The Spiritual Journey Through the Mountains of Scripture

[Study Aired April 1, 2025]

Throughout God’s Word, mountains stand as powerful symbols of spiritual truth, far beyond mere geographical landmarks. They become sacred places where God reveals Himself, establishes covenants, receives worship, and transforms His people. When we study these mountains in the order they first appear in Scripture, they reveal the spiritual process by which God brings His people from judgment through salvation to unity and maturity in Christ.

“Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” (Isaiah 40:12)

The physical mountains God carefully placed in His creation reveal profound spiritual truths. As David declared, “Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep” (Psalm 36:6), showing how these majestic landmarks display aspects of God’s character and work. Jesus taught that “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63), indicating that the mountains mentioned in Scripture have spiritual significance beyond their natural features.

These mountains mark the pathway of our spiritual growth. Just as God told Israel, “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward” (Deuteronomy 2:3), He leads us from one spiritual experience to another, never allowing us to remain stationary. Each mountain in Scripture reveals an essential stage in our transformation as we “ press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

Mount Ararat – New Beginnings Through Judgment

“And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” (Genesis 8:4)

The first named mountain in Scripture is Ararat, where Noah’s ark came to rest after the flood. This mountain represents the starting point of our spiritual journey – salvation through judgment. The flood was God’s judgment on a corrupt world, yet through this judgment came rest and new beginnings.

This pattern is central to our spiritual experience. Just as the old world perished in the flood and a new world emerged, so our old nature must begin dying for our new life to begin. Peter connected this truth to our salvation: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21)

Ararat teaches that resurrection life only follows the flood of judgment. As Paul declared, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed(ing) away; behold, all things are become(ing) new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Mount Moriah – Sacrifice and Obedience

“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2)

Mount Moriah, where Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac, represents sacrifice and obedience. This profound event typifies God offering His own Son. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his beloved son demonstrated his complete surrender to God.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” (Hebrews 11:17-19)

At Moriah, God provided another sacrifice, pointing to Christ as the ultimate provision. “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” (Genesis 22:14)

Moriah teaches that our faith is proven not through mere words but through actions of obedience. It reveals the cost of discipleship – surrendering what we love most to God. Yet it also demonstrates that God Himself provides what He requires, ultimately fulfilled in Christ, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

Mount Sinai (Horeb) – The Law and the Fear of God

“And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.” (Exodus 19:18)

Mount Sinai represents our encounter with God’s holiness through the law. Here God gave the Ten Commandments amid thunder, lightning, smoke, and fire. The people trembled and stood at a distance, revealing the separation between holy God and sinful man.

“For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more… And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.” (Hebrews 12:18-19, 21)

Paul contrasted Sinai with Zion, explaining: “For these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.” (Galatians 4:24)

Sinai reveals our need for a Savior. The Law, though holy and good, exposes sin without providing the power to overcome it. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24)

Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal – Blessing and Cursing

“And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.” (Deuteronomy 11:29)

These twin mountains near Shechem represented the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. Joshua positioned six tribes on each mountain to declare these truths: “And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites… half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.” (Joshua 8:33)

These mountains represent spiritual discernment – learning to distinguish good from evil. “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.” (Hebrews 5:14)

As we mature spiritually, we stand between blessing and cursing, taught by the Spirit to choose life. “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Mount Nebo – Vision Without Possession

“And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan.” (Deuteronomy 34:1)

Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death, represents vision without full possession. Moses could see the promise but could not enter because of his disobedience at Meribah. “And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo… and behold the land of Canaan… And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people… Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh.” (Deuteronomy 32:48-51)

Only Joshua (whose name means “Jehovah saves” – the Hebrew equivalent of “Jesus”) could lead Israel into the land. This reveals that the law (represented by Moses) can show us God’s promises but cannot bring us into them. Only grace through faith in Christ brings true rest.

Nebo teaches us that knowledge alone is insufficient; we need transformation through Christ. Many see spiritual truths without experiencing them, as the writer of Hebrews noted: “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.” (Hebrews 11:13)

Mount Carmel – Confrontation and Refining Fire

“Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.” (1 Kings 18:19)

Mount Carmel was the scene of Elijah’s dramatic confrontation with the prophets of Baal. This mountain represents spiritual warfare – the battlefield where truth confronts error and decisions must be made. Elijah challenged the people: “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21)

The fire from heaven that consumed Elijah’s sacrifice demonstrated God’s power and reality. This fire represents the refining process that purifies our faith: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Carmel teaches us that spiritual growth requires confrontation with falsehood. God’s fire burns away what is false and establishes His truth in our hearts.

