Lord (1Pe 5:7-8, Joh 5:30, 1Jn 4:17-18). In type and shadow these twenty thousands chariots of God and thousands of angels can judge righteous judgment because “the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.”

Jas 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? [in your flesh]
Jas 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: [It is in this city, which is Jerusalem above, that we judge righteous judgment typified by buying and selling and getting gain.]

Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Joh 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Joh 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

1Jn 4:17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

When God draws us into a process of judging ourselves (2Co 13:5) so that love can be made perfect, it will take His boldness working within us to overcome and to confess our faults; and the end result is that His love being shed abroad in our hearts (Rom 5:5) will cast out fear, which causes torment, and we will be made perfect in love.

That is why we need twenty thousand chariots and thousand of angels: because these things are given unto those who are given to cry out for deliverance in this age (Rom 2:4), we will therefore ascribe strength unto God for his excellency over Israel where His strength is being perfected “in the clouds”; going back to the title of our study “Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds” (from verse 34 of this Psalm).

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

The elect are given to see that all that matters is this ‘the day of the Lord’ for us, and that this ‘day’, which is going to put an end to our first man Adam, is symbolically likened unto the first year of marriage, or the time we “continue there one year” in the city which symbolizes new Jerusalem above in (Jas 4:13).

Jas 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: [it is in this city which is Jerusalem above that we judge righteous judgment typified by buying and selling and getting gain.]

Deu 24:5 When a man [Christ in us] hath taken a new wife [the elect], he shall not go out to war [2Ti 2:4], neither shall he be charged with any business [Mal 3:8-10, Rom 12:1]: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
Deu 24:6 No man shall take the nether or the upper(H7393) millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.

The life that we take to pledge is the life of Christ and these verses above (Deu 24:5-6) are the reason why Christ likens our relationship unto him and the church to that of a man and woman who are married (Eph 5:25).

In the following verses from Judges 9 concerning Abimelech, we see the negative type of being thrust through with a sword, as opposed to Saul who does not want to die at the hand of the uncircumcised, just as we should not want to be amongst those whom Christ calls the dead burying the dead (Luk 9:60). In Abimelech’s negative example of dying with the sword, it is a woman who slays us spiritually, the church, to help us to die daily; but Abimelech shows us in shadow and in type that he wants to die by his own strength.

Jdg 9:53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone (H7393) upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
Jdg 9:54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
Jdg 9:55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
Jdg 9:56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
Jdg 9:57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

There are many more connections and studies that can be made with a search of the word chariot (H7393) or millstone (H7393) in E-Sword.

Psa 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
Psa 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psa 68:20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

You might be thinking ‘finally! some good news!’, and that is true as we see now a shadow of all what God has been doing to the nations of old leading to our salvation which comes as result of “the issues from death” which belong “unto GOD the Lord”.

In the verses below, we see why Christ “led captivity captive”. These verses in Ephesians 4 are prophesied of in these verses in Psalms 68, and are the end result of the destruction of the first head of Adam, accomplished through the “gifts” that God brings to men (Deu 16:17) who are all in their former conversations and rebellious unto the Lord (Eph 2:3).

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts
unto men. [Psa 68:18a Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men…]
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? [Psa 68:18b …yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them]
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: [Psa 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah]
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: [Psa 68:20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues(H8444) [or outgoings or borders] from death so that we “may grow up into him in all things”]

This is “salvation”: to know God and his Son Jesus Christ who we come to know through His body which is the church (Joh 17:3, Eph 3:10). This is the means by which we ascribe strength unto God that comes from him, made perfect in the elect throughout the ages.

This is how God deals with the “issue” of death: giving us the power to die daily and to put off the former conversations. Our inward heavens pass away with a great noise, and we eventually become comfortable in the fire that dissolves all unrighteousness and perfects holy conversation and godliness within those who are exercised by it in this age.

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

Psa 68:21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies (Jdg 9:53), and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
Psa 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: (Exo 14:7-9, 1Co 10:2)
Psa 68:23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

We saw in the story of the death of Abimelech above, and specifically in verse 53 below, an enemy of God whose head was wounded.

