Law of Moses Versus The Law of The Spirit – Part 16, Good Things to Come

[Posted March 8, 2024]

In Colossians we are told “Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect [Strong’s G3313: meros – regarding] of an holy day, or [the particulars] of the new moon or [the particulars] of the Sabbath days WHICH ARE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME; but the body [casting that shadow] is of Christ” (Col 2:16, 17).

2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect [G3313: meros, ‘in this regard’], by reason of the glory that excelleth.

The NET version has a better translation of what Paul is saying:

Col 2:16  Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days —
Col 2:17  these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ! (NET)

There it is! Holy days and Sabbaths are all “shadows” of Christ, as were the millions of animals sacrificed for the sins of Israel. Jesus is now “a minister of the true tabernacle…[that’s us]…if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests [the physical temple was still standing] that offer gifts [sacrifices] according to the law. Who [both the priests and the gifts or sacrifices] serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things…[they all foreshadow Christ]”:

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man [Our bodies, 1Co 3:15-16].
Heb 8:3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
Heb 8:4  For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Paul goes on to say that this is true of the law as a whole:

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

So who is our priest foreshadowed by the Aaronic priesthood? Who is our sacrifice, foreshadowed by millions of dead lambs and bulls and goats? Who is our Sabbath and holy days? Who can make the comers thereunto perfect?

I never before realized that anything could be so repetitive and yet be so exciting. It is ALL Christ! The scriptures themselves are all Christ-centric:

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make it.

Exo 25:40 And look that you make them after their pattern, which was shewed you in the mount.

Christ is what that ‘pattern’ signifies, and we, too, must be careful to follow the ‘pattern.’

Rom 10:40 For Christ is the end [G5056: telos, the end product] of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.

That word ‘telos’ is the same G5056 used by Peter in:

1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end [G5056: telos, the product) of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Gal 5:15  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Luk 24:44 These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the psalms concerning me.

This is what Christ was talking about when he said:

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
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.

Christ knew who He was. He knew that He and His doctrine were the “till all be fulfilled.” Christ knew that He and His doctrine was the fulfillment of the law of Moses, and He knew His new covenant had replaced the old covenant. It was His law and His covenant He commanded us to teach and to keep. It is His own teaching and not the teachings of Moses which Christ referred to when He made this statement:

Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Is this a comment concerning the ten commandments and/or law of Moses? Is Christ telling us that if we break one of the least commandments of Moses, and teach men to do so then we will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, and if we do and keep all the commandments of Moses then we will be called great in the kingdom of heaven? If it is, then Christ himself will have to “be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Why do I say that?

I say it simply because the entire remainder of chapter 5 of Matthew consists of Christ teaching his disciples to break the law of Moses:

The first three of Christ’s commandments listed above are in direct opposition to the law of Moses. The other two are certainly not “one of these least commandments” but are two of the ten, and have been changed beyond recognition.

It should be clear that “one of these least commandments” refers to the column on the right, the commandments of Christ; not those given by Christ to Moses. Carnal commandments are for a lawless and carnal people.

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

Heb 7:16  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

The Meaning of “Made Under The Law”

All the commandments of Christ, all these “But I say unto you…” commandments which are in direct contradiction to the law of Moses, are apparently hidden from the orthodox Protestant and Catholic churches and from the “command them to keep the law of Moses” groups in the Christian world. Here is the lie that is believed by all three schools of religious thought. The following quotation is from a book entitled ‘The Two Covenants and the First Resurrection’ by Brian Convery:

“Now let’s cut to the chase. In 1Jn 2:3-6, we read a very sobering measuring stick as to the degree we are led by the spirit of God.

1Jo 2:3 – Now by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. [The implication here is very clear. If we don’t keep His commandments, all of them, we don’t know him. The professing Christian world says they know Him but preaches His commandments were nailed to the cross, done away. If that’s the case, the Bible is lying to us. There is no gray area. It is one or the other.]

1Jo 2:4 – He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. [Very simple, isn’t it? No compromise, no second-guessing, no ifs and or buts about it. Many denominations of Christianity today say they keep His commandments but fail to observe the Sabbath the seventh day, the same one that has been in place since creation week. They instead take their lead from Rome and keep the day of the pagan deities, Sunday.]

1Jo 2:5 – But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him.
1Jo 2:6 – He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Jesus Christ observed the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days. He kept them holy, all of them. Over seventy times in the gospels, He tells us to follow Him. Following Him has just been clearly defined here in I John. If we are following Him, we are going to do what He did. Do not lose sight of who Jesus was in the O. T. scriptures. He was the Word, that Being who created everything. He was the one who authored all the commandments, etc., of the O. T. scriptures. That’s why we read in Hebrews that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is not changing it. If you do not follow Him as He has just described in I John, then you are not led by the spirit of God.” (The Two Covenants and The First Resurrection by Brian Convery, Part 3, page 1.)

I have no doubt Mr. Convery is as sincere a man as I am, but he has failed to notice that Christ brought “a NEW commandment …That ye love one another as I have loved you…”

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Christ did not love his disciples according to Exodus 20. He loved them according to Matthew 5. Mr. Convery has failed to notice the outright contradictions between the “NEW commandment” of Christ and the “abolished”, “disannulled”, “nailed to the cross”, “handwriting of ordinances” that are “old covenant” “law of Moses”. This very John whom Mr. Convery is quoting never calls the holy days “the Passover, a feast of God” or ‘God’s feast of Tabernacles.’ Here is how he distances Himself from the “law for the lawless”:

Joh 6:4  And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

Joh 7:2  Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.

John demonstrates his understanding of their fulfillment in Christ; their passing, fading nature. John always refers to “the Jews’ feast of Passover” and “the Jews’ feast of tabernacles, etc.” John sets us all a good example. Christ fulfills ALL. Those who refuse John’s example are not following Christ. They are following “the outward Jews” (Rom 2:27). Christ set us a good example when He agreed with the Pharisees that He had indeed “done that which is not lawful for Him to do”, and He added to that saying He, like the priests, can “profane the sabbath” and yet be “guiltless.”  Christ did not keep the seventh-day Sabbath holy. “He had broken the sabbath” repeatedly as you can read in Matthew 12 and John 5:

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Did Christ respond to the Pharisees telling them, “No, no, no, you self-righteous Pharisees. You’ve gotten it all wrong. You are adding to the law of Moses. My disciples and I are doing nothing unlawful or contrary to the law of Moses”? No, That was not how Christ handled the fact that He and His disciples had indeed done that which is not lawful for them to do on the sabbath day. His defense was simply that David and his men did that which was not lawful for them to do, and then He went on to point out that the priests “profane the sabbath and are blameless.”

Christ would never have excused His actions and the actions of His disciples if He believed in keeping the law of Moses which did indeed demand that one must prepare on the sixth day for the necessities of the sabbath:

Exo 16:5  And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

 You are right, Mr. Convery, “If we are following him, we are going to do as he did.”

“Do not lose sight of who Christ was in the Old Testament scriptures. He was the Word; that being who created everything. He was the one who authored all the commandments, etc. of the Old Testament scriptures…” [Ibid]

Yes, we would do well to never “lose sight of who Christ was in the O.T. scriptures”, but if we have never known Him to begin with, how then can we “lose sight” of something we never saw? Moses changed everything when the Lord gave him the law of Moses. Before Moses the Lord permitted Abraham and all the patriarchs to build an altar to Him wherever they happened to be at the time they were led to build an altar and offer a sacrifice to Him. After Moses, the offerings could only be offered to the Lord at the tabernacle and later at the temple in Jerusalem. Before Moses we have no account of anyone keeping the sabbath, nor had they even heard about all the holy days. Before Moses there was no tabernacle, no brazen altar, no holy incense, no candlestick, no golden altar and no table of shewbread which only the priests could eat. Moses was a reformer, and this is what Moses prophesied for those who are given eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God:

Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Moses was a reformer and Christ was “a prophet of their brothers, like unto [Moses]”. Christ was also a reformer and His ministry is referred to as “the time of reformation”:

Heb 9:10  Which [blood offerings, vs 7] stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them [only] until the time of reformation.

To demonstrate what I mean, here are a few things concerning the O.T. scriptures which very few have ever “had sight of” to begin with:

• Cursed be he that confirmeth not ALL the words of this law to do them (Deu 27:26; Jer 11:3)
• As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them (Gal 3:10).

These verses do not say “the ten commandments, all of them.” It says ALL THINGS which are written IN THE BOOK…” This would include the very things Christ taught against in Matthew 5. Yes, Christ is the author of the ten commandments. It is the ten commandments that are called the “covenant” (Deu 4:13).

• Christ is also the author of… ‘You shall fear the Lord your God…and shall swear by his name’ (Deu 6:13 and Deu 10:20). What agreement does that have with the commandment of Christ but I say unto you, swear not at all (Mat 5:34 and 37)?
• Christ was the author of an eye for an eye (Exo 21:24 and Deu 19:21). What agreement does that have with but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil (Mat 5:38-42)?

I could go on and on with the changes in the law which Christ made, but we have already covered this subject in this paper.

Mr. Convery, along with most of Christendom, thinks the “his commandments” of 1 John 2:3 are the same as the ten commandments of Exodus 20. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ten commandments are “for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8-9). The “but I say unto you… law of Christ” of Matthew 5 and Galatians 6:2 are the “his commandments” spoken of in 1 John 2:3, and the “one of these least commandments” of Matthew 5:19).

The obvious truth is that the only time Christ was made “under the law” (Gal 4:4) was when he was “made to be sin for us” (2Co 5:21).

“The professing Christian world…preaches his commandments were “nailed to the cross, done away”…”[Ibid.]

Those are Paul’s words, Mr. Convery (Eph 2:15, Col 2:14). Those are not the words of “the professing Christian world.” Your argument is not with the professing Christian world, as they agree with you on everything but the fourth commandment. Your argument is with Paul and the Holy Spirit. The professing Christian world, like you, Mr. Convery, picks and chooses which parts of “all things written in the book of the law” they want to keep. They pick nine commandments and the pagan holidays. You pick all ten commandments and holy days.

A Synopsis of Galatians

It is actually Jewish holy days, not pagan holidays, to which Paul refers in:

Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Paul is reprimanding these Galatians (and Christians today) for observing the days and festivals of Moses!

Is Paul worried that the Galatian converts are slipping back into their old pagan holidays observance? No doubt pagans had holidays they observed just as the Jews had days which they also esteemed above other days (Rom 14:1-5). Pagan “days, months, times and years” are just as much “the traditions of men” (Col 2:8, 20) as Jewish holy days. Paganism is not the concern or subject of the book of Galatians. Being lured back under the law of Moses by fellow Christians is the problem with which Paul is dealing in the book of Galatians.

Galatians One

What is the point of this book?

Gal 1:6-7: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

THAT is the subject of this book! Paul spells it out right up front. The Galatians are being influenced by people who are preaching “another gospel which is not another but…pervert(s) the gospel of Christ” and “removed” (them) from Him “that called you into the grace of Christ.”

What is this “gospel which is not another but… pervert(s) the gospel of Christ”? It is obvious that what is troubling Paul is “the Jews religion”; “the letter of the law” of Moses (Gal 1:14). The entire book of Galatians is concerned with this problem, NOT with the influences of pagans: “… I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus” (Gal 1:17).

If pagan influences have anything to do with this book, why would Paul place distance between himself and “them which were apostles before me” in Jerusalem?

Galatians Two

What is the subject of Chapter 2? It is the very same subject as chapter 1: “For before that certain [men] came from James. [Peter] did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself fearing them which were of the circumcision” (Gal 2:12).

Here again is the subject of this letter to the Galatians. To say Galatians 4:10 has to do with pagan holidays, is to miss the point of this entire epistle. Observing any ‘days, months, times and years’ is indeed contrary to the example of Christ, but the traditions of the Jews is what Paul is addressing in this book of Galatians.

Gal 2:15 We who are Jews by nature…
Gal 2:16 know…that a man is not justified by the deeds of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ…and not by works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified…”

Does this sound like something you would say to people who were being seduced by pagan holidays and traditions? The “law unto themselves” of the Gentiles is just as much a “law for the lawless” (1Ti 1:9-12), but in this book, Paul is dealing with the law of Moses. What does the next chapter concern?

Galatians Three

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? [“The works of the law”]

This is the same subject of chapters one and two, “removed from…the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (Gal 1:6) and “certain (men) from James” (Gal 2:12), and now here in chapter 3; “received ye the spirit by the works of the law…?”

Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, continues in chapter three attempting to take the eyes of these Galatian converts off the things pertaining to the law:

Gal 3:10  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Those who are fighting against Paul until this very day attempt to give the last part of verse 12 a positive spin, while completely ignoring the first part concerning faith without which it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6).

The rest of this chapter is devoted to Paul’s attempt to get the Galatians to see that the promises made to Abraham are actually “to thy seed which is Christ” (Gal 3:16).

Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

The subject still hasn’t changed. The “another gospel, which is not another…but pervert(s) the gospel of Christ” is a gospel which promotes the “law of Moses” which Christ (in Matthew 5) and Paul, here and in all his epistles, say is incompatible with the “law of Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:2).

Gal 3:19  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

What was “the law” of Moses added to? It was a temporary addendum only “until the time of reformation” to the “law of the spirit of life” (Rom 8:2), also called the “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2) the NEW commandment of Matthew 5, the law of love of Romans 13:10. God is not a ‘new’ God. “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). What is ‘new’ about the new covenant, is that it was never before revealed to mankind. Christ came to reveal the Father, because the Father had never before been revealed:

Luk 10:22  All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

The only ‘eternal’ immutable law of God ever revealed in scripture is “the law of Christ” revealed in Matthew 5-7, also called “the law of love” in 1 Corinthians 13: “Love never fails…” (1Co 13:8). God always has been and always will be – LOVE.

This ‘new commandment’ (Joh 13:34) is a NEW COMMANDMENT. It is not the “spirit of the letter lost in the traditions of the elders.” Letter obedience is only to rule over us “till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.”

Then what? “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed” (Gal 3:23).

Here is Paul’s concern for the Galatians. Here is the “another gospel.” The law keeps us “shut up” and “under the law” until “faith comes.” Paul says the same thing, with even more force in Romans 6:14: “… sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law but under grace”. Sin dominates those “under the law”, because they are not yet brought to Christ (Gal 3:22 and 23).

The true character of the law of God was never revealed until Christ came “to reveal the Father” (Mat 11:27, Luk 10:22). While it had not been revealed, the law of Love (the law of God) was still being transgressed, and this is what necessitated the “addition” of the law of Moses “because of transgressions” of the unrevealed, yet present (law of God) law of Love (Gal 3:19). The law [of Moses] entered that “the offence might abound”:

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

 The law of Moses was not added to reveal the Father. Reading the law without accepting Christ “veils” the Father (2Co 3:15).