Mount Bashan – The Pride of the Flesh Challenged

“The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan. Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it forever.” (Psalm 68:15-16)

Mount Bashan was known for its impressive height and grandeur, yet in this psalm, we see that God passed over such imposing mountains and instead chose Mount Zion as His dwelling place. The psalmist pictures the lofty hills of Bashan as envious, asking why they “leap” (or look with envy) at the smaller hill God has chosen for His habitation.

This divine choice reveals a profound spiritual principle: God does not select what appears mighty in human estimation. “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; 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: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Bashan symbolizes religious pride and fleshly strength – impressive in appearance but ultimately rejected as God’s dwelling place. The contrast between the majestic Bashan and the relatively modest Zion teaches us that God deliberately chooses what seems less significant to human eyes, confounding worldly wisdom.

This pattern appears throughout Scripture, where God consistently chooses the unlikely: Jacob over Esau, David over his brothers, and ultimately the cross itself – “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Bashan reveals how God’s ways directly contradict human reasoning. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

While man looks at outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart: “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

He deliberately chooses to dwell with the humble: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15)

As we grow in Christ, we too must learn to recognize and reject the “high hills” of fleshly strength and religious pride, embracing instead the humility of Zion where God’s presence truly dwells. “For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” (Psalm 132:13-14)

Mount Hermon – Anointed Unity from Above

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133:1-3)

Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in the region, was known for its abundant dew. Psalm 133 uses this dew as a symbol of unity among God’s people. Unlike manufactured harmony, this unity descends from above, like dew, nourishing all it touches.

Hermon represents the unity of the Spirit that comes as we mature in Christ. “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

This unity cannot be produced by our effort but comes from above as a gift: “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) The dew of Hermon teaches us that true spiritual unity is divine in origin, refreshing in effect, and brings abundant life.

Mount of Olives – Watchfulness, Suffering, and Return

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” (Zechariah 14:4) “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3)

The Mount of Olives is deeply intertwined with Jesus’ ministry, suffering, and promised return. Here He taught His disciples about the end times, sitting on the mountainside overlooking Jerusalem. It was from this vantage point that “he beheld the city, and wept over it” (Luke 19:41), foreseeing its coming destruction. In the garden of Gethsemane on this mount, He experienced profound agony in prayer: “And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him… And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed” (Luke 22:39, 41). After His resurrection, this same mountain became the site of His ascension, as recorded in Acts: “Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey” (Acts 1:12).

The name comes from the olive trees that covered it, whose fruit was pressed to produce oil – a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This pressing process reminds us of Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane (which means “oil press”) and our own trials that produce spiritual growth.

The Mount of Olives teaches watchfulness and readiness. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36)

It also speaks of Christ’s return, when “this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

Mount Zion – The Dwelling of God with His People

“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24)

Mount Zion represents the fullness of God’s purpose – mature sons dwelling in perfect union with Christ. While Sinai represents the law with its terror and separation, Zion represents grace, access, and communion.

Physically, Zion was where David established his throne and Solomon built the temple. Spiritually, it represents God’s presence with His people. “The LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” (Psalm 132:13-14)

Revelation shows the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000 who had “his Father’s name written in their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1). This reveals Zion as the place of completion and victory.

Zion teaches that our spiritual journey culminates in perfect communion with God. What begins with judgment at Ararat finds fulfillment in the glory of Zion – God dwelling with His perfected people.

Conclusion

The mountains of Scripture reveal the progressive work of God in transforming His people. From judgment and salvation at Ararat to the mature reign with Christ on Mount Zion, each mountain teaches us a vital spiritual truth.

This journey is not merely historical but personal. Each believer experiences these spiritual realities as God works to conform us to Christ’s image. As we navigate the landscapes of our own lives, these mountain landmarks guide us, revealing where we are and where God is taking us.