Jdg 9:52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
Jdg 9:53 And a certain woman [the elect] cast a piece of a millstone (H7393) upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
Jdg 9:54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. [a type and shadow of despising the chastening of the Lord]
Jdg 9:55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
Jdg 9:56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

I’m bringing this verse into light at this point as it uses the word millstone [same word in Psa 68:17 chariot (H7393)] which describes the means to the end of Abimelech’s life which was destroyed by God (speaking of verse Psa 68:21 of our study tonight) to demonstrate to us His vengeance on our old man which slays our “seventy brethren”, which is a type of the complete destruction that we bring upon Christ, being guilty of his death and of all the prophets from Abel to Zacharias (Mat 23:35).

Moving on to the next verse, we continue the theme with the word ‘millstone’ or ‘chariots’ (H7393).

Psa 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

Exo 14:7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots (H7393), and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
Exo 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
Exo 14:9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots (H7393) of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.

1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; [one event unto all]

The “depths of the sea” in verse 22 of our study is connected with the depth of the sin (Mic 7:19, Luk 17:2) which is what we come out of (Bashan/Egypt) just as Israel did in type and shadow at the crossing of the Red Sea (Exo 14:27-30).

Psa 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

But we are not perfect but being perfected, and therefore we will offend along the way even the little ones; and therefore we must conclude that we need to live these words of Christ that tell us that it is better for our old man to have a millstone cast about our neck and cast into the sea (the six hundred chosen chariots of verse Exo 14:7 above, or the millstone of Luk 17:2)

We start off here:

Luk 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone (G3458) [same as Jdg 9:53 in ABP+] were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

And God willing in this age we will end up here:

Pro 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Pro 3:4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Continuing with another thought about this verse 21:

Psa 68:21 But God shall wound (H4272) the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp (H6936) of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

The hairy scalp (H6936) [crown Job 2:7, head Isa 3:17, scalp Psa 68:21] of verse 21 that our first man Adam starts with that is wounded (H4272) [destroy/dipped/pierced/strike through/wound] by the sword for good (Jdg 9:54, 1Sa 31:4, 1Ch 10:4, Isa 13:15, Lam 4:9, Luk 2:35) will be shaved and cleansed (Lev 14:9) and made clean (Eph 6:17, Heb 4:12, Rev 13:10).

The last verse of our study tonight (Psa 68:23) goes on to graphically describe why God calls us out of Babylon/Egypt/Bashan as we come to confess the depth of our own physical and spiritual depravity which this ‘accounting of’ destroys the man of perdition within and comes at the cost of our life as Judas typified for us all.

Psa 68:23 “That thy foot may be dipped (H4272) in the blood of thine enemies…”

That Strong’s number in blue is the same as the word translated in verse 21 as “wound”. It is “I, even I” who do all these things:

Deu 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
Deu 32:40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
Deu 32:41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
Deu 32:42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.

Act 1:18 Now this man purchased a field (the world and all within us (Mat 13:38, 1Jn 2:16, 1Jn 2:2) with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
Act 1:19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

All this is for the good as we read in the very next verse of Deuteronomy 32:

Deu 32:43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

But it is a process that is painful for the flesh…

Psa 68:23 “…and the tongue of thy dogs in the same”

It is we who leave Christ out to the dogs (Luk 16:21) until we’re given the faith to see the value of His life and His wounds that we want to bind and heal once we understand what they represent to us as His body and are moved with compassion to bring him to the inn (Luk 10:34).

Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luk 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Lazarus, a type of Christ’s Christ, is hungry for truth, and until faith is given to us, we bring no comfort to Lazarus [the elect – the poor of the world], but rather dogs come and lick his sores which represent the depravity of service toward our Lord when we are yet acting “in the same”, like a negative gentile dog.

The positive gentile dog is found in this next story in (Mat 15:27), and can only unfold in our own lives if we have the true witness of Christ’s life within us in this age, which is shadowed in the life of Joshua and Caleb, an earlier type of the two witnesses (Num 14:38).

Mat 15:27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
Mat 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Num 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

Joshua H3091
Caleb H3612

– Original: יu1492 וu1513 ׁu1506 יu1492 וu1513 ׁu1493 ּu1506
– Transliteration: Y@howshuwa`
– Phonetic: yeh-ho-shoo’-ah
– Definition: Joshua or Jehoshua = Jehovah is salvation n pr m
1. son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim and successor to Moses as the leader of the children of Israel; led the conquest of Canaan.