Paul is obviously desirous that the Romans and Galatians not be “under the law” “after faith comes”.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. [Then what? “But after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster”:
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Why are we no long under a schoolmaster?

Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Now, the formula laid down by the Holy Spirit through the pen of the Apostle Paul is:

• a. The law is good if used lawfully; meaning you understand that it is for the lawless and disobedient (1Ti 1:8,9).
• b. After faith is come, we are no longer under the schoolmaster (the law) because we are not disobedient and lawless as defined by the “new commandment… the law of Jesus Christ”, as revealed for the first time in Mat 5.

Yes, this was the first time. While God’s law is as old as He is, it was not revealed until Christ came:

Mat 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

If the law of Moses had revealed the Father, as most all of Christendom believes, Matthew 5 would have been totally unnecessary. Christ Himself would have been unnecessary, and salvation could have been by the law. However, the law of Moses, the old covenant, the ten commandments (Deu 4:13) are for the lawless and disobedient and the “law of Christ”, the “law of love” is not revealed until Christ comes. Until then we are “kept under the law” (under the letter).

Galatians Four

We now come to Galatians 4. Does the concern suddenly switch from the Galatians being seduced by Judaizer’s to pagan philosophers?

No, paganism is not even under consideration in this chapter. Paul is still concerned that the Galatians are allowing themselves to be influenced by those who want to keep them under the schoolmaster. He has just informed them that in Christ “we are no longer under the schoolmaster, for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:25-26).

The whole weight of Paul’s point is lost by translators who fail to make clear the huge difference between the “children” (Greek – huios, Strong’s G5207) of Galatians 3:26 and the “child” (Greek – nepios, Strong’s G3516) of Galatians 4:1.

Paul’s entire point is that in Christ in time we become ‘huios’, mature sons, able to carry on with our Father’s profession.

This is contrasted with being “under the schoolmaster” and still “under the law”. Chapter four concerns this same subject “now…the heir, as long as he is a nepios, (an infant) differeth nothing from a servant (Greek – doulos, Strong’s G1401, a slave) though he be lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father”:

Gal 4:1  Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child [G3516: ‘nepios’, an infant], differeth nothing from a servant [G1401: ‘doulos’, a slave], though he be lord of all;

Being “under the law” is to be a spiritual infant, an immature Christian” according to Strong; according to Paul “differing nothing from a slave”.

Being under “tutors and governors” and “differing nothing from a slave” while under these “schoolmasters” is to be “nepios (immature)…in bondage to the elements of the world” (Gal 4:3). The subject of this chapter is: “…God sent forth his son…to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (G5206: huiothesia, mature son]:

Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son [G5207: uihos, mature son], made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption [G5206: uihothesia, “placing as a son”] of sons.

This “adoption” is to take on the father’s business and has nothing in common with our modern meaning for the English word ‘adoption’.

Paul’s concern for the Galatians is that “another gospel” is seducing them to remain immature (nepios) Christians, robbing them of their true standing in Christ as mature sons (huios) and “heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29).

“Thou art no more a servant [slave] but a son [mature Christian]; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Gal 4:7). Paul says being an immature Christian and remaining under the law even after Christ has fulfilled it, is to do “service to them which by nature are no gods” (Gal 4:8). These are those who “zealously-affect-you” of verse 17.

How was this desire to remain an immature Christian, “under the law”, ‘nothing more than a slave’, “doing service to them which are no gods”, “believing another gospel”, how was all this manifesting itself in these Galatian converts?

It was manifesting itself in three ways:

1. “Ye observe days, months, times and years” (Gal 4:10)
2. They were desiring to be under the law (vs 21)
3. They were submitting themselves to physical circumcision (Gal 5:2 and 3). They were doing this to avoid being “excluded” from the fellowship of what really amounted to “enemies of the cross of Christ”:

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Nothing has changed. This spirit is here today. If you do not submit to the law of Moses, and to the “traditions of men” (Col 2:8-20) you will still be excluded from their fellowship. Let us not be as the Galatians who were “bewitched” by “the works of the law” (Gal 3:1-5).

Mike,

Can you help me understand what is going on in Exodus 4:24-26 where there is this seemingly random comment about the Lord seeking to kill Moses and this interaction with Zipporah and her son’s foreskin that saves Moses life….am I missing something?

A____

Hi A____,

Thank you for your question concerning the Lord wanting to kill Moses over the circumcision of Moses’ son at the inn on the way down into Egypt. The circumcision ended up having to be done by Moses’ wife, Zipporah:

Exo 4:24  And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
Exo 4:25  Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
Exo 4:26  So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

You ask: 

“Can you help me understand what is going on in Exodus 4:24-26… about the Lord seeking to kill Moses and this interaction with Zipporah and her son’s foreskin that saves Moses​’ life…?”

In answering any questions concerning scripture we are unlocking “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 13:10-17).

Christ has given us eyes that see and ears that hear those mysteries in what He calls ‘keys to that kingdom’ (Mat 16:18-19). Here in Matthew 16 it reads as if the Lord is giving the keys to the kingdom to Peter alone and not to all.

Mat 16:18 Now I, also, am saying to you that you are Peter, and on this rock will I be building My ecclesia, and the gates of the unseen shall not be prevailing against it.
Mat 16:19 I will be giving you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth, shall be those having been loosed in the heavens.

“Having been bound in the heavens… and… having been loosed in the heavens” means the Lord is giving us the ability to think as He thinks “in heaven” and how He permits and restrains the things of the heavens.

With this gift from the Lord​, we will consider what we are being told in these three verses.

In ‘heavenly’ language a woman always signifies a church, be it a good church (Eph 5:31-32) or an apostate church (Rev 17:1-6). ​We are told circumcision signifies the putting off of the things of the flesh and our desires for the things of this earth (Col 2:11):

Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Col 2:11  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

Zipporah is credited with circumcising her son and thereby saving the life of Moses, her husband. The words “sought to kill him” indicate the Lord has smitten Moses with a deadly disease which rendered Moses so weak that he was unable to circumcise his son, a ritual which was done by men both in the culture of Israel and Midian who were also descended from Abraham.

Moses​’ affliction necessitated that Zipporah circumcise her son. Very few are given to know it, but we as the wife of Christ are also used as the agent through whom Christ is offered up, and we are the agency through which He was raised up. That great Truth is hidden in this mistranslated verse of scripture:

Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for [G1223​: ‘dia’, by or through] our offences, and was raised again for [G1223​: ‘dia’, by or through] our justification.

In the same manner​, we, too​, are the agent by and through whom the afflictions which are lacking in Christ’s afflictions are filled up in us for His body’s sake, which is the church:

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

In this story, Moses signifies Christ, and Zipporah signifies the church. Christ tells us that He is us​, and we are Him.​ Christ completely identifies with His church.

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

So while Zipporah was in type circumcising Christ, she was also circumcising the church​, and in doing so she was in type fulfilling these verses of scripture:

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.

By circumcising her own son, her own flesh, Zipporah signifies the church putting off its own flesh. In what she accomplishes, she signifies the Lord’s elect ‘building themselves up in love.’ Love is defined as obedience to God (1Jo 5:2-3), and obedience to God necessitates denying and putting off the desires of our flesh.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

The scriptures use the same person for two opposing symbols in several instances. Pharaoh symbolizes the Father having given the kingdom to Joseph who symbolizes Christ in Genesis 50, and in the very next chapter of scripture, Exodus 1, the Pharaoh signifies the devil seeking to destroy the seed of the woman.

In Matthew 16 Christ tells Peter that the Father has revealed to Peter who Christ is, and Christ gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Just a few verses later Christ also tells this same Peter to “get thee behind me Satan.”

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This is the very next thing we are told about Peter in this same chapter:

Mat 16:21  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Mat 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
Mat 16:23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

So, yes, there is much that we miss until the Lord gives us His keys to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

There is still another lesson to be learned from this story, because there was a reason why the Lord wanted to kill Moses. Moses, like Cain, obviously had ‘not done well’ and had not done what he knew he was supposed to have done:

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7  If thou doest well [do as you have been instructed], shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well [be disobedient], sin lieth at the door. And unto [Hebrew: against] thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Therefore the message for us all in this story of Zipporah circumcising her son is the same as the message of the “man of God” who was tired, thirsty and and hungry and succumbed to the lies of another prophet who told him that the Lord had changed his mind about what the ‘man of God’ was supposed to do. This ‘man of God’ had been told to go to Bethel and cu​rse the altar of the golden calf which Jeroboam the king of Israel had placed there in Bethel. He was told that he was to “eat no bread nor drink water​, and He was to come back by a different way than the way he went to Bethel​.

1Ki 13:8  And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
1Ki 13:9  For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
1Ki 13:10  So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

It was no easy task, but the instructions were as clear as the instructions concerning the circumcision of a male child on the 8th day. The man of God in 1 Kings 13, was tired, hungry and thirsty, and he disobeyed God’s clear instructions just to satisfy the desires of his flesh. Moses also ignored the Lord’s commandment to circumcise his son on the eighth day. The Midianites, practiced circumcision and, according to what scholars tell us, they waited until a boy was anywhere between 13 days or 13 years, the age of Ishmael when Ishmael, their patriarch, was circumcised along with Isaac who was circumcised on the eighth day according to the Lord’s very clear instructions. The fact that the Lord sought to kill Moses indicates very strongly that Moses had not done well and had not followed the Lord’s instructions with his whole heart. The lesson for all of us is that we must listen diligently to the Lord’s words and obey them with our whole heart. The Lord will spew us out of His mouth if we are not diligent in our obedience to His Words:

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

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Jos 22:5  But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

One last lesson here is that God was not going to use a man to deliver His people who had not even bothered to circumcise his son as he had been instructed. If Moses had waited ​until he were in Egypt to be obedient to the Lord​, his slack hand of service would have given people like Korah an excuse to call Moses​’ leadership into question. The point being that the Lord will also hold us back in our service to Himself as long as our ‘weights and sins’ continue to dominate our lives:

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

I hope this all helps you to see some of the lessons which are hidden in the story of Zipporah circumcising her own son. I think you knew before you asked that this is far more than “a seemingly random comment about the Lord seeking to kill Moses.”

Your fellow servant, Mike

Act 7:21-40 This is He That was in the Church in the Wilderness

[Study Aired January 29, 2023]

Act 7:21  And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
Act 7:24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
Act 7:26  And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
Act 7:27  But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
Act 7:28  Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
Act 7:29  Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.
Act 7:30  And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
Act 7:31  When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
Act 7:32  Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
Act 7:33  Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.
Act 7:34  I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
Act 7:35  This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
Act 7:36  He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
Act 7:37  This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
Act 7:38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Act 7:39  To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Act 7:40  Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Stephen, like our Lord, is on trial for his very life, and yet his defense is to demonstrate that the entire history of the Lord’s people is one of rebellion against him and His laws and of persecuting and slaying His prophets whom the Lord has sent to call them to repentance. That, of course, is not a defense at all. It is rather an indictment of his accusers.

In our last study, Stephen had just finished reminding the Sanhedrin and all the elders of Israel that their fathers had hated Joseph simply because Jacob favored Joseph above all His brothers, and they all hated him “with envy”:

Act 7:9  And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Act 7:10  And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

We ended our last study taking note that the Lord increases our numbers while we are in Egypt without increasing our joy. Instead, He causes the Egyptians, signifying the people of this world, to persecute His chosen people causing them to “groan [under their] affliction” (vs 34). This is the final verses of our last study:

Act 7:17  But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
Act 7:18  Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.
Act 7:19  The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.
Act 7:20  In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months:

Act 7:21  And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

Down through the generations of mankind, the seed of the serpent has always attempted to destroy the seed of the woman. However, all the serpent is permitted to do is to ‘bruise the heel of the seed of the woman.’ Cain slew his brother, Abel, and the Lord replaced Abel with Seth. Ishmael mocked Isaac, but the Lord favored Isaac and had Ishmael cast out of Abraham’s house. Esau threatened to kill Jacob, but the Lord kept Jacob safe while judging him in Haran while Jacob worked for his uncle Laban. Then the Lord brought Jacob safely back into Canaan. King Saul attempted to kill David, but the Lord gave David favor in the eyes of King Saul’s own son, Jonathan.

In this case to which Stephen alludes concerning Moses, the Lord had Pharaoh’s own daughter take in and nourish the very person He would use to bring Israel up out of Egypt. The Lord is still able and still does use those in the world to preserve us for His own purpose and His own service.

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

The adversary does exactly what he is sent to accomplish which is to “bruise His heel”, the heel of “the seed of the woman”.

Nevertheless, the adversary is not permitted to keep the Lord’s work from going forward. The Lord even uses His enemies to unwittingly further His purpose. In this event it was Pharaoh’s own daughter whom He used to nourish and bring up the very man who would be used to “destroy Egypt”:

Exo 10:7  And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

Pro 16:7  When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

The Lord “makes… all things” work out “after the counsel of His own will”:

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:

Stephen continues his discourse:

Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

Typifying the time which we all must spend in Babylon the great, Moses had to be in Egypt before he could come out of Egypt. He lived to be one hundred and twenty years old, and the first forty of those years was as a member of the very family of Pharaoh. ‘Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds’ tells us that we are all first ‘Egyptians’ with our whole heart and soul in this world.

We are not told just how he was made aware of the events surrounding his birth, but it is apparent that the daughter of Pharaoh, or his sister Miriam who served Pharaoh’s daughter, informed him that he was the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Signifying how we all begin our service to the Lord with an overzealous enthusiasm which invariably makes us “hated of all men”, Moses thought of himself as the savior of his people in his own power.

Act 7:24  And seeing one of them [a fellow Israelite] suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

This is a perfect example of how we all run out and tell all our families and friends and church members how wonderful it is to discover that the whole established Christian religion is wrong about eternal torment and that the Truth is that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive… but they understand not.”

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

We realize the Lord has given us a great revelation, and we think our families and friends will be so happy that they will see us as a messenger of God. Instead, they react just as this fellow Israelite reacted, and they adamantly refuse us and our newly discovered knowledge of the mind of Christ as their savior, which is exactly what we will be at the appointed time:

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Act 7:26  And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
Act 7:27  But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
Act 7:28  Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
Act 7:29  Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

Moses came out of Egypt long before the congregation of Israel did. He spent his own forty years in the wilderness of Midian keeping the flocks of his father-in-law before he became a ‘savior’ to Israel. He even married a Gentile wife who detested the idea of circumcision while he was there in Midian:

Exo 2:15  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
Exo 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
Exo 2:17  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
Exo 2:18  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
Exo 2:19  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
Exo 2:20  And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
Exo 2:22  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

Exo 4:25  Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
Exo 4:26  So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

The only thing more despised than physical circumcision in this world is spiritual circumcision:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Moses was “a stranger and a pilgrim… in a strange land” just as Israel had been in the land of Egypt, and as their father Abraham had been in Canaan before them:

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

If we are true to the Lord, then we, too, are strangers and pilgrims in this world:

1Pe 2:11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Christ has placed us in this world to salt it and to be a light in this present dark and evil world. The Lord wants us to be a witness to this evil generation for Him. He does not want us to come out of this world in the sense of physically living apart from this world. What the Lord wants us to do is to follow in His steps and be witnesses of Him and His Father, while living in and associating with this world, just as He did:

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Moses being the first to come out of Egypt and then being sent to bring the rest of his people out of Egypt, signifies how we are “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” being the first to come out of this world and eventually become the saviors of the world.