“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.” (Romans 8:29)

The God who led Abraham to Moriah, Moses to Sinai, Elijah to Carmel, and Jesus to Olivet is leading us also – mountain by mountain, glory to glory – until we arrive at Mount Zion, the city of the living God, where we shall dwell with Him forever.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2)

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7)

“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.” (Psalm 36:6)

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Psalm 24:3-5)

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

Matthew 5:1–26 The Sermon on the Mount

[Study Aired March 24, 2025]

Introduction

Today’s study focuses on the sermon that Jesus gave to His disciples after going to meet them on a mountain. The initial part of the sermon focuses on our reward. We need to know what the Lord has in store for us as we come to Him. The reward is what motivates us to pursue the path that Jesus treaded while here on earth. 

Heb 12:2  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Later He shows us that He came to fulfill the law. As we go through the study, we shall come to understand what Jesus means by coming to fulfill the law. 

The Beatitudes

Mat 5:1  And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 
Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 
Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

The multitudes represent those who are not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. That is why the Lord left the multitude to meet the disciples on a mountain, which signifies the house of the Lord or the assembly of the Lord’s elect. It is in the mist of our assembly that we hear the voice of the Lord speaking to us about our inheritance. 

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The kingdom of heaven or God refers to God’s rule and authority over His people’s lives and their world. In an age to come, it will embrace the whole of the people of the earth. In the Bible, “poor in spirit” refers to those who recognize their complete dependence on God, acknowledging their spiritual bankruptcy and seeking His mercy and grace, rather than relying on self-righteousness or material possessions. It is those who are seeking for the Lord’s grace and mercy who are recipients of the kingdom in heaven which is now manifested within the Lord’s elect. In the fullness of time, the kingdom shall be externally obvious for everyone to see, as the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. 

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.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 

Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

The mourners here refer to the Lord’s elect who are learning obedience by the things they are suffering in this life. They are those who mourn in Zion as they are spiritually clothed with sackcloth in this age.  

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Isa 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ in His life here on earth suffered, and His victory has made Him a symbol of them who mourn in Zion as we groan in this age, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. 

2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
2Co 5:2  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 
2Co 5:3  If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 
2Co 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

It is we who groan that shall be comforted by the Lord in the fullness of time.

Isa 40:1  Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 
Isa 40:2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. 

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 

The question is, “Who are the meek?” The word “meek” means non-resistant. That means able to endure. It is those who embrace whatever is thrown at them in this life as part of the Lord’s wonderful plan of salvation, who are the meek and are therefore destined to reign with Christ over the kingdoms of this world in an age to come. 

Isa 30:15  For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, 
Isa 30:16 and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore, you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. (ESV)

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.

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

To understand this statement, let’s look at the word “righteousness” from the word of the Lord. Righteousness is not attained but imputed. With the exception of our Lord Jesus Christ, no human being has been able to live righteously. 

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Abraham was the first man to be imputed the righteousness of God. If righteousness is therefore given, then, all we can do is to desire it. That means hungering and thirsting for it. It is those who in this life desire to be clothed with the Lord’s righteousness who will be recipients of it.   

Rom 4:1  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 
Rom 4:2  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 
Rom 4:3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Rom 4:4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 
Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 
Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 

Mat 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 

The merciful are those who actively show kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, particularly towards those in need or who have wronged them. We, the Lord’s elect, are required to show mercy to others as a result of the mercy that the Lord has shown to us. 

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. 

Mat 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 

The pure in heart represent individuals who are sincere, honest, and free from deceit, with a single-minded devotion to God. We may be honest and sincere, but if our mind is polluted with the false doctrines of the great harlot, Babylon, it is impossible to see God as He is, in this life.

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 (gets rid of false doctrines in His heavens), even as he is pure. 

Mat 5:9  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 

Those who bring the wonderful message of God’s peace to the world are peacemakers. We, the Lord’s elect, are the ones whose feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We are therefore the true sons of God.

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

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. 

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are those who are being judged in this age by the Lord. It is in the hearts and minds of these people that the Lord is establishing His kingdom in this age. In an age to come, this kingdom shall be outward for all to see. 

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

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 

The Lord’s four sore judgments involve the sword, the famine, the noisome beast and the pestilence. 

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

Men reviling us and persecuting us involves the use of the word sword in a negative context. It refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. It refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary. These negative words spoken is one of the tools that the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect. 

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.   

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

These persecutions we go through are part of the judgment of our old man or flesh resulting in us learning righteousness, which will qualify us to receive the joy that is set before us, even as Jesus did, and is sitting at the right hand of God. 

Salt and Light

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. 