– Original: כu1468 לu1489
– Transliteration: Kaleb
– Phonetic: kaw-labe’
– Definition: Caleb = dog
1. the Godly son of Jephunneh and the faithful spy who reported the promised Land favourably and urged its capture.

When Christ goes with us in our sojourning in this life, we can witness just as Joshua and Caleb tell us that it is His strength in us that makes us more that conquerors in this life (Rom 8:37).

Num 14:6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
Num 14:7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
Num 14:8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Num 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

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Rev 18:20 Rejoice over her, [ thou] heaven, and [ ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Rev 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [ it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Rev 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft [ he be], shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Introduction

Here in this 18th chapter of Revelation is the temptation which no one but our Lord has ever resisted. We have all preferred “the kingdoms of this world… and the glory of them” to the promise of being given the opportunity to be in the kingdom of God, and the being hated of all men and the sure promise of being persecuted for living Godly lives in Christ, which come with being placed into that kingdom.

Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

The living out of the verses of our study today are what we experience when we, with our Lord, are able to say the following words to all that Babylon within us has to offer. When the day finally comes that we see that man of sin standing in the holy place, which is just another way of describing our complete servitude to Babylon the Great the Mother of harlots and of abominations of the world within us all, then we too, will tell that great red dragon which gives our beast His throne and great authority over our lives…

Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The destruction of the man of sin from out of the temple of God is the casting out of Satan from our heavens, because “the coming of the man of sin is after the working of Satan”.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [ that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [ will let], until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 [ Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

“That man of sin” is the worst enemy any of us will ever face. He is not some outward heretic or outward persecutor. He is in “the temple of God which temple ye are“.

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [ that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

So “that man of sin”, whose throne is given to him by Satan himself, is that person we all see in the mirror every morning, and it is between the temples of that man where all of these wars in the heavens are taking place and are being fought. Our natural inclination to avoid being persecuted and hated of all men is one of the greatest weapons the Adversary has in his spiritual arsenal, to keep the beast over whom he has been granted dominion as the ruler upon the throne of our hearts.

Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [ the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat [ Greek – thronos, throne], and great authority.

We all by the nature “delivered unto” us, just naturally prefer the temporary “pleasures of sin for a season” over the unseen, permanent spiritual blessings which are all in Christ. It is this natural inclination which makes all that Babylon has to offer so very attractive to us all, as it was to the natural flesh of our Lord Himself. His own temptation in the wilderness was so strong that we are told “angels came and ministered unto Him”.

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Mat 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

The only other time we are told that an angel came to strengthen our Lord, though they were no doubt there all along, is at the time of His impending crucifixion.

Luk 22:41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Luk 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

So our Lord’s temptation to succumb to the temporary pleasures of Babylon was very real. We too, require the ministration and strengthening by “His angels” to see us through these same periods of our own lives.

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Angels can be, and sometimes are, spirit beings. But they are also those who “speak often one to another” and encourage one another.

Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

In these next two verses we are told plainly that God’s angels are also our fellow servants and our brothers in Christ “who keep the sayings of this book”.

Rev 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him [ the angel]. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Rev 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

So we are warned:

Heb 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

We all live out these verses. We all attempt to “worship the angels sent to show us these things”. We must be careful never to place God’s messengers above our Lord, and yet we need to understand that without the messengers of the Lord, we will not be strengthened to endure to the end. Yes, the angels of Mat 4:11 and Luk 22:43 were spirit beings, but our “fellowservants, of our brothers, who keep the sayings of this book” speak the same spiritual words spoken by the angels which comforted and strengthened our Lord. It is always the same spiritual words which strengthen and heal us when we are in need.

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!

With this in mind, let’s look at the good news of our deliverance out from under the deep darkness we once considered to be “angels of light”, which are the sorceries of Babylon.

Rev 18:20 Rejoice over her, [ thou] heaven, and [ ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

Why is heaven told to rejoice? Here is why heaven is told to rejoice at the fall of Babylon.

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised [ us] up together, and made us sit together in heavenly [ places] in Christ Jesus:

If we are truly “in Christ” and He is “in us”, then we are “seated with Him in the heavens” [ Greek, epouranios – heavens], which “heavens have been cleansed by better sacrifices than the blood of bulls and goats”.

Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Heb 9:20 Saying, This [ is] the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves [ you and me, “in the heavens in Christ”] with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself [ into your heart and mine], now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Rev 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [ it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

What is this stone? What is “the sea” into which it is cast?