Again, I must quote:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Act 7:30  And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

‘When forty years were expired’ signifies the time we all spend in the wilderness of “mount Sinai [which] answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children”:

Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Act 7:31  When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
Act 7:32  Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
Act 7:33  Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

Mount Sinai is in Arabia, it is not in the so-called ‘Holy Land’. The only thing that makes any part of this ‘earth’, this ‘land’, holy is the presence of the Lord, and Jesus Christ is not ‘present’ in any of the governments of any of the nations of this world, including the physical nation of modern Israel.

Act 7:34  I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
Act 7:35  This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

The calling of Moses, the very man His own people had refused, signifies our own calling to become rulers and deliverers of this world and then, if we are given to remain faithful until the end of our physical life, we, too, will be used by God to show His mercy to and to deliver our fellow man from the curse of death:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Act 7:36  He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

The Lord had shown Moses signs and wonders at the burning bush after forty years in the wilderness of Midian. It was done to convince Moses that he was talking with “the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (vs 32). All Israel witnessed the ten plagues which the Lord poured out on the Egyptians, culminating in the deaths of the firstborn both of Egypt’s people and of their cattle:

Exo 12:29  And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
Exo 12:30  And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Exo 12:31  And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
Exo 12:32  Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
Exo 12:33  And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

Act 7:37  This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

This verse is a direct reference to Christ, and the Sanhedrin knows that is Stephen’s point.  Stephen goes beyond that and indicts his accusers for rejecting Christ, just as their Fathers had rejected Moses:

Act 7:38  This is he [Moses], that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel [Christ] which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Act 7:39  To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Act 7:40  Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

This verse demonstrates that we come out of Egypt while Egypt is still within us. Here are some New Testament realities of what these verses signify and foreshadow:

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Stephen is showing his accusers, who are types of us, that it is in their (our) nature to hate the Lord and His ways.

Physical Israel rejected Moses and told him that his coming into Egypt to deliver them had only made things worse for them:

Exo 5:19  And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
Exo 5:20  And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
Exo 5:21  And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

Moses himself had his faith tried:

Exo 5:22  And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
Exo 5:23  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

God’s timing is seldom ever our timing.

When Israel arrived at mount Sinai, they had already seen many wonders and miracles. They had witnessed all the ten plagues upon Egypt, including the death of all the first born. Beginning at the side of the Red Sea the Lord revealed Himself in a cloud that shadowed them from the heat by day and a pillar of fire by night. Then the Lord blew a dry path through the Red Sea. They saw the Egyptian army destroyed in the sea (Exo 14:21-31). Three days later they saw the bitter waters of Marah made sweet (Exo 15:22-25).

Just a few days after the miracle of making the bitter waters sweet, the children of Israel accused Moses of bringing them out into the wilderness to die of starvation:

Exo 16:1  And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

The fifteenth day of the second month is one month after leaving Egypt on the Passover, which was on the fourteenth day of the first month (Exo 12:6).

Exo 16:2  And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
Exo 16:3  And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

This is just one month after coming out of Egypt and just two weeks before coming to Mount Sinai in the third month:

Exo 19:1  In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
Exo 19:2  For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

“The same day” means the first day of “the third month”. They get there just in time for the first “feast of weeks”, also known as the feast of Pentecost, the date on which the New Testament was born.

The law was given to Moses at the first “feast of weeks” in the Old Testament, and the holy spirit was given on the “feast of weeks” in the New Testament.

While on their way to Sinai, “all the congregation”, with the Cloud over them by day and a pillar of fire by night, are accusing Moses of bringing them “into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” So, the Lord rains manna from heaven in the morning and sends quail for meat in the evening (Exodus 16:4,13-18). As they continue their journey toward mount Sinai, they camp again in a place  called Rephidim. Once again “there was no water for the people to drink”, and the people of Israel again accuse Moses of bringing them out in the wilderness to kill them with thirst:

Exo 17:1  And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
Exo 17:2  Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
Exo 17:3  And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Exo 17:4  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
Exo 17:5  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
Exo 17:6  Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

As a type of our own old man, the congregation of Israel were never willing to endure hardship and depend upon the Lord. They apparently saw no need to be tried or tested to show them how faithless they were, and to show us how faithless we are. The instant they became hungry or began to thirst, they immediately began to accuse the Lord of trying to destroy them.

It is while Israel is camped here at Rephidim, before they even get to Mount Sinai, that they are attacked by Amelek.

Exo 17:8  Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

This ‘Amalek’ is the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau:

1Ch 1:35  The sons of Esau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
1Ch 1:36  The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.

Genesis tells us that ‘Timna’ was a concubine of Esau’s oldest son Eliphaz, “and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek”:

Gen 36:12  And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s wife.

Deuteronomy adds more details to this attack by Amalek, and it tells us of the Lord’s relationship with Amalek:

Deu 25:17  Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
Deu 25:18  How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
Deu 25:19  Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

All the following verses concerning Esau align and accord with what the Lord says about Esau’s fate here in Exodus and in Deuteronomy:

Jer 49:8  Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.

Jer 49:10  But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.

Oba 1:8  Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
Oba 1:9  And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

Oba 1:18  And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Mal 1:3  And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Their victory over Amalek is the last miracle Israel experienced before coming to Mount Sinai. When Moses held up “the rod of God in [his] hand” Israel prevailed but “when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed” (Exo 17:11). So, Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands until “Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people”:

Exo 17:13  And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Exo 17:14  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
Exo 17:15  And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
Exo 17:16  For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Amalek is the seed of Esau, and Esau is the rejected twin brother of Jacob, signifying those who are the rejected seed of Abraham. Ishmael is also the rejected seed of Abraham, but Esau is closer even than Ishmael to those who are the Lord’s elect. It is apostate Christianity with whom “the Lord will have war from generation to generation”, and that is the spiritual significance of ‘Amalek’.

Stephen’s point as we will see is that physical Israel and apostate Christianity are the anti-type of Amalek. At virtually every trial physical Israel encountered while in the wilderness, even with the Lord being with them in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, “the whole congregation” revealed they had no faith in Moses or in the Lord who was there in the cloud and in the pillar of fire.

That is the point Stephen is making, and it all points to our own flesh and our own old man who will not give up his throne in our hearts without a mighty battle which he is doomed to lose.

Next week we will see that while Stephen never once called for the destruction of the temple, and he never once said that Christ ever called for the destruction of the temple, Stephen does point out what the prophets have said:

Isa 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Solomon himself admitted:

1Ki 8:27  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

Nothing has changed in the past two thousand years. Quoting the scriptures to make a scriptural point did not go over well with the established religious leaders of Stephen’s day any more than it does today, as we will learn in our next study.

[Study Aired January 23, 2023]

Exo 34:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 
Exo 34:2  And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. 
Exo 34:3  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. 
Exo 34:4  And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. 
Exo 34:5  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Exo 34:8  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 
Exo 34:9  And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance. 
Exo 34:10  And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
Exo 34:11  Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Exo 34:12  Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 
Exo 34:13  But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 
Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 
Exo 34:15  Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 
Exo 34:16  And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 
Exo 34:17  Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 
Exo 34:18  The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 
Exo 34:19  All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.
Exo 34:20  But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
Exo 34:21  Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
Exo 34:22  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.
Exo 34:23  Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
Exo 34:24  For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year. 
Exo 34:25  Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 
Exo 34:26  The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. 
Exo 34:27  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. 
Exo 34:28  And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 
Exo 34:29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 
Exo 34:30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 
Exo 34:31  And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 
Exo 34:32  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 
Exo 34:33  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 
Exo 34:34  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 
Exo 34:35  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

In Chapter 34, we shall look at the spiritual significance of the two tablets of stones, the renewal of the covenant with the Lord and the shining face of Moses. 

Exo 34:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 
Exo 34:2  And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. 
Exo 34:3  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. 
Exo 34:4  And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

As we learned earlier, the law of Moses was written on tables of stones but was broken by Moses when he saw the Israelites playing the harlot by worshiping the golden calf. In these verses, the Lord requested Moses to hew two tablets of stones so that He will write the laws on them. From the scriptures, we see that the two tablets of stones represent the nature of our hearts as we receive the law of Moses. That is, we were stiff-necked people when we first received the word of the Lord in the form of the law of Moses. If we are called and chosen, then the Lord will gradually change our hearts of stone to fleshy tables of the heart. 

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

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. 

Jer 31:33  But 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. 

In verses 2 and 3, Moses was required to meet the Lord in the morning and he was not supposed to bring anyone along. Meeting the Lord in the morning means that it is when the sun (Christ) starts rising in our hearts that we are able to see the Lord. That is to say it is when the old man is dying and the new man, after the image of Christ, is rising in our hearts that we are able to understand His words or know Him or see Him face to face. 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

The fact that Moses was instructed not to bring anyone along to meet the Lord means that we are to work out our own salvation (meet the Lord) as the Lord enables us. As the Lord’s elect, we are helpers of each other’s faith, but each has to work out his own salvation as our Lord enables. 

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

In the parable of the ten virgins, the five who were wise told the other five virgins, when they requested the five wise virgins to give them some of their oil, that they should go and buy oil for themselves. In other words, the five wise virgins were telling the others that they should work out their own salvation.

Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 
Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

We are also told in verse 3 that no man should be seen throughout the mountain. What we are being told here is that no relationship should distract us from knowing the Lord.

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

In verse 3, it is also stated that the flocks and herds should not graze opposite the mountain as Moses comes before the Lord. From the scriptures, flocks and herds stand for our possessions. In other words, what we work for as we live here on earth.

Job 1:3  His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

These possessions stand for the cares of this world which the Lord admonished us to make sure do not distract us from the goal of knowing Christ or seeing Him face to face as Moses did on the Mount.

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Exo 34:5  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

In verse 5, the Lord descending in the cloud means that the Lord comes to us through His elect which are symbolized by the cloud.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

When Christ comes to us, we are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Knowing the mysteries of the kingdom means Christ is being unveiled to us. This unveiling of Christ involves knowing His ways and His key attributes. In verse 6, we are shown some of His attributes which include the fact that He is merciful, gracious, longsuffering and overflows in goodness and truth.  The Lord loves to show mercy, and He has shown us His mercy by choosing us at the expense of others. We are therefore to learn to be merciful as we are to show mercy to the whole of the human race at the fullness of time.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Longsuffering here means being slow to anger. His longsuffering is what leads us to repentance.

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

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Here in verse 7, we are told that the Lord shall visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and the fourth generation. However, we know from the sum of the Lord’s words that the Lord does not punish people for other people’s sins. Let’s take a look at the following scripture:

Eze 18:1  The word of the LORD came to me: 
Eze 18:2  “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 
Eze 18:3  As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 
Eze 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

Eze 18:14  “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise:

Eze 18:18  As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity. 
Eze 18:19  “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 
Eze 18:20  The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

It appears that the use of the word “visiting” is not the correct word that should have been used. According to Strong, the word “visiting” (H6485) in verse 7 is used frequently (103 times) to mean numbered. The word “visiting” therefore, used in verse 7 should have been numbered. In other words, the Lord has numbered the iniquity of the fathers upon their children and their children’s children.

It is insightful to note that the Lord will number the iniquity of people until the third and fourth generations. As we are aware, the number three means the process of spiritual maturity through judgment. The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. Thus, the spiritual significance of the statement that the Lord will number iniquity until the third and fourth generation is that it is through the process of the Lord’s judgment (the number three) that the whole of the human race (the number four), will have their sins dealt with or not counted or numbered anymore.  

Exo 34:8  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
Exo 34:9  And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

To bow down to worship is a symbol of submitting to the Lord in every way as we come to see His mercy towards us. We, His elect, were once a stiff-necked people whom the Lord has pardoned and has taken us for His inheritance. As we can see from these verses, it is when we find grace in the Lord’s sight that He comes to lead us in this wilderness of life. The grace we find in Christ is for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. From the Biblical perspective, grace is defined as Christ coming to us.

Joh 1:16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

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

What we need to know is that Christ coming to us means coming with His judgment to purify us in order to fulfill His purpose. 

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:

As His elect, we have found grace in the Lord’s sight just as Moses who is a symbol of the elect, had found grace in His sight!!

Exo 34:10  And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
Exo 34:11  Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

The Lord has made a covenant with His elect that He will do marvelous work on our behalf for all the world to see. In verse 11, this marvelous work involves driving out the inhabitants of Canaan to give the people of Israel the promised land. As we all know, the land is our bodies and the Canaanites refer to the beast or the old man within us that the Lord is destroying with the breath of His mouth when He comes to us. The destruction of the old man is through the Lord’s judgment, and this is the marvelous work the Lord is doing in His elect.

Psa 105:5  Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; 

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: 

In making this promise of bringing us to possess our bodies to offer as a living sacrifice to the Lord, He swore by Himself so that we who have fled to Him for refuge will have hope.

Heb 6:13  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 
Heb 6:14  Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 
Heb 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Heb 6:16  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 
Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 
Heb 6:20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Exo 34:12  Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 
Exo 34:13  But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 
Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 
Exo 34:15  Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 
Exo 34:16  And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 
Exo 34:17  Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 

In these verses, we are warned by the Lord regarding the present danger which will disqualify us from being able to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord. The present danger involves playing the harlot after other gods which is what happens to us when we enter the churches of this world (Babylon) in our initial walk with the Lord, thinking we are serving the Lord. At this stage of our lives, we serve another Jesus – a Jesus who will not show mercy to the human race and a Jesus who has no control over us because he has given us a free will to make our own decisions.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

As a result of serving another Jesus, this is what happens to us before the Lord comes with His brightness to deliver us:

2Pe 2:18  For when they (leaders in the churches of this world) speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Exo 34:18  The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was the first of the festivals to be commanded by God for Israel to observe in celebrating the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ freedom from slavery to the Egyptians. Spiritually, keeping the feast of unleavened bread means being given to know and to walk in sincerity in the truth of the word of the Lord. 

1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Exo 34:19  All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. 
Exo 34:20  But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

All the firstborn of male livestock belong to the Lord including that of donkeys. We are required to redeem the firstborns with a lamb. We, the Lord’s elect, are represented by the firstborn sons who have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb.