Here the elect are described as being the salt of the earth. There is a story in 2 Kings chapter 2 which makes it easier to understand our role as salt of the earth.

2Ki 2:19  Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” 
2Ki 2:20  He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 
2Ki 2:21  Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” 
2Ki 2:22 So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke. (ESV)

This story shows us that the waters of this world make the land unfruitful. As we are aware, our bodies represent the land that is unfruitful because of the water we take in. This water is the wisdom and traditions of this world which pollute our hearts and minds, making us unfruitful. Elisha throwing salt into the water to heal it such that it does not result in death or miscarriage symbolizes that, as the salt of the earth, our role as the Lord’s elect is to bring forth the truth of the word of the Lord to those who request our assistance as they realize the unfruitfulness of the water they imbibe. That is when we indeed become the salt of the earth. However, when we are given to false doctrines, it means we have lost our savour as the salt of the earth and we are good for nothing.    

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  

Again, as the Lord’s elect, we are the light of the world. This implies that our role as the Lord’s elect involves bringing light or the truth of the word of the Lord to the people of this world. As indicated in verse 15, our role currently is giving light to those who are in the house of faith. In the fullness of time, our light will shine before men as we bring all humanity to Christ. That is when they will glorify our Father which is in heaven. 

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.  

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

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. 
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. 
Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

To fulfill the law and the prophets means to fill up what is incomplete in the law. It does not mean that Jesus Christ came to keep the law in the letter. As we are aware, Jesus broke the law of Moses by healing a man and telling him to “take up [his] bed and walk… on the sabbath day.” Thus, Jesus’ coming is to show us what is incomplete regarding the law of Moses and how He comes to fill up what is lacking in the law and the prophets.  

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.

In verse 18, the Lord tells us that we all live/have lived at a certain point in our lives by every word of the Law. In the final analysis, the Law exposed our inability to obey. This is to let us know that our inability to obey the Law must be exposed before we are given to know the Law of the Spirit of Life which sets us free from the Law of Sin and Death. 

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 
Rom 8:3  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 
Rom 8:4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

In verse 20, the Lord is saying that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. The righteousness which comes from obeying the Law of the Spirit of Life is far higher than the Law of Sin and Death. 

Rom 8:10  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 

Anger

Mat 5:21  “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 
Mat 5:22  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 
Mat 5:23  So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 
Mat 5:24  leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 
Mat 5:25  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 
Mat 5:26  Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 

In these verses, we see Jesus as the reformer of the Law. Jesus challenges the traditional understanding of the law of Moses as He gives guidance to how we can overcome the flesh. Particularly, the Lord is showing us that anger, which leads to all kinds of unrighteousness, must be addressed in our lives. It is through the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh that our anger are subdued by the Lord. 

1Pe 4:1  Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 
1Pe 4:2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 

In verses 23 to 26, the Lord shows us that our reconciliation with a brother is more pleasing in the sight of the Lord than our gifts and offerings to Him.   

Mat 18:15  “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 
Mat 18:16  But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 
Mat 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 

It is in the togetherness of the brethren that the Lord’s anointing dwells as He commands His blessings upon us. 

Psa 133:1  A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 
Psa 133:2  It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 
Psa 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. 

Amen!!

Ezekiel 40:1–27 The Vision of the Temple Part 1

[Study Aired December 16, 2024]

Introduction

Ezekiel chapter 40 is looked at as one of the most difficult sections of scripture in the Bible. According to Matthew Henry Commentary, the Jews will not allow any to read this portion until they are thirty years old and tell those who do read it that, though they cannot understand everything in it, “when Elias comes he will explain it”. However, if we believe that the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord has been given to us, His elect, then it means that we already have the keys to unlock what the Lord is telling us here in Ezekiel chapter 40.

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

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

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.

Isa 22:22  And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

To understand this chapter, we need to note that this chapter deals with the measurement of the temple in Jerusalem. However, this temple is as large as a city. Thus, the city is the same as the temple in this case. If we look at the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation chapter 21, we can see that there is no temple within the city.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.   

Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

In other words, the temple of the Lord is the same as the city of the New Jerusalem. This is to let us know that Jerusalem above which is the city of the living God is what is being measured here in Ezekiel chapter 40.

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.

The New Jerusalem in Revelation chapter 21 is the final representation of the church which includes all humanity. However, what is presented here in Ezekiel chapter 40 shows us what we go through to become part of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21.