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.
Mat 21:45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

It is only a millstone which grinds us to powder, and only after we are first broken by that same Stone, is the self righteous, Pharisaical spirit of Babylon within us “ground to powder” by the words of our Lord.
We have already seen that “the sea” is our flesh with all of its natural beastly desires, which are 180 degrees opposed to the leading of the spirit of our Lord. “The sea” within us is dominated by the natural influences and naturally desirable “delicacies” offered to us by the Biblical symbols of Tyre and Babylon, as we saw in last week’s study. Here is “the sea” into which Christ, the rejected “millstone” is cast.

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters [ the sea] which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

This beast, and all the peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues within us are “ground to powder” and are “destroyed by the brightness of the coming” of Christ, this rejected millstone, into our beast and into our “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” upon which Babylon within us sits and rules over us as a monstrous and unmerciful and demanding God.

2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Rev 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft [ he be], shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Was “the voice of harpers and musicians and of pipers and trumpeters” ever heard in Babylon? Were craftsmen and builders ever found in Babylon? Had the millstone ever done its work in Babylon? Did the light of a candle ever shine in Babylon? Was the voice of the bridegroom and the bride ever heard in Babylon to begin with?
What do the scriptures teach us? What they teach us is that those in Babylon are “carnal babes in Christ” who consider the milk of God’s Word to be strong meat, and who consider strong meat to be impractical and deadly heresy. Babylon is not pagans or unbelievers, but “those… who believe on Christ” and “are yet carnal” and who cannot hear or understand Christ’s speech”, who do not believe it is possible to “know the Truth”, and who mistake “the voice of a stranger” for the voice of “the true shepherd of the sheep”. Babylon is the doctrines we have all believed which crucify Christ to this very day as He is proclaiming His gospel of His kingdom within those who are coming out of Babylon.

Joh 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [ but] the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [ even] God.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Joh 8:44 and Rev 13:2 are saying the same thing. “You are of your father the devil” is the same as saying “the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority”. Both are telling us of the power of this harlot over our lives.
Once this becomes known to us we can then see that the sick, naked, miserable condition of the seven churches in Rev 2-3 and the “woman… in the wilderness, [ who] brought forth a manchild” of Rev 12 and this great harlot woman here in these 16Th,17th and 18th chapters of Revelation, are all symbols of one and the same “Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the World”.
Let’s go back to Rev 12 and see who it is who comes forth out of this great woman.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [ to] his throne.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

This woman is the same woman of Rev 16,17 and 18. She is the harlot who we, as the bride of Christ, all become, by virtue of the fact that these words have all proceeded out of the mouth of God. This is all of us as the Israel we were when we first cried out to our Lord to deliver us from our merciless Egyptian taskmasters. At that time in our walk, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night were a part of our lives. But we took all those blessings for granted and we committed fornication with the daughters of the people we were told never to marry. It was “in the wilderness” that Israel did this to their God, even after being delivered from Egypt, and it is in the wilderness that this woman flees after she has brought forth a manchild who is figured by Moses as a type of us as God’s manchild who rules over the Egypt which is still within us, with a rod of iron. Thousands die of a plague, thousands die of poison serpents, and the earth opens up and swallows others”, but this woman’s heart is unchanged, and she wants her Son to go up to God “lest she die”.

Exo 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

So the “manchild” who comes out of this woman is the Christ of Christ, who is promised to rule all nations with a rod of iron.

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

“He that overcometh and keeps my works to the end” is the manchild of this 12th chapter of Revelation. Verse 12 says “Rejoice ye heavens”.

Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

And what are we told to do in Rev 18, when Babylon within us falls?

Rev 18:20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

“Ye holy apostles and prophets” are the heavens which rejoice over the fall of this harlot within us. This harlot is the woman of Rev 12 and the “wretched, and miserable, and poor, blind, and naked” churches of Rev 2-3. “The dream is one, and so too, ‘the vision is all one’.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

So the Jewish multitudes of Joh 8, who “believed on Christ”, yet “had no place within them for His Word” are just another Biblical symbol of the multitudes of Christianity to this very day, who believe on Christ, yet “have no place in them for His Word”. We have all been those Jewish believers, who had no room for Christ’s words, just as the church at Corinth exemplifies.

[ Cont’d January 30, 2010]