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

In case we do not want to redeem the firstborn donkeys, then we have to break their neck.  In the scriptures, breaking the neck is related to breaking the yoke of bondage as shown in the following:

Jer 28:11  And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Jer 30:8  For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:

So, what verse 20 is implying is that if we are not redeemed by our Lord Jesus Christ from the burden (yoke) of sin, then we shall face spiritual death through the breaking of our necks.

Exo 34:21  Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 

Jesus has raised the bar spiritually to the law of Christ, by focusing on rest in God as He ceased from His own works. This is Jesus’ experience of observing the spiritual sabbath or resting in God:

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

We also come to rest in Christ when we cease from our own works. This means that we come to see that it is the Lord who does the work in us and therefore, we come to believe in Him that what He has started in us, He will bring to completion.

Exo 34:22  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. 
Exo 34:23  Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
Exo 34:24  For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

The Feast of Weeks is the second of the three “solemn feasts” that all Jewish males were required to observe. This important feast gets its name from the fact that it starts seven full weeks, or exactly 50 days, after the Feast of Firstfruits. Since it takes place exactly 50 days after the previous feast, this feast is also known as “Pentecost” which means “fifty.”  Since the Feast of Weeks was one of the “harvest feasts,” the Jews were commanded to “present an offering of new grain to the Lord” 

Lev 23:16  You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.

The festival of ingathering is the same as the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe and one of the three feasts the Jews were to observe each year by going to “appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose.” The Feast of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. In verse 22, we are required to observe the Feast of Weeks and that of ingathering. This means that we must offer ourselves as firstfruits of the Lord as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 
Rom 12:2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Every male appearing three times before the Lord in verses 23 and 24 means that it is through our fiery trials that we become spiritually mature to stand before the Lord. Our spiritual maturity involves the driving out by the Lord of all the nations in verse 24, represented by the old man. 

Exo 34:25  Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

Leaven means false doctrines. It is impossible to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to please the Lord if our hearts and minds are filled with false doctrines. We are also reminded in verse 25 not to let any of the sacrifices of Passover be left until morning. Letting nothing remain of the sacrifice means that we must not neglect any part of the word of the Lord. We must endeavor to understand the whole counsel of God through His words. 

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Exo 34:26  The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. 

We, His elect, are the first fruits of the Lord. This means that we are to be presented to the Lord first before all humanity will appear before God. The fact that we are not to seethe a kid in his mother’s milk means that it is only those who are spiritually mature, as a result of their fiery trials, who can be offered as living sacrifice to the Lord. Babies in Christ or carnally-minded Christians cannot offer themselves as living sacrifices.

Exo 34:27  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
Exo 34:28  And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

The forty days and nights signify the period of time we go through the Lord’s judgment of our old man to learn righteousness when the Lord comes to us with His brightness. 

Gen  7:4  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Gen 7:12  And the rain (the Lord’s judgment) was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

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. 

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:

During these forty days and nights that Moses was in the presence of the Lord, He did not eat or drink anything. The Lord knows how to sustain us in this life when we are in Him. That is why He admonished us not to worry about what to eat or drink since He does not only care about our spiritual needs but will surely also provide our physical needs.

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Exo 34:29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 
Exo 34:30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 
Exo 34:31  And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 
Exo 34:32  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 

The shining of Moses’ face as he spent forty days and forty nights in the presence of the Lord symbolizes the fact that as we are judged by the Lord through the words we have received, we are gradually transformed into His image. Being in the presence of the Lord is the same as knowing Him through His words. Being transformed into Christ’s image is a gradual process such which we do not see, but those outside see that we are transformed just as Aaron and the children of Israel in verse 30 saw the skin of Moses’ face shine. 

Rev 1:16  In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Mat 17:1  And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
Mat 17:2  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Exo 34:33  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 
Exo 34:34  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.
Exo 34:35  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Moses putting on the veil to hide the shining of his face is a symbol of the blinding of the minds of many from seeing that the law of Moses only serves as a schoolmaster leading us to Christ and that when Christ comes, the law is abolished. The veil being taken away means the doing away of the law of Moses and coming to know Christ through the spirit.

2Co 3:12  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
2Co 3:13  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
2Co 3:15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 
2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Joh 4:23  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

May the Lord help us to continue in Him as we worship Him in spirit and truth!! Amen!!

Exo 33:1-23  The Command to Leave Sinai

[Study Aired January 16, 2023]

Exo 33:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:
Exo 33:2  And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 
Exo 33:3  Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.
Exo 33:4  And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
Exo 33:5  For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.
Exo 33:6  And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb. 
Exo 33:7  And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. 
Exo 33:8  And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.
Exo 33:9  And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.
Exo 33:10  And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.
Exo 33:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
Exo 33:12  And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
Exo 33:13  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 
Exo 33:14  And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 
Exo 33:15  And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
Exo 33:16  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
Exo 33:17  And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
Exo 33:18  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
Exo 33:19  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Exo 33:21  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
Exo 33:22  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
Exo 33:23  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

This chapter deals with the Lord commanding the Israelites to leave Mount Sinai and to go to the promised land to possess it. It also focuses on the tent of the congregation that Moses set up outside the camp for the Israelites to communicate with the Lord and Moses’ encounter with the Lord when he requested the Lord to show him His glory.

In Deuteronomy, when Moses was recounting the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness, he gave additional information regarding why the Lord wanted the Israelites to leave Horeb to possess the land – that is, they had spent too much time in Horeb.

Deu 1:6  The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 
Deu 1:7  Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
Deu 1:8  Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

We spend too much time in Babylon thinking we are serving the Lord but in reality, we are worshiping another Jesus. If we are the elect, then we shall leave Horeb and continue our journey to possess our bodies which in this case is the promised land or the land of Canaan where we battle the old man within, which is represented by all those living in Canaan (Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hittites, Hivites and Jebusites).

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Exo 33:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:
Exo 33:2  And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 
Exo 33:3  Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.

Our God is a God who fulfills promises. As we are aware, the Lord made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He would give them the land of Canaan. In reminding Moses of His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He was reassuring Moses that he is dealing with a God who is able to raise him (the elect) up from their spiritually dead state to give them a kingdom. 

Luk 20:37  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 
Luk 20:38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

As stated here in verse 1, the deliverance by the Lord at the hands of the Egyptians is to bring them to possess a good land. The land here is our bodies, and the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites are all different aspects of the beast or the old man within us which are being dealt with at various phases of our lives. Thus, our salvation is a process which lasts a lifetime. It is not something we attain at the beginning of our walk, as our brothers and sisters in Babylon made us believe during our sojourn there. It is rather at the end of the road that salvation becomes ours.

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

1Co 9:24  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 
1Co 9:25  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 
1Co 9:26  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 
1Co 9:27  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

In verse 3, we are told that the land they are going to inherit after leaving Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. Let’s try to understand what milk and honey stands for. Milk in the scriptures represents the basics of the Lord’s word as shown below:

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

1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

1Pe 2:2  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Honey can also mean the milk of the word of Christ. It only helps us to distinguish between good and evil.

Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Honey, on the other hand, essentially deals with how we hear the word of the Lord. When the word of the Lord comes to us, it tastes so sweet. However, after we start to apply it to our lives, that is when it becomes bitter.

Eze 3:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

Rev 10:9  And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 
Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 

So, the Lord delivering the Israelites from Egypt and taking them to the land flowing with milk and honey is to let us know that when we come out of the world, we are to start with the milk of the word of the Lord, which tastes like honey when we hear it. 

The second part of verse 3 talks about the Lord not going with the Israelites as a result of their stiff-necked nature. Being stiff-necked means we are still under the control of our old man or the beast. Since the old man or the beast is occupying the throne of our hearts, it is impossible for the Lord to be in us to lead us through the wilderness of life. If we are called and chosen, then the Lord will go with us. However, it means that the Lord will consume the old man along the way as stated in verse 3.

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 2:7  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: 

Exo 33:4  And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. 
Exo 33:5  For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. 
Exo 33:6  And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb. 

The evil tidings in verse 4 refers to the fact that the Israelites were stiff-necked people and as a result, the Lord will not go with them in their journey to the promised land. It is through the word of the Lord that we come to see our real nature as a beast. It is when the law of Moses has done its work in our lives as schoolmaster that we come to see that indeed we are stiff-necked people.  Since we are called and chosen, the Lord will come into our midst to consume us as shown in verse 5. This means the Lord will come to us to judge us so that we learn righteousness.

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:

In our stiff-necked state, we do not put on any ornament as shown in verses 4 and 6. To be stripped of ornaments means to be denied being clothed with the Lord’s righteousness as shown in the following verse:

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

It is therefore through the Lord coming to us to consume us that we put on the robe of righteousness or ornaments.

Exo 33:7  And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.

This verse is to let us know that we can only seek the Lord intimately when we go outside the camp. The camp here stands for Babylon. Going outside the camp therefore means leaving Babylon as the Lord has commanded us to do.

Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Exo 33:8  And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.
Exo 33:9  And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.
Exo 33:10  And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.

These verses foreshadow the fact that our brothers and sisters in Babylon or the synagogue of Satan will come to bow down and worship Christ through us in the fullness of time.

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him (Jesus Christ), and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 
Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Moses’ dedication to his fellowship with the Lord was evident to the people of Israel as they see him enter the tabernacle regularly to fellowship with the Lord who is symbolized by the cloudy pillar which descends and stands at the door of the tabernacle.  

Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

To worship before our feet does not mean that Babylon will come to worship us. What it means is that they will come to worship the Lord through our guidance (at our feet). Moses’ encounter with the Lord made it obvious to the people of Israel that the Lord indeed loves him. Our dedication to Christ will show the world that the Lord indeed loves us!! This is clearly portrayed by Jacob’s love for Joseph, who is a symbol of Christ and His elect. Jacob here represents God. We have indeed been favored to know Christ in this age!!

Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Exo 33:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Here in verse 11, we are told that the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. Later on, when Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses, the Lord told them that it was only Moses with whom He speaks face to face. 

Num 12:4  And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
Num 12:5  And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 
Num 12:6  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 
Num 12:8  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

The Lord speaking to Moses face to face is another way of saying that we, His elect, represented here by Moses, have been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven.

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.

In the second part of verse 11, we are told that Moses went back to the camp while Joshua remained in the tabernacle. To understand this statement, we need to know that Moses, in the negative context, represents the law of Moses, which is what governs our lives in Babylon, the camp. Thus, Moses going back to the camp is to let us know that the law must finish its work in Babylon before faith comes. Joshua, on the other hand, symbolizes the elect who departed not from the tabernacle. We know that it is in this tabernacle that the Lord speaks to Moses face to face. Joshua remaining in the tabernacle is therefore another way of saying that the Lord’s words should not depart from our mouth as the Lord’s elect and that we should meditate on it day and night in order to make our way prosperous.

Jos 1:8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Exo 33:12  And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 
Exo 33:13  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 
Exo 33:14  And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Exo 33:15  And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 
Exo 33:16  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
Exo 33:17  And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

Moses wanted to know who the Lord was sending with him to lead the people of Israel. In verse 14, the Lord told Moses that His presence shall go with him and give him rest. These verses point to the coming of the Holy Spirit, whom the Lord will send to lead the Lord’s elect in this wilderness of life into all truth.

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

As we can see from these verses, it is when we find grace in the Lord’s sight that He comes to us to show us His ways. The grace we find in Christ is for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. From the Biblical perspective, grace is defined as Christ coming to us. 

Joh 1:16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

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

The Babylonian system from which we came equates physical blessings with grace. What we need to know is that blessings are for our existence, but grace is for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. We do need the Lord’s blessing for our existence, otherwise, there is no way we can fulfill the Lord’s purpose. However, merely to exist is vanity of vanities. All the cars, houses, money, degrees, and jobs are vanities if our existence is not for the fulfillment of the Lord’s purpose. In the Old Testament, we mainly have blessings, but in the New Testament, the physical blessings are immediately replaced by spiritual blessings. The physical blessings are all included in the spiritual blessings for the fulfillment of the Lord’s purpose.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

As stated, grace is Christ coming to us. We know that Christ coming to us means coming with His judgment to purify us for the purpose of fulfilling His purpose. 

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:

As His elect, we have found grace in the Lord’s sight just as Moses found grace in His sight!! Alleluia!!

Exo 33:18  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

We need to know what the glory of the Lord signifies in order to understand what Moses was asking for. The following verses show us what the glory of the Lord means:

Num 14:10  But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Num 14:11  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

Num 16:19  And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
Num 16:20  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

We can see from these verses that anytime the glory of the Lord appears, we see the Lord speaking. The glory of the Lord is Christ Himself who is also the word. In Deuteronomy 5:24, additional information is given to qualify the glory of the Lord, and that is fire. Seeing His glory therefore means hearing the Lord’s voice out of the midst of the fire. This conclusion is affirmed in Exodus 24:16-17, where the sight of the glory of the Lord was likened to a devouring fire on the top of the Mount. So, in this age, those who are privileged to see the glory of the Lord are those who are hearing His words in the midst of the furnace of their affliction. I will therefore take this opportunity to tell our brothers and sisters scattered all over the world who are going through fiery trials that they should rejoice because it is through suffering that they will see the glory of the Lord!! When we are going through suffering, it is hard to rejoice, but afterwards it will yield the benefit of coming to know Christ or seeing the glory of the Lord!! 

Exo 33:19  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 
Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

In answering Moses’ request to see the glory of the Lord, the Lord told him that He will cause all His goodness to pass in front of him. The question is what does it mean for His goodness to pass in front of Moses?  To answer this question, we need to know what the goodness of the Lord is. The goodness of the Lord is His work of salvation for the elect first, and then the whole of the human race later. In Romans 2:4 We are told that the goodness of God leads to repentance and repentance is the way of salvation.

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

Psa 31:19  Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 

This work of salvation, which shows His goodness, is about how He brings us to our safe haven in Christ.

Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

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

The Lord telling Moses that His goodness will pass before him, therefore, means that this work of salvation is not for him and that he was ministering to the Lord’s elect.

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

The Lord’s goodness also entails His prerogative to show mercy to some and to harden the hearts of others. This is to let us know that we do not play any role in His work of salvation. 

Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

The Lord also told Moses that he cannot see His face because no man sees Him and lives. To see the Lord’s face means to know Him. There is no way for Moses to know the Lord since Jesus had not come to atone for the sins of mankind at Moses’ time. Those of us who are knowing Him or seeing His face now are the ones who are dying daily to the flesh or the old man since we cannot see the Lord and live in the comfort of our old man!!

Exo 33:21  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
Exo 33:22  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
Exo 33:23  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

In order to understand these verses, we have to see who Moses represents here. As stated, Moses is a symbol of the law. Babylon is governed by the law of Moses. So, what the Lord told Moses here in these verses pertains to our walk in Babylon. In verse 21, the Lord told Moses that there is a place by Him where he shall stand on a rock. This rock is Christ. In other words, the churches of this world stand on the foundation built by Christ. However, what they build on this foundation is wood, hay and stubble.