As we are aware, this temple or city refers to the assembly of the Lord’s elect or our gathering together now. In Hebrews chapter 12, we are told that this assembly is the church of the firstborn and we are given additional information that this church is not perfect yet in the sight of God and therefore He is shaking us once more. This shaking of the earth and our heavens is the judgement of our old man or flesh which shall result in the cleansing of our hearts and minds and the destruction of our flesh. That is how we come to see the Lord as a consuming fire. The fire is the word of the Lord which destroys our old man or flesh.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

In Ezekiel chapter 40 that we are going to review, we are given information to show us that this city is not perfect yet as we shall see by the measurements given. On the other hand, the city of the New Jerusalem in Revelation chapter 21 is perfection at its best. It gives us glimpses of our perfection as we unite with our Lord Jesus Christ. The measurements of the New Jerusalem are based on twelve or multiples of 12 which signify Christ.

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Rev 21:12  And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
Rev 21:13  On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

On the other hand, the measurements of this city in Ezekiel chapter 40 are based mainly on the numbers 6 and 10 which refer to man with all his weaknesses because of the flesh. A key therefore to understanding this chapter is knowing the spiritual significance of numbers as we shall see shortly.

The Vision of the City

Eze 40:1  In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither. 

The number twenty five on a positive note, signifies the time to start reigning as a royal priesthood. That means the beginning of our obedience to the Lord as we learn righteousness through His judgement of our flesh.

2Ki 14:2  He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2Ki 15:33  Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

2Ki 18:1  Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2Ki 18:2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

The twenty-fifth year of the captivity of the people of Israel in this case implies the time that the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to liberate us from our captivity to the false doctrines of Babylon and to make us obedient to Him so that we can start reigning over the flesh. The tenth day of the month is to show us that it is when our flesh has reached its fulness in terms of sin that the Lord comes to us with His judgement. The fourteenth year means that we are beginning to make spiritual progress with the Lord’s coming to us. In other words, we have not attained yet but we are definitely on our way.

Gen 31:41  Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
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.

Eze 40:2  In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. 
Eze 40:3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. 

When the Lord comes to us and delivers us from our captivity to the false doctrines of Babylon, and causes us to see the church of the firstborn, it is the same as the Lord lifting us up in the spirit and setting us upon a very high mountain to see the New Jerusalem which is described in verse 2 as the frame of a city on the south. In the Bible, high mountains represent the assembly of the Lord’s people. Thus, this high mountain is the gathering of the Lord’s elect that we see as the structure on the mountain representing a city on the south. The fact that the city is “on the south” means that the church of the Lord is not yet perfected as we are still closer to the sea, that is, we are still battling with the flesh of humanity.

Isa 40:9  O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Isa 13:2  Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
Isa 13:3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.

The man whose appearance was like that of brass is our Lord Jesus Christ who is standing at the gate.

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

In the Book of Revelation, we also see Jesus with His feet like fine brass, which is consistent with our assertion that the man whose appearance was like brass is Jesus Christ.

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Jesus standing by the gate in the vision in verse 2 means that Jesus is the gateway to the New Jerusalem or the church of the firstborn. This implies that salvation is through Him alone.

Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

In verse 2, the Lord was carrying a tape measure and a measuring stick. That is to show us that it is the Lord who is always measuring us to see if we are conforming to His image or standard. For example, when the Lord appeared to John at the island of Patmos, He showed John that the complete church system of this world has fallen short of His standards. For example, let’s take a look at what He said regarding the church in Ephesus.

Rev 2:1  Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Dan 5:27  TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

It is as we leave Babylon to enter the gate of the assembly of the elect that we are measured and found wanting by the Lord.

Eze 40:4  And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. 

As our eyes are being opened by the Lord to see and our ears are hearing the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord, we are to declare them to the house of Israel which represents the Lord’s elect.

Exo 19:3  And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
Exo 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
Exo 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Setting our heart upon all that the Lord is showing us means that we must obey His words. Obedience to the Lord’s words is how we progress spiritually.

Jer 42:5  Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us.
Jer 42:6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”

The Gateway that Faced East

Eze 40:5  And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. 

The first structure to be measured was the wall that surrounded the city or temple. Our Lord Jesus Christ has a measuring reed of six cubits by the cubit and an hand breadth. It is the Lord’s elect that are being measured to ensure that we attain the standards of Christ. All others are not being measured in this life.