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

In verse 22, the Lord hid Moses in a cleft of the rock and covered it with His hand such that Moses will not see the goodness of the Lord. This is to let us know that it is the Lord who has blinded the churches of this world (represented here by Moses) such that they cannot see the Lord’s way of salvation. Verse 23 shows us that all that the churches can see is the back parts of the Lord which symbolize the law of Moses. That is why the churches are dominated by the law of Moses which serves as a schoolmaster until faith comes.

Rom 11:7  What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
Rom 11:9  And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 
Rom 11:10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

May the Lord grant us the grace to know more of His goodness in this land of the living!! Amen!!

Exo 4:1–17 Put Forth Thine Hand, and Take it by the Tail

Exo 4:1  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. 
Exo 4:2  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 
Exo 4:3  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 
Exo 4:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 
Exo 4:5  That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 
Exo 4:6  And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 
Exo 4:7  And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 
Exo 4:8  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 
Exo 4:9  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. 
Exo 4:10  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 
Exo 4:11  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? 
Exo 4:12  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 
Exo 4:13  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 
Exo 4:14  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 
Exo 4:15  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 
Exo 4:16  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 
Exo 4:17  And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. 

This chapter continues the discourse between the Lord and Moses when the Lord came to Moses. It focuses also on Moses’ return to Egypt to start the process of delivering the Israelites from bondage. Regarding today’s session, we will continue reviewing the dialogue between Moses and our Lord Jesus Christ. As this chapter is the continuation of Moses’ encounter with Christ, we will recount the key highlights of the last session to set the tone for today’s study.

As we know, the land of Midian where Moses fled after leaving Egypt, was part of the desert. A key characteristic of a desert is the scarcity of water which makes it impossible for plants to grow. The fact that Moses was keeping the flock in the desert, therefore, suggests that Moses, together with the flock, symbolizes Babylon where there is lack of the word of the Lord. So, after leaving Egypt, we automatically end up in Babylon.

1Sa 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

Moses being a symbol of the elect had been called and chosen before the foundations of the world. Being called and chosen, it is a matter of time before the Lord comes with His brightness, which is His words to destroy that which holds us from offering our lives as living sacrifice to the Lord. In the fullness of time, Moses led the flock to the backside (H310) of the desert. The word “backside” has frequently been used in King James to mean “after” or “behind”. However, it is also used in other ways such as “to turn away from” in Numbers 14:43.

Num 14:43  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from (H310) the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

Thus, Moses leading the flock to the backside of the desert can mean Moses turning away from the desert. It is when Moses turned away from the desert situation of lack of the word of Christ that he came to the mountain of God or had an encounter with the Lord who comes with His words to brighten our path. In other words, it is when we begin to turn away from Babylon and his doctrines representing the desert that Christ comes to us!! This mountain of God which is called Horeb is the same as the New Jerusalem or the church of the first born. So, we turn away from the desert (Babylon) to enter Jerusalem which is above. This mountain of God is also spiritually the same as Mount Zion.

Isa 10:12  Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

It is interesting that Horeb, the mountain of God, means “desolate”. The word of the Lord describes the elect as desolate. This is all to confirm that the mountain of God here represents the assembly of the Lord’s elect.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

The statement that the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush is to let us know that this coming of Christ to the elect is all within us (in the midst of the bush). In the fullness of time, the Lord will appear for the whole world to see. However, in this dispensation, the Lord’s coming is within us, just as the kingdom of the Lord is within us.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

What Moses saw, caught his attention. Indeed, the Lord knows what will catch our attention. He saw the bush burning with fire but the bush was not consumed. The question is “what does this mean”? As indicated, the bush represents the elect and the bush burning is to let us know of the judgment of the elect. In spite of what the elect go through by way of judgment, we rather become stronger and are not consumed by our fiery trials. This is exemplified by what happened to the Israelites while in Egypt. Even as their burden became heavier, they became stronger and more fruitful.

Exo 1:12  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

Now the question is, “What did Jesus, together with the people of God, see that kept them going in spite of the trouble they went through?” This is the very question on the mind of Moses that caused him to turn aside to see this great sight – why the bush is burning and yet not being consumed. The answer is very simple. It is because they have all seen the reward!! This is what Paul had to say about our High Priest Jesus:

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

Jesus saw the reward, and it served as a driving force to go against all the odds in this life to please God!! The reward is what is motivating all of us and preparing us to go through the fire knowing that we shall not be consumed!! Moses, like us, also wanted to know why the bush burns and yet was not consumed. However, many have seen the bush burning and not been consumed but were/are not enthused about it and therefore do not turn aside to see this great sight!!

It is when we turn aside to understand the word of the Lord regarding how all the elect before us went through all kinds of tribulations, but they were not consumed, that Christ comes to us with His brightness. That is when we hear a voice within us calling us by our name. Let’s now pay attention to the name Moses. It means to draw out. As we are aware, Moses also represents the law. It is when the law has run its full course that it draws out of us what we really are in the flesh.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Let’s now continue with the conversation between the Lord and Moses in Chapter 4 as follows:

Exo 4:1  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

This verse is to let us know that Babylon, or the physical churches of this world represented here as Israelites in Egypt, will naturally not believe in the elect just as the church system in Jesus’ time did not believe in Him. To the churches of this world, we are dead spiritually and our dead bodies are lying in the street of Jerusalem (in their churches), which is in bondage with her children.

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

As He is, so are we. If the Lord was considered spiritually dead by the leaders of the church during Jesus’ time, then we, His servants will suffer the same fate.

Mar 3:10  For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
Mar 3:11  And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

Mar 3:22  And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

Exo 4:2  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

The rod here is the same as the staff. What is in our hands is what we cling to. In other words, what the Lord was asking Moses pertains to what Moses was depending on. We are either depending on our strength or flesh, which is powered by the devil, or we are depending on the Lord alone. In the Bible, a rod is a symbol of discipline. However, the following verses show that a rod can represent Christ and His words or the devil and his lies, represented as a serpent:

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse (christ), and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Mar 6:8  And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only (Christ); no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:

Isa 14:29  Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken (the devil): for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. 

Eze 7:11  Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness (the devil). None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them.

Exo 4:3  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

It is when we have an encounter with Christ that is, when He comes to us and causes us to understand His words that we are shown what we are depending on. To cast to the ground means to destroy as used in the following:

2Sa 8:2  And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.

It is when the Lord comes to us with His brightness and starts His work of destroying the beast within that we see who we have been dealing with all our lives – our father the devil, who is represented here as a serpent. Christ coming to us with His brightness is when our heavens are opened to begin to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

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:

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.

Just as Christ stands for the word of Christ or truth, the devil or Satan or the serpent is synonymous with deception or lies. So, it is when the Lord opens our hearts and minds to understand His words that we begin to see how all our lives we have been deceived by the lies of the serpent. Nobody wants to entertain deception. One of the key factors that destroys marriages is when one partner sees that he/she had been deceived all along. Immediately we recognize deception, and we run away from it. This was what happened to Moses. Immediately he saw that the rod had become a serpent, he realized that he had been deceived all along. That is when he started to flee from deception. That was exactly what happened to us!!  Until Christ came to us with His brightness, we thought we were serving the Lord. Immediately, we come to see that what we have been holding on to or depending on is indeed deception by our father the devil, we flee!!

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. 
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Exo 4:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 

Whenever we come across the phrase, “And the Lord said to Moses”, we are being told what the word of the Lord says. Our encounter with the Lord through His words is a much richer experience than the physical encounter of Moses with the Lord. This is what the Lord has to say about this:

Joh 20:27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 
Joh 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 
Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Through the scriptures, we are able to know how to deal with the lies of the devil and his messengers. That is, we must put forth our hands and take the serpent by the tail. In the scriptures, the tail negatively symbolizes the false doctrines of false messengers of Satan.

Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

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.

The statement “And he put forth his hands, and caught it” means that Moses was able to seize, bind or restrain (Meaning of ‘caught’ H2388) the lies of the enemy, the devil. It is when we have dominion over the false doctrines in our heavens that we are able to hold onto Christ and His words, represented here by the serpent turning back to a rod. The rod is also a symbol of rulership. Thus, having this rod (Christ and His words) now in our hands is to assure us of our future inheritance as rulers, just as Moses ruled over the Lord’s people after this encounter with Christ with the rod in his hands.

Eze 19:14  And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

Exo 4:5  That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 

As we have indicated in the previous session, the Lord introducing Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is to let Moses know that he is dealing with a God who is able to raise him up from his spiritually dead state. This is to assure us that we, his elect, represented here by Moses, will be raised up to become spiritually alive by the Lord and to become rulers in the life to come.

Luk 20:37  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Luk 20:38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. 

Exo 4:6  And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
Exo 4:7  And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 

The Hebrew word “chôq (H2436)” is often translated as bosom, but it can also mean “within” as used in the following:

Job 19:27  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within (H2436) me.

So, we can say that putting forth your hand “into thy bosom” can mean looking within. As we are aware, within us is a repository of evil signified by Moses’ hands turning leprous as snow. This is what Jesus had to say about what is within us:

Mar 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 
Mar 7:22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 
Mar 7:23  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 

Verses 6 and 7 present another way of saying that the vessel our Lord made of clay was marred in His hands, and so He made it again into another vessel as it seemed good to Him.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Exo 4:8  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 

As indicated, the first sign relates to us being able to recognize that what we have depended on is in reality a deception. It is then we learn how to deal with these false doctrines – by holding them by the tail. This first sign is basically inward, and it is not easily seen by others. However, the second sign relates to how we come to see ourselves as sinful, and through the grace of God, we come to shine forth His righteousness. It is this righteousness which is like a lamp that cannot be hidden, making others believe our voice.

1Pe 3:1  Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,
1Pe 3:2  when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 

Mat 5:14  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 
Mat 5:15  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 
Mat 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Exo 4:9  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

The third sign to convince the people of Israel is to turn their water into blood. This is to let us know that during our lives in Babylon, or the physical churches of this world, our water of the word of Christ was turned into blood. In other words, we all became murderers of the Lord’s elect, thinking we are doing God a service.  It also implies that we were guilty before God for the killing of our savior Jesus Christ and all the elect who had been murdered for Christ’s sake.

Joh 16:2  They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 
Joh 16:3  And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 

Exo 4:10  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 

It is when we have an encounter with the Lord that we come to see our inadequacies in carrying out the Lord’s work. Before Moses met the Lord, he was full of confidence that he was capable of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and thought that the Israelites would understand. This is what the word of God says:

Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 
Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 
Act 7:24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 
Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

Having encountered Christ, Moses came to realize he was sinful and incapable of doing the Lord’s work as he complained to the Lord of his lack of eloquence. All those whom the Lord had used significantly realized their incompetence and therefore depended on the Lord. Christ brings us to this point of realization so we depend on Him to do His work of salvation through us, and in so doing, no flesh can boast in His presence. Let’s look at the Lord’s encounter with Isaiah and Jeremiah to serve as witness to this fact:

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 
Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

The seraphim here in Isaiah 6:6 represents the elect and through what every joint supplies, which is the live coal or the fire of the word of Christ, our iniquity is taken away.

Jer 1:4  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Jer 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 
Jer 1:6  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 
Jer 1:7  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

This is what Paul, who was used mightily by the Lord, had to say:

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 
2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

The Lord brings us to this point so we will come to know that it is the Lord who does the work. All we have to do is to believe in Him to accomplish that which He has started in us!!

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. 
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

Exo 4:11  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? 

This verse is to confirm to us that everything is of the Lord. It is another way of saying that everything is going according to the counsel of His will.

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: 

Exo 4:12  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 

This is another way of saying that the Lord will do His work through us. We do not contribute anything to our salvation. This is what the Lord had to say to us so that we understand right from the onset that we do not contribute anything to our salvation.

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

In 1 John 4:17, we are told that as He is, so are we. When the Lord was here on earth, it was the Father who did everything through Him. In the same manner, our walk here on earth is all the work of Christ in us.

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. 

Exo 4:13  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 

When we focus so much on our inadequacies and our circumstances, we will never be able to do the work of God. Moses was engrossed with his inadequacies instead of understanding that it is the Lord who does the work. This is demonstrated clearly by the story of Jesus walking on the sea. As we are aware, the sea represents the flesh, and so Jesus walking on the sea shows us that He had victory over the flesh when He was walking here on earth. Peter tried to imitate Christ, and initially, he was successful in walking on the sea. However, when he focused on the boisterous wind, he became afraid and started sinking. This is to let us know that it is only in focusing on Jesus that we can have victory over the flesh. If we look at ourselves or our circumstance as Peter did, sin will rear its head in our lives again.

Mat 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 
Mat 14:26  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 
Mat 14:27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 
Mat 14:28  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 
Mat 14:29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 
Mat 14:30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 
Mat 14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Exo 4:14  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 
Exo 4:15  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 
Exo 4:16  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 

This is where we are introduced to Aaron, the brother of Moses. On a positive note, Aaron represents the elect. On a negative note, Aaron is a symbol of our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are joined to us. In this context, Aaron’s role can be looked at from a negative perspective. Here we see that Aaron was to attend or minister to Moses in bringing salvation to the people of Israel. Throughout the years, our brothers and sisters in Babylon’s work only pertain to the keeping of instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, but it is only Moses, Aaron and his sons (representing us) who are to minister before the Lord.

Num 3:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:6  Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 
Num 3:7  And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:8  And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:9  And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 
Num 3:10  And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Num 3:38  But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

We should also note that Aaron’s role is the same as all the prophets of the Old Testament who ministered to us but did not receive the promise.

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Here in verse 16 of Exodus chapter 4, we are told that Moses shall be a God to Aaron. What this means is that through us (Moses), salvation shall come to all our brothers and sisters in Babylon and the prophets of the Old Testaments (Aaron).

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. 

Exo 4:17  And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. 

As we have indicated earlier, the rod here, on a positive note, represents Christ, and when we are in Him, nothing is impossible.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 
Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

It is through Him that we can do signs and wonders in this life. The signs that we are being empowered to do pertains to the raising of the spiritually dead to life in Christ Jesus!!

Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 
Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 
Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

May the Lord help us to possess Christ (the rod) as our priceless possession in this life!! Amen!!

Exodus 2:1–25 When She saw him that he was a Goodly Child, She hid him Three Months

[Study Aired March 14, 2022]

Exo 2:1  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 
Exo 2:2  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 
Exo 2:3  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. 
Exo 2:4  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 
Exo 2:5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 
Exo 2:6  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 
Exo 2:7  Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 
Exo 2:8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 
Exo 2:9  And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 
Exo 2:10  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. 
Exo 2:11  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 
Exo 2:12  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 
Exo 2:13  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 
Exo 2:14  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 
Exo 2:15  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. 
Exo 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 
Exo 2:17  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 
Exo 2:18  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? 
Exo 2:19  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. 
Exo 2:20  And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. 
Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 
Exo 2:22  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. 
Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 
Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 
Exo 2:25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

The previous chapter deals with the Israelites undergoing hard labor in Egypt and Pharaoh charging all his people to cast the sons born to the Hebrew women into the river but sparing every daughter born. As we indicated, a son represents the elect, and a daughter signifies the church – the physical churches of this world or Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all. Pharaoh here denotes the devil or the beast within, and Pharaoh’s people here are the false apostles and deceitful workers.

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

Casting every son into the river is the same as deceiving the elect through false doctrines of man’s wisdom. The devil had accomplished this successfully at a certain point in our lives as we filled our heavens with false doctrines and in so doing blocked the glorious gospel of Christ which is able to save us.

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Saving every daughter alive is another way of saying that the physical churches of this world were given two wings of a great eagle, to 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 12:6  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 12:14  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.

It was during this circumstance of the Israelites that Moses was born to a Levite couple as follows:

Exo 2:1  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 
Exo 2:2  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 

These verses talk about our predestination. It is significant to know that Moses’ birth was accomplished through two Levites. As we are aware, it is through the Levites that there is the priesthood and the work of the tabernacle in the wilderness. If Moses had been born outside the tribe of Levi, Moses would not have been qualified to act as an intermediary between God and the people of Israel. This is all to show us the fact that before the world began, we had been called and chosen just like Moses.

Our backgrounds and all that we have gone through to date, are all the Lord’s design to bring us to an expected end. This should give us the confidence that our Lord oversees our circumstances and will bring to pass that which is written of us according to His books. It is therefore not what we can do, but what the Lord will do for us!! All we must do is believe in Jesus whom our Father has sent!!

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.

Psa 139:13  For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother’s womb.
Psa 139:14  I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.
Psa 139:15  My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 
Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.
Psa 139:17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Joh 6:28  They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The fact that the parents saw Moses was a goodly child when he was born is all to confirm the called and chosen status of Moses who represents the elect. His parents hiding him for three months is to let us know that even though we are called and chosen, it is through the process of judgment that we become spiritually mature or complete. Hiding Moses for three months also means that our status as the Lord’s elect and the process we go through to become His Christ are all hidden from the world, including the churches of this world. In short, the world would never know us as we are hidden in the Lord’s quiver until that day, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ!!

Isa 49:2  and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me: and he hath made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he kept me close:

Exo 2:3  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
Exo 2:4  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

These verses are to show us how we should walk here on earth as the Lord’s elect. We must live above or insulate ourselves from the river of Egypt which consists of the water of this world and that of the physical churches of this world. The water of this world consists of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life and rudiments of this world. That which is of the physical churches of this world is the false doctrines of man’s wisdom.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Col 2:8  Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

Just as the mother of Moses ensured that Moses was kept afloat on the river Nile, the role of the church is to help us all stay above the waters of this world and that of Babylon through what every joint supplies. Verse 4 shows us that Moses’ sister was at hand to give a helping hand so that Moses is not drawn in the river. This is also to emphasize the role of the church in helping us live for Christ. Moses’ sister also represents all the fleshly assistance or provision that the Lord has made available to the elect in this life.

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

On a positive note, this river represents the word of the Lord. When we are children in Christ or have just started our walk with Christ (represented by Moses being a child), we only float on the surface and are confined to the brink of the water which represents the letter of the word. We are not given to know the spiritual reality of the word of Christ. In that case, Moses’ sister negatively represents Babylon whose role is to confine us to the letter of the word.

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Exo 2:5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

As indicated in the comments on the previous verses, the river of Egypt has also a positive connotation of being the word of Christ. It is in this river that the daughter of Pharaoh goes down to wash. The daughter of Pharaoh here stands for the New Jerusalem or Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all, and we are cleansed or washed by the river of life. The maidens walking by the river side lets us know that we are called to the lost house of Israel or Babylon to fetch them from floating on the river surface or living at the brink of the river.

Mat 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Exo 2:6  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 

One of the qualities the Lord is inculcating in us in this life is having compassion for others. This was the quality that enabled the daughter of Pharaoh to make Moses her son. This is what the Lord has to say to us about this:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Exo 2:7  Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 
Exo 2:8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 

As indicated earlier, on a positive note, Moses’ sister is a symbol of all the fleshly assistance or provision that the Lord has made available to the elect in this life so that we end up in Pharaoh’s house or the New Jerusalem. The same is true of Moses’ mother.

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Exo 2:9  And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

Before we end up in the King’s house or in the New Jerusalem, we, the elect, are taken care of by the physical fleshly churches of this world symbolized by Moses’ mother.  A significant fact about this is that this caretaker role of Babylon regarding the elect is not free. The churches receive wages as indicated by Pharaoh’s daughter giving wages to Moses’ mother to take care of Moses. As we know, freely we have received and freely must we give. However, that is not what happens in the churches. Every service offered must be paid for. As the Lord said, they have received their reward already!!

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 

Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Exo 2:10  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Moses’ life in Egypt is recounted as part of Stephen’s speech when he was brought before the council to answer the false charges brought against him. Thus, to understand these verses, there is the need to put the account by Stephen side by side to this Exodus account as they reveal certain details not found in the Exodus account. This is Stephen’s account:

Act 7:21  And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 
Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

On a negative note, we grow up in Egypt learning all the wisdom of this world or Egypt and become mighty in words and in deeds thinking we hold our destiny in this life in our own hands. However, we are no match to the devil or the beast within.

On a positive note, we are rescued from the river of Egypt and brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter who signifies the New Jerusalem. Also positive, the wisdom of the Egyptians that we learn is the wisdom the Lord has given us in this world, which is the fear of the Lord. Through this fear of the Lord which becomes our portion through the word of Christ, we become mighty in opposing the works of darkness in our lives.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Exo 2:11  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 
Exo 2:12  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

Stephen’s account of these verses is as follows:

Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 
Act 7:24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 
Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

The statement in Exodus chapter 2 verse 11 that it was when Moses had grown that he went out unto his brethren lets us know that it was when Moses was forty years that he visited the Israelites knowing that God had called him to deliver them from the hands of the Egyptians. Moses being forty years was significant because forty in the negative context symbolizes the period in our lives where we manifest the works of the flesh.

1Sa 17:4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 

1Sa 17:16  And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

This is all to let us know that even while we were manifesting the works of the flesh, our Lord had penciled us out to be the source of salvation for many. The Egyptian smiting the Hebrew here signifies the old man or the beast’s dominance over us. Moses slaying the Egyptian is another way of saying that one of the heads of the beast within was wounded to death. Hiding the body of the Egyptian in the sand is to let us know the temporariness of the wound meted out to the beast within. This deadly wound heals, and we are back to square one. This narrative is also to make us aware that Moses was relying on his own fleshly strength (signified by forty years) to deal with the beast within and all his efforts were in vain as we shall see the story unfold. However, it is the work of the Lord to deal with the beast within permanently on our behalf. As indicated earlier, all we have to do in this battle against the flesh is to believe in Jesus whom the Father has sent!!

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Exo 2:13  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 
Exo 2:14  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 

These two verses show us the fiery word of the Lord which set into motion our (Moses’) exit from Egypt. Our exit from the world to start serving the Lord is not achieved by our own decision at ease. We all rush to leave because of tribulation and persecution of the word of Christ.

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

The second day that Moses went to visit the Israelites served as a witness to confirm to Him that the Lord had indeed made him a deliverer, that is, prince and a judge over the Israelites as spoken by the Israelite who was striving with his neighbor.

Act 7:27  But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

This verse affirms to us the reward awaiting us!! Indeed, when this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, we shall become rulers with Christ. Later in the lake of fire age, we shall sit on thrones to judge the whole world!!

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.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Exo 2:15  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

As we indicated, Pharoah here represents the beast within, and Moses signifies the saints or the elect. It is when the deadly wound of the beast (the killing of the Egyptian) is healed that he makes war with the saints to overcome them.

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 

Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

It is significant to know that Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to the land of Midian. Midian means ‘strife’. Thus, our long, drawn-out war or strife with the beast does not stop when we leave Egypt or the world. Rather, our leaving Egypt signals the intensity of this strife. It is also insightful to know that when Moses went to the land of Midian, he sat down by a well of water. Our refuge in these times of strife is Christ or the word of Christ. That is what will ensure our victory over Pharaoh (the beast)!!

Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

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

This is the second time that a priest is named who is not an Israelite. The first one was in Genesis where Abraham met Melchizedek, and this priest of Midian is the second one. This second priest, who became the father-in-law of Moses, is a witness to us that our Lord’s plan of salvation includes us, the gentile, right from the very onset. It is also to let us know that the Lord will save all humanity as He always starts with few people (the nation of Israel) and through these few people (Israel), extends His salvation to cover all nations.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
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;

The seven daughters represent the complete churches of this world. The verse here talks about the role of the church. That is, to draw water to quench the thirst of our father’s flock. As we are aware, the water is the word of Christ and our role is to give the flock the water of the word.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Exo 2:17  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 

These shepherds signify pastors and leaders of the physical churches of this world called Babylon. Instead of helping quench the thirst of the flock with the word of Christ, which is able to save us, they rather prevent the flock from accessing the living water. This is what the Lord Jesus had to say about these shepherds:

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 
Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 

Mat 23:13  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Again, this is what Peter and Jude had to say about these shepherds:

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 
Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 
Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 
Jud 1:13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Moses symbolizes the elect. After escaping from Egypt or the world, we had so much zeal to help quench the thirst of the churches as we saw Moses help water the flock of the seven daughters and stood up against the shepherds. In this case, our zeal was without knowledge as we had not yet had an encounter with the Lord, just like Moses. In Babylon, we begin to see that these shepherds are not doing the right things and so we stand up against them. In the fullness of time, however, this standing up against these shepherds will facilitate our exit from Babylon.

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 
Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 
Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 

Exo 2:18  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
Exo 2:19  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
Exo 2:20  And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

Moses here is described as an Egyptian, as he was likely wearing an Egyptian cloth. This Egyptian cloth is the world’s standard of righteousness based on the law. In another perspective, what these seven daughters, who represent the churches of this world, said about Moses being an Egyptian is to let us know how the churches regard us. They think the Lord’s elect are spiritually dead as being an Egyptian means being of the world.

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

The father of the seven daughters, Reuel, in these verses signifies Christ who is inviting us to come and eat bread, which is His words immediately after leaving Egypt. Unfortunately, because at that stage of our walk we have not had an encounter with the Lord to know His voice, we are not able to decipher between the true word of the Lord and false doctrines of man’s wisdom. In our hunger, we come into the churches of this world imbibing all the false doctrines given to us.

Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
Exo 2:22  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

On a positive note, as Christ comes to dwell in us, His gift to us is the body of Christ or the church of the first born, which is represented here by Zipporah who was given to Moses as wife. It is through the church that we can give birth to the new man in us who is after the image of Christ. It is the birth of this new man in us that we come to see that indeed, we are strangers here on earth.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

If we are called and chosen, then in the fullness of time the king of Egypt, signifying one of the horns of the beast within, will be uprooted. However, we continue to be under the dominance of the beast within. This verse is to let us know, therefore, that the death of the old man is a process and during this period of being under the burden of sin, we groan. The good news is that in all of this, our Lord hears our groaning which means He is working out a great deliverance on our behalf.

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, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.

Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Exo 2:25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

The Lord hearing their groaning and remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is another way of saying that because He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, we should be holy and without blame, He hears our cry of desperation from bondage to sin.

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.

In verse 25, it is stated that the Lord looked upon the Israelites and had respect for them. A better rendition of this verse is:

Exo 2:25  and because he knew what was happening to his people, he felt sorry for them. (CEV)

Our Lord feels what we go through. To be our High Priest, He experienced all that we were to go through first except sin, so that He can be merciful to us as we strive under the burden of sin.

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

Jer 29:15-32  They… Have Spoken Lying Words In My Name

[Study Aired January 23, 2022

Jer 29:15  Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
Jer 29:16  Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
Jer 29:17  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Jer 29:18  And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:
Jer 29:19  Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.
Jer 29:20  Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
Jer 29:21  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
Jer 29:22  And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
Jer 29:23  Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.
Jer 29:24  Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,
Jer 29:25  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
Jer 29:26  The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
Jer 29:27  Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?
Jer 29:28  For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
Jer 29:29  And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
Jer 29:30  Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 29:31  Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:
Jer 29:32  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.

This section of scripture is addressed to “The king that sits upon the throne of David and… all the people that dwelleth in this city [Jerusalem], and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity.”

The king sitting on the throne of David at the time of this writing was the evil king, Zedekiah. Zedekiah was placed upon the throne of David by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. In this particular case “the king that sitteth upon the throne of David” signifies our old man who is sitting on the throne of David in our hearts and minds before he is dethroned and destroyed by the brightness of the truth of Christ when we are finally given eyes that see and ears that hear. “The throne of David” is the throne of Christ, and this is the fate of this evil king within us who is usurping the Lord’s throne which is in our hearts and minds:

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, [We are made to realize that we are in bed with the great whore.] and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [Our man of sin is revealed only after we acknowledge we are in bed with the great whore.]
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. [sitting on the throne of David]
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 [G2722: katecho, hold back] that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [G2722: katecho, hold back]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.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: [that they need not go into Babylon nor fulfill the seven last plagues]
2Th 2:12  That they all [the “old man” in “every man”] might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

“That ye be not… troubled… by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us… that the day of Christ is at hand” is speaking of the first resurrection, the redemption of the purchased possession and not just the earnest of the spirit of that promise.  What has happened within this fellowship is not new. The same perverse spirit was alive and well when this epistle was written. There were already those who were teaching that the kingdom of God within was itself the first resurrection.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

The Greek word ‘katecho’ in 2Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the same word translated as ‘hold’ in this verse:

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [G2722: katecho, to restrain] the truth in unrighteousness;

The “man of sin” who occupies Christ’s throne in our hearts and minds ‘restrains’ and holds back the Truth in unrighteousness and in many self-righteous, false, lying doctrines such as “the day of Christ is at hand”. The kingdom of God certainly is at hand within, but the day when “the Lord and His Christ” will rule the kingdoms of this world has not yet arrived, and we are with patience waiting for it:

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

That is why this 29^th chapter of Jeremiah also addresses all the false prophets in both Babylon and in Jerusalem which were then under the yoke of the king of Babylon. This is the chapter of Jeremiah which informs us that we cannot come out of Babylon until seventy years are fulfilled, just as we are told in the book of Revelation that we cannot come out of Babylon until the seven plagues of the seven angels are being fulfilled. Here are these two prophecies side by side:

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.