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

In verse 5, the man who represents our Lord Jesus has a measuring reed of six cubits long. It is important to note that this measurement was not based on the common cubits but the cubits of the sanctuary, which was different. Here in verse 5, we are told that the cubits of the sanctuary is a hand breadth (approximately 4 inches) longer than the common cubits that was used as a measure in those days. The common cubit was eighteen inches. The outer wall of the house measured one reed in thickness and one reed in height. That is to say that the thickness and height of the wall were all six cubits.

It is important to note that the number six is the number of man. What this means is that when the Lord calls us from the churches of this world to come to the church of the firstborn or temple to worship, we were frail men and women with all kinds of weaknesses. However, through the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh, we gradually become like Christ. As explained earlier, the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation shows us where we are going, that is, becoming like Christ. Here the wall’s measurement is 144 cubits (12×12 cubits). The number 12 is the number of Christ and therefore in the final analysis, we shall be like Christ. The number of Christ in this case refers to His obedience to God while He lived here on earth. As He is, so are we. That is to say that we shall all bear the image of Christ in this life.

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

Eze 40:6  Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad. 
Eze 40:7  And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed. 
Eze 40:8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed. 

Our Lord went up the steps to the gateway that faced east and measured the entrance which was one reed broad. The other threshold of the gate was also one reed broad. The east gate means that it is where the sun rises. That is to say that our entering through the gate after our captivity in Babylon is the beginning of the rising of Christ in our lives.  It is worth noting that in verse 6 and 7, the measurement is given in reed but the distance between the little chambers is given in cubits. What this implies is that we must pay attention to the numbers and not to the unit of measurement. The number ‘one’ means ‘unity’. What this suggests is that as His elect, we are required to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement for the building of the city or the church of the firstborn.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The little chamber here refers to our heart and mind or the temple within each of us which together forms part of the New Jerusalem. The fact that we have a distance of five cubits between the little chambers is to suggest to us that each of us is separate from one another by the grace through faith that we have received (the significance of the number 5).

Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

In verse 8, the porch of the gate within also measures one reed. The porch here refers to a covered area that joins the entrance or gate of a city. When we are given the privilege of entering Jerusalem which is above or the church of the firstborn, we are sheltered by the Lord from the world and all that may destroy us during this initial period as we are given to have the same mind and judgement.

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

Eze 40:10  And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. 
Eze 40:11  And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 
Eze 40:12 The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. 

It is significant to note in verse 10 that the little chambers of the gate were three on one side and three on another side. This is to let us know that the process of our spiritual maturity is through the Lord’s judgement (the significance of the number 3).

In verse 11, the measured breadth of the entry of the gate was ten cubits with the length being thirteen cubits. The number ten means the fulness of the flesh and the number thirteen signifies rebellion. This suggests that it is when our rebellion has reached its climax that the Lord comes to us to usher us into the city of the living God.

In verse 12, we are made aware that the little chambers were six cubits or one reed on each side. The measurement of six cubits is to emphasize that we are dealing with man with all his flaws.

Eze 40:13  He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door. 
Eze 40:14  He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate. 
Eze 40:15  And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits. 
Eze 40:16  And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees. 

The measurement of twenty five cubits of the gateway from the top of one little chamber to the top of the opposite little chamber in verse 13 indicates that entering the gateway to the church of the firstborn is the beginning of our kingship as shown in the following verses:

2Ki 14:2  He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2Ki 15:33  Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

2Ki 18:1  Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2Ki 18:2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

What we are therefore being told is that what links us from one to another (from the top of one little chamber to the top of another) is the fact that our entering of Jerusalem above or the church of the firstborn is the beginning of our reign over the flesh and the subsequent reigning over the kingdoms of this world.

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

In verse 14, the room at the far end which led out to the court was measured to be sixty cubits. The number sixty (60 = 6 x 10) signifies the fulness of the flesh in man and therefore the measurement of 60 cubits affirms that the Lord comes to us when our sins have reached the heavens to lead us into His court for cleansing.

As stated in verse 15, the open space of the gate without to the open space of the porch of the gate is fifty cubits. The number fifty means liberty. This verse is therefore to remind us that as we enter the church of the firstborn, we are on our way to be liberated from the shackles of the flesh.