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

Now let’s carefully notice the tenses in these two verses.  The Hebrew first:

Jer 29:10  For thus saith^{H559 [H8804, Qal Stem]} the LORD^H3068, That after^H6310 seventy^H7657 years^H8141 be accomplished^{H4390 [H8800, Qal Stem]} at Babylon^H894 I will visit^{H6485 [H8799, Qal Stem]} you, and perform^{H6965 [H8689, Hiphil]} my good^H2896 word^H1697 toward you, in causing you to return^{H7725 [H8687, Hiphil]} to this place^H4725.

The first three verbs are not in the future tense as it seems to appear, but they are all in the Qal Stem, which is the Hebrew equivalent of the aorist tense. The last two verbs are Hiphil, and Hiphil is simply the causative of the Qal Stem.

Here is the TVM definition of Hiphil:

H8818
Hiphil

1. a) Hiphil usually expresses the “causative” action of Qal -See [H8851]

So, everything said in Jeremiah 29:10 is an ongoing process being caused by the Lord Himself.  The same is true in the Greek aorist tense as it concerns Revelation 15:8:

Rev 15:8  And^G2532 the temple^G3485 was filled^{G1072 [G5681, aorist tense]} with smoke^G2586 from^G1537 the glory^G1391 of God^G2316, and^G2532 from^G1537 his^G846 power^G1411; and^G2532 no man^G3762 was able^{G1410 [G5711, imperfect tense]} to enter^{G1525 [G5629, aorist tense]} into^G1519 the temple^G3485, till^G891 the seven^G2033 plagues^G4127 of the seven^G2033 angels^G32 were fulfilled^{G5055 [G5686, aorist tense].}

The first verb and the last two verbs are in the aorist tense. The “no man was able” is in the imperfect tense because it is speaking of what is taking place within the verbs which are in the aorist tense. In other words, what we are being told is that ‘the temple is being filled with smoke from the glory of God… and no man is able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels are being fulfilled.’

Indeed, our salvation is a process, and we are all “waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God” at the future time of “the redemption of the purchased possession”, which we possess now only as a sure “promise” of God in “the earnest of the spirit”:

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

So where is Babylon mentioned in Revelation 15:8? It is mentioned in the statement that “no man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” It is in the very next chapter we are informed that the very last of those “seven last plagues”, which must be fulfilled in our own lives before we can ‘enter into the temple’ in heavenly Jerusalem, is the judgment of “great Babylon” within each of us:

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth [Psa 107:27 – “wits’ end”], so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

That “voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne” that says “it is done” is all said in the aorist tense, which means it is the same as saying ‘No man could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels are being fulfilled.’

Rev 16:17  And^G2532 the seventh^G1442 angel^G32 poured out^{G1632 [G5656, aorist tense]} his^G846 vial^G5357 into^G1519 the air^G109; and^G2532 there came^{G1831 [G5627, aorist tense]} a great^G3173 voice^G5456 out of^G575 the temple^G3485 of heaven^G3772, from^G575 the throne^G2362, saying^{G3004 [G5723, present tense],} It is done^{G1096 [G5754, perfect tense].}

The first two verbs are in the aorist tense and the last two, the present tense and the perfect tense, are being expressed within the context of what is taking place within the aorist tense.

The seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials of the book of Revelation flesh out the meaning of ‘being brought to our wits’ end’ before we can enter into our desired haven, which ‘’haven” is our heavenly temple of Revelation 15:

Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end [an “earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth” (Rev 16:18)].
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 [“The temple” (Rev 15:8)].
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Notice the events which must occur in this very order. “Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble…” We cannot cry to the Lord until we are brought into great trouble, “a great earthquake… the stormy winds which lift up the waves” of life which brings us to our “wits’ end”.

Only ‘then does the Lord calm the storms of our lives and make the waves still’, and only “Then are [we] glad and the Lord brings us to our desired haven, which is our rest in Him (Heb 4:1-4) and in knowing that “all things work together for [our] good” if we are indeed “the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).

Being brought to our old man’s wits’ end is called a “wonderful work of God”. As Revelation 16 demonstrates, we do not see it as such at first. While we are rooted and grounded in Babylon, we all blaspheme God because of the plague of the hail. We just naturally do so because of what the hail is doing to all the lies which dominate our heavens at that time of judgment in our lives:

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

The hail and the waters are both the truths of the Word of God. They both symbolize the doctrines of Christ which oppose, burn up and destroy all the lies of the adversary, which are so cherished by our self-righteous old man:

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

As counterintuitive as it sounds, the ‘hail’ and the ‘fire’ both accomplish the same thing. They both destroy all the lies to which our old man is so attached.

Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Jeremiah typifies all who are faithful to the Lord’s words today. The Lord’s true prophets “do the things [He] says”:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it:  for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Christ, along with His doctrine, is the ‘Rock’ upon which we must build our spiritual house.

1Co 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

We build that ‘house’ by remaining faithful to His Words in all things. No prophet of Christ ever asks for money but gives to others what has been freely given to him:

Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

No true prophet of Christ ever sets dates:

Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

No true prophet of Christ will ever take up a sword to defend himself:

Mat 26:52  Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

A true prophet of Christ does not talk around loving your enemies and attempt to parse foreign enemies from domestic enemies. A true prophet of God loves all men of all time.

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

A true prophet of God follows in the footsteps of our Lord:

1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Our Lord “broke the sabbath” (Mat 12:1-8 and Joh 5:18). He did not appear on the first day of the feast of Tabernacles, therefore He did not keep the holy days properly (Joh 7:8-9).

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Joh 5:17  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Christ did not disagree with the Pharisees. He agreed with them that He, like David, ate “that which was not lawful for him to eat”. He agreed with the Pharisees that He, like the priests, “profaned the sabbath”. What was His defense…? “In this place is one greater than the temple… [and] the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” That is another way in which Christ was “like unto [Moses]”. He was a reformer, and the settled establishment hated Him and His “time of reformation”:

Heb 9:10  Which stood [the tabernacle of Moses, verse 6] only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Paul followed in Christ’s steps and admonished the Galatians and the Colossians against keeping days, months, times and years… the traditions of men (Gal 4:9-10 and Col 2:8).

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements [G4747: stoicheion], whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [G4747: stoicheion, traditions of men] of the world, and not after Christ.

Jeremiah, as a type of our Lord and His Christ, has been proven beyond any doubt to be a true spokesman for the Lord. Not only has he led an exemplary life, but every prophecy he has ever made over many years has come to pass, and this is what all who claim to be God’s people should know about those who claim to speak for God:

Deu 18:20  But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
Deu 18:21  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
Deu 18:22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Deu 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
Deu 13:2  And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Deu 13:3  Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: 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.

If a prophesy does come to pass, if that prophet is telling you to worship ‘another Jesus’ do not listen to that prophet.

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [G430: anechomai, hold oneself up against] him.

Knowing that the Lord always has and always will make good on His Word, Jeremiah admonishes his own people:

Jer 29:15  Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
Jer 29:16  Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
Jer 29:17  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

This is the second time the Lord inspired Jeremiah to use this phrase, “vile figs”. The first time is:

Jer 24:1  The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
Jer 24:2  One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.

The Lord in His patience and His mercy and for our benefit is given to repeating Himself. Here is what He says about these “vile figs” in chapter 24:

Jer 24:3  Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Jer 24:4  Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 24:5  Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good [Rom 8:28].
Jer 24:6  For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
Jer 24:7  And I will give them an 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.

These ‘good figs’ which are carried away into Babylon “for their good” are those who “love God and are the called according to His purpose”. Of themselves they are no better than the evil figs. They are “given a heart to know [the Lord]”.

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

Just like Jeremiah, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God [and] are the called according to His purpose.”

“We know” that all things work together for good to them who love God…” but knowing that fact necessitates the Lord also knows who does not love God and who are not “the called according to His purpose, to be “the firstborn among many brothers”.

“We know” that the Lord has all our days “written in [His] book… before the world began.” He knows in advance who will be His “firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Psa 139:16, 2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2, Rev 14:4). For any of that to be true, then He also knows in advance those who are not His in this age. Those who are not His in this age include these “evil figs”, and this is what He is doing with all who are not given to come back out of Babylon to rebuild His temple:

Jer 24:8  And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
Jer 24:9  And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
Jer 24:10  And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

“The hundred and forty and four thousand… firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” must “wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb” just like the “great multitude which no man can number” (Revelation 14). So also must “the good figs” endure much of the same punishments as the evil figs. The only difference is that God has determined in advance that the good figs would endure their judgment first.

In chapter 24 we are simply told that if we will simply accept the Lord’s chastening grace and acknowledge our trespasses and our self-righteous iniquity and repent, then the Lord will show us His mercy and drag us back to Himself in “this present time” (Rom 8:18). There is no mention of false prophets in chapter 24.

Chapter 28 deals with the false prophet, Hananiah, who tells the people he is speaking for the Lord while denying the words of the Lord by Jeremiah. In this 29^th chapter it is revealed that there are false prophets even among those who were carried away captives into Babylon. Let’s begin at verse 15 again:

Jer 29:15  Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
Jer 29:16  Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
Jer 29:17  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Jer 29:18  And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

Compare these words concerning the “vile figs” with what is said of these same “bad figs” of chapter 24:

Jer 24:8  And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
Jer 24:9  And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
Jer 24:10  And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

It is almost the exact same admonition, and He again admonishes us for having ears that cannot hear and eyes that cannot see:

Jer 29:19  Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.
Jer 29:20  Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
Jer 29:21  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
Jer 29:22  And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
Jer 29:23  Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.

Nebuchadnezzar “roasted” both of these false prophets, Zedekiah and Ahab, in the fire for “speaking lying words in [the Lord’s] name”. The physical adultery of these false prophets typifies their and our infidelity to the Lord’s words:

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver [the Truth], which I had given thee [the doctrines of Christ], and madest to thyself images of men [false doctrines, lying words], and didst commit whoredom with them,

Inwardly and outwardly we must contend with false prophets and false doctrines which hate the Truth given to our new man. These false prophets and these false doctrines become our very personal enemies, the stumbling block of our self-righteous iniquity, whose bitterness toward the “fair jewels” of the Truth within us, leads those lying spirits to seek to have the Truths within us incarcerated and  bound up in such a way that Christ within us cannot be seen nor heard.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [G2722: katecho, hold back, restrain] the truth in unrighteousness;

The apostle Paul was just such a person who, as Saul of Tarsus, was zealous for the law of Moses and wanted to incarcerate and destroy any who preached the doctrines of Christ. Saul of Tarsus wanted to hold back the Truth.

Act 22:4  And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
Act 22:5  As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

Such is that very same spirit which was in Shemaiah the Nehelamite hundreds of years before Saul of Tarsus began his campaign against the disciples of Christ:

Jer 29:24  Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,
Jer 29:25  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
Jer 29:26  The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
Jer 29:27  Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?
Jer 29:28  For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
Jer 29:29  And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
Jer 29:30  Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 29:31  Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:
Jer 29:32  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.

In the Old Testament true prophets were known by whether their prophecies came to pass. This prophecy concerning Shemaiah was one more proof of Jeremiah’s prophetic credentials. In the New Testament true prophets are known by whether they are faithful to “that which has been written”:

1Co 4:6  Now these things, brothers, I applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us ye might learn not to think above that which is written, so that ye may not be puffed up, one over the one against the other. (ACV)

“That which is written” is what Paul called “the demonstration of the spirit and of power”:

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

Christ words are spirit:

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you [“that which is written” (1Co 4:6)], they are spirit, and they are life.

The “demonstration of the spirit” simply shows that we are “not thinking above that which is written” (1Co 4:6). The “demonstration of the spirit and power” is the God-given strength to stand true to Christ and His doctrines with no fear of what men might think or do.

It is not given to New Testament prophets to prophesy as Jeremiah did of the imminent death of false prophets who withstand our words of Truth. Instead, this is what New Testament prophets are instructed as it relates to those who withstand us:

1Co 4:5  Therefore do not judge anything before time, until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make public the deliberations of the hearts. And then praise will come to each man from God.
1Co 4:6  Now these things, brothers, I applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us ye might learn not to think above that which is written, so that ye may not be puffed up, one over the one against the other. (ACV)

The fact is that neither Christ nor Paul ever thought above that which is written, inasmuch as Christ and His reformation was prophesied in the Old Testament:

Deu 18:15  The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Deu 18:16  According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
Deu 18:17  And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Deu 18:20  But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
Deu 18:21  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
Deu 18:22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

“I will put My words in His mouth” is not saying “I will have Him to repeat what I have given to you, Moses.” Yet twice Moses is inspired to tell us that the Messiah would be “Like unto me”. What does that mean? How was Christ “like unto [Moses]”? The answer is that both came to bring men into a covenant with God. Moses brought the old covenant to the physical nation of Israel. Christ brought the New Testament, the new covenant, to the same people, and when they rejected Him He then went to the Gentiles and declared that being the seed of Abraham, being a Jew and being circumcised was now all of the spirit, in the heart:

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

This same rule of the spirit applies to all the false prophets of our day. We do not prophesy of imminent death for each of the “many false prophets [who] have gone out into the world”:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

The prophets of the New Testament simply repeat “that which is written”, and it is “that which is written” which “heaps coals of fire upon their heads”:

Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

The prophets of the New Covenant simply “try the spirits to see whether they are of God”. If they are not of God, then the ‘death’ of modern false prophets who speak in the Lord’s name when their words contradict our Lord’s Words and His doctrines, comes to them as it has come to our own old man whose works were “tried in the fire” of “that which is written”:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

“Every man” includes both those who are being judged in “this present time” as well as those who are ‘in danger of Gehenna fire’, which is ‘the lake of fire’. It is also called ‘the second death’:

Mat 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell [Greek: Gehenna] fire.

Mar 3:29  But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation [“the resurrection of damnation” (Joh 5:29 Greek: krisis, judgment)]:

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
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; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: ‘krisis’, judgment].

Those who are partakers of this new covenant are also instructed on how they are to know who is speaking the words of the Lord and who is not speaking for the Lord:

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The “many false prophets [who] have gone out into the world” will often tell you the antichrist is a man who will arise on this earth only in the last generation before the thousand-year reign of Christ. The Truth is that “even now there are many antichrists”, and there have been “many antichrists” since the days of the original twelve apostles:

1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,  even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

The God’s Word translation make verse 19 more understandable:

1Jn 2:18  Children, it’s the end of time. You’ve heard that an antichrist is coming. Certainly, many antichrists are already here. That’s how we know it’s the end of time.
1Jn 2:19  They left us. However, they were never really part of us. If they had been, they would have stayed with us. But by leaving they made it clear that none of them were part of us. (GW)

The false prophets who “have gone out into the world” almost all confess that Jesus was a real historic person who lived in a body of flesh and bones. So, what does John mean when He tells us that “every spirit that confesses that Jesus is come in the flesh is of God”? He tells us in the very next verse that He means Jesus is “even now” living His life in us:

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. [Because they are not faithful to “that which is written”]
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1^st John 4:6 displays the spirit that was in Jeremiah. Jeremiah knew that he was faithful to what the Lord told him to speak to the people, and he dared to stand on his calling. The apostle John never shied away from using the first-person pronouns ‘we’ and ‘us’ when referring to the Lord’s true prophets:

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Just agreeing with the apostle John will bring you to be hated of all men just as our Lord was who also “spoke… with authority” and not as the ecumenical false prophets of His day:

Mat 7:28  And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Mat 7:29  For [G1063: ‘gar’, because] he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

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

Mat 10:25  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?

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

Being hated of all men for Christ’s name’s sake is a good place to be. We are not the litmus test of truth in and of ourselves. We are the litmus test of truth because we “try the spirits [by] that which is written”.

Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Here are the verses for next week’s study:

Jer 30:1  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 30:2  Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.
Jer 30:3  For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
Jer 30:4  And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
Jer 30:5  For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
Jer 30:6  Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
Jer 30:7  Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
Jer 30:8  For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
Jer 30:9  But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
Jer 30:10  Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: 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.
Jer 30:11  For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Jer 30:12  For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.

Mat 20:1-16 Laborers in the Vineyard

[Study Aired January 26, 2021]

Mat 20:1-16 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire  labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the  labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in  the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the  vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went  their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and  did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found  others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all  the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us.  He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever  is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord  of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And  when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise  received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he  answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong:  didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. 

What is this parable showing us about the kingdom of heaven?

Notice there are five different times the laborers were hired. What do the five  different times the laborers were hired represent? Here is a link to Mike’s  study on the number five:
Significance of the Number Five. In that study it is shown the number five represents grace through faith. Examples such as the measurements of the temple, the measurements of the cherubims, the implements of the temple all are associated with the  number five.

Another set of five I noticed while researching for this study are the five major covenants mentioned throughout the scriptures which are the Noahic, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, the Davidic and the New. These covenants are tied to our parable represented by the five different times the householder went  out to hire laborers.

The Noahic Covenant “The Flood of many waters”

Gen 6:17-22 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. 

The Abrahamic Covenant “Circumcision of the flesh”

Gen 17:1-10 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the  Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee  exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 

The Mosaic Covenant “Freedom from Bondage”

Exo 6:1-8 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his  land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto  Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

The Davidic Covenant “The house building”

1Ch 17:11-15 And it shall come to pass, when thy [David’s] days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. 

The New Covenant “The Law is put inwardly, written in their hearts”

Jer 31:31-34 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But 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. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

These covenants are all part of the process of the old man becoming the  new man by grace through faith.

Eph 2:1-10 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of  disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in  mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a householder.” Who is this “man that is a householder”?

G3617 
οἰκοδεσπότης
oikodespotēs
oy-kod-es-pot’-ace 
From G3624 and G1203; the head of a family: – goodman (of the  house), householder, master of the house. 

Householder means head of the family. Who is the head of our family? God is literally the householder, and the Christ is the steward.

1Co 11:2-3 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 

This parable taken inwardly shows us that Christ is the householder, and the elect are the stewards.

Col 1:15-18 Who [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head [householder, master] of the body, the church [the elect]: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

This process starts with the householder hiring the laborers. The householder is hiring laborers to work his vineyard. The vineyard in this  parable is the house of Israel which represents the world.

Isa 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked  for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but  behold a cry. 

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

There are five groups of laborers hired throughout the day. They are described as the first and the last. The first four groups represent the called and chosen. The last group represents those who endure until the end.

Mat 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. 

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb  shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings:  and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 

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.

Here is the attitude of the first group even though they receive what was promised – a day’s wage.

Mat 20:10-12 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 

What more can you receive than a day’s wage for a day’s work? The last received the day’s wage first, representing receiving the “crown of Life”.  Everyone receives “Life” but only in the proper order, and only the first group receives the “crown of Life”.

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when  he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord  hath promised to them that love him. 

Rev 2:10-11 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:  behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may  be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Today, the teachings of the Christian world dictate doing something in the flesh will secure life. It is either practicing the old covenants, physical baptism, tithing, communion, or some form of good works that saves you.  On the other hand, Christ tells us that only being born again of the spirit and worshipping in spirit and truth will give us life.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Joh 4:22-24 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we  worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

[Study aired July 22, 2019]

It is inspiring to look back and see how God moved the hearts of men to accomplish the physical wonder of getting the first man to the moon, and then learn how that experience brought those who were involved to have deeper questions about their own existence after they journeyed so far from the earth. 

This short google-doodle video celebrates the fiftieth year since the first man stepped foot on the moon July 20th, 1969 and sets the stage for our study tonight entitled “having done all, stand“, which is something that each one of God’s children will accomplish through Christ knowing that “God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons”. 

https://youtu.be/t6VpHyKXHBM 

I can gain perspective from the law for the lawless (1Ti 1:9) of how weak I am and in need of a Saviour (Rom 7:13), and it is only those who are shown this manner of love to be called sons in this age (1Jn 3:1) whom “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” who can escape the pulls of the earth, and the pulls of the moon, that are more deeply revealed to us by the law for the lawless, because we are carnal and sold under sin (Rom 7:14). Through Christ we can go beyond them both [the earth and the moon] unto mature sons in Christ whom He is maturing in the heavenly realm today where we are gathered, predestined and sealed in the Lord to do just that.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 
1Jn 3:2  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. 
1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 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. 

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Gal 4:1  Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 
Gal 4:2  But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 
Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: [those elements can be typified by the pull of the earth’s gravity that we can only break free from through Christ (Joh 6:63, Joh 8:36)]
Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

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

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.

At the heart and core of these endeavours to put satellites out in space and to reach the moon there was an agenda that was premised on war, and it’s very easy to lose sight of that in the midst of such exciting events and technology at a time that was called the space race. This race to space was setting the stage for many of our existing technologies we have today, and as all things are for the elect’s sake (2Co 4:15), so these human endeavors were inspired and caused by our great Creator (Eph 1:11) and predestined to happen exactly when they did and for His overall purpose for mankind which is being revealed through the body of Christ (Eph 3:10, Col 1:27).

Knowledge has increased and men are going to and fro, but there still is no stay of bread or water in Babylon (Isa 3:1), and the knowledge and technology fo which we are grateful is a two-edged sword in the hand of Adam who has been caused to “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end” (Dan 12:4, Jer 18:4).

Dan 12:4  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. 

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

We can learn great spiritual lessons from the moon landing which yielded great advancement in technology. If we tie these events back to our relationship with Christ as we contemplate the fact we have the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16), that far exceeds in value any physical endeavor we could experience in the flesh (Luk 10:24, Php 3:8). That mind of Christ gives us the ability to be raised in heavenly places where all earthly and lunar endeavors are transcended as He gives us peace that passes all understanding along with the ability to go from glory to glory as the veil of our heavens is ripped and we no longer have to ponder our existence and wonder why are we here on this relatively tiny blue orb called earth. It takes the power of God to rip that veil, which in turn is how we are liberated in our Lord (Eph 2:6-8, Php 4:7, 2Co 3:17-18). That physical knowledge which increases at the end of the age spoken of in Daniel is telling us what will happen spiritually in the body of Christ at the end of each of our ages, and outwardly how this will become more evident before Christ comes back (Joh 3:30, Mat 24:32-39).

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

Luk 10:24  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. [Dan_12:4]

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 
Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 
Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 
2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

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 [Rev 22:2]:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors [Joh 14:20].
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 
Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 
Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 
Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 
Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Like the astronauts, who were being prepared their whole lives to be lifted into the heavens, God’s elect have this parallel experience but in the spirit, and now having this knowledge of Christ we learn in 2Timothy 3:10-16 how we must “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them“. We are learning and being assured as we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Pe 3:18) through the church, through the body of Christ (Eph 3:10, Col 1:24) that is the vehicle or vessel where we pray he will “grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Eph 3:17-19) and this is all possible only because “God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1Co 2:10-12).

Dan 12:4  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. 

2Ti 3:14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 
2Ti 3:15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 
2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 
1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 
1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

With these verses in mind, let’s consider what the moon represents to us, as well as the earth and the sun, so we can draw some spiritual conclusion as to what our sojourning in this life is all about within the body of Christ and how it is that we must do all and stand.

Above all, as we sojourn in this world, we take the shield of faith (Eph 6:16) believing and being convinced at that day (Joh 14:20) that God will be faithful to finish what he has started in us (Joh 6:28, Php 1:29, Php 1:6), and no one can take us out of His hand (Joh 10:28). We also must be armed with the mind of Christ knowing that our journey in Him has been promised to be fraught with much tribulation and persecution (Act 14:22, 2Ti 3:12), and that these things are happening unto those sons and daughters who are being received and prepared (Heb 12:6) to be kings and priests so “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 1:10, 1Co 15:28).

That one small step which has already been taken on the moon by the astronauts, can be likened to the earnest relationship that we have with Christ today (Eph 1:14). We are only seeing the Sun of righteousness in part (1Co 13:9), as His kind of first fruits who are the first to trust in the living God and commit our ways unto him as unto a faithful creator who has raised us up together in this earnest relationship so that we are inspired by the heavenly perspective we have been given through Christ, a perspective that far exceeds the physical beauty and perspective we heard those brave astronauts describe in the video (Eph 1:21). We look to Him now, as the author and finisher of our faith, as we press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling in him, keeping our eyes on Him, knowing He is faithful and will be found of those who diligently seek him, and strive for that mark. It is a lofty goal to obtain to say you have reached the physical moon, but that is still a physical race to space that is only a shadow of the high calling or spiritual race to which God has called each of us as the body of Christ.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 

These following verses show us more of the right perspective in regard to how the Lord would have us “run, that you may obtain”.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

1Co 9:20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 
1Co 9:21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 
1Co 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 
1Co 9:23  And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. 
1Co 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 
1Co 9:25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 
1Co 9:26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 
1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 

The lack of technology the Apollo 11 mission had by today’s standards did not prevent them from accomplishing the incredible feat of reaching the moon, finding themselves standing where no human had ever stood before. God’s elect are in this blessed position today to be founded upon a rock Jesus Christ (Mat 16:18) so that we can one day explain to all of the world of this blessed and incredible journey we pioneered together by the grace and faith of Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9, 1Co 1:26).

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

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

We have the highest of all callings in the Lord (1Pe 2:9) and are called to go boldly where no man has gone before (Heb 4:16, Rev 15:8), being raised in heavenly places, where after we have suffered awhile, we can be established and settled in the Lord for the sake of those who will follow the footsteps of Christ in us after we endure unto the end (What was shut up from Daniel that he could not see is described in these verses that God has given the elect to be able to read, hear and keep Mat 24:13-15).

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 
Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 
Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand) [Rev 1:3]

To end this study I want to just look at these following scriptures that tell us a little more about the moon, and what God wants us to learn from this dead satellite that does not give off its own light and cannot be considered a planet because it does not orbit the sun. The moon described in the following verses of Genesis are a prophesy of the time when all the creation will one day be subject unto Christ, who is typified by Joseph as a type of the elect as well. 

Gen 37:9  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 
Gen 37:10  And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? [Rev 21:1-4]
Gen 37:11  And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying [Luk 2:10-12, Luk 2:19]. The moon or mother or church typified by Mary who keeps all these things, and ponders “them in her heart” is blessed [Rev 1:3].

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.

The moon in us is now subject to Christ because we are “clothed with the sun” and not our own righteousness nor our own bread and clothing, and not just the name of Christ (Isa 4:1). We can truly identify with these scriptures talking about the body of Christ in Revelation 12:1-2 and Romans 8:21-23. There are two distinct groups being discussed: one moon which is positive and clothed with the Sun of righteousness “on that day” (Joh 14:20), and the other seven women “in that day” who lay hold of one man (Isa 4:1). The man of perdition who holds onto the idea of free moral agency and all the false doctrines that accompany “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”, keep the world within us being found with our own righteousness, unless and until the Lord burns that out of us (Rev 17:4-5).

As always there is a process of coming out of the earth, earth, earth, or the old moon that had its own glory and was to be far surpassed by the glory that would come through Jesus Christ, and was typified by Moses when he had to cover his face with a veil (Exo 34:33). That veil is also represented by the veil in the temple that must be rent in two from the top to the bottom, representing our going from glory to glory as we go forward in Christ our hope of glory  (Mat 27:51, 2Co 3:18, Col 1:27).

We see through a glass darkly (1Co 13:12) and the veil of Moses typifies how we see through a glass darkly, or in part, with our hope of glory within (Col 1:27) which is hidden from the world (Isa 6:2, Rom 11:32, Joh 12:40). Yet we believe because the spirit searches the deep things of God that one day the resurrection will occur and that glory will no longer be hidden, and we will see Christ face to face (1Co 13:9). All of the types and shadows of these heavenly bodies in discussion will be done away with when God is all in all and this verse in Isaiah and Revelation is fulfilled outwardly for all of His creation which groans together today. There are different glories and an order to how each man will come to know God the Father and Jesus Christ (Isa 60:19-21, Rev 21:23, 1Co 15:23-26).

Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. [we are hidden in Christ as these verses declare, and this was also foreshadowed when Moses came down from the mount with a covering on his face which shone. The covering of our face at this stage is a reminder of the blindness that was always ours except for the grace and faith of Christ (Exo 34:29-33)]

Isa 60:19  The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 
Isa 60:20  Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 
Isa 60:21  Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. 

Rev 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

In order to have done all and stand, we must clearly see the need to put off our flesh, which is the veil that must be ripped if we are going to inherit eternal life that flesh and blood cannot inherit. These last few verses of our study are connected to the veil, and remind us that there is a process and precious judgment upon the body of Christ today so “that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” giving us the ability to stand, and preparing our hearts so that one day we can be those saviours that come up on mount Zion to help others to one day “having done all stand” (Luk 2:35, Oba 1:21).

Son 5:6  I opened to my beloved [Rom 11:28]; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. 
Son 5:7  The watchmen [God’s elect (Eze 33:7)] that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. [the veil or the law can only be taken away with a deadly wound]
Son 5:8  I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love [1Pe 3:15, Col 1:28-29].

It is “within the veil” that we pray the Lord keeps us all under his wing and in His presence, and if we are predestined to be there, nothing shall separate us from our Father as these verses tell us.

Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 

Luk 23:45  And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh [Col 1:24];

2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 
2Co 3:11  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 
2Co 3:12  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 
2Co 3:13  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: [1Ti_1:9]
2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 
2Co 3:15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 

We can stand in Christ alone who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:13). Now the just will live by faith and not by sight, and so we are encouraged to fight a good fight of faith knowing that we can and will be saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8).

Boasting is excluded by the law of faith God gives to his little flock, and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom and to reassure us in our hearts that “having done all stand” is speaking of what God will do through the body of Christ for all of us today!

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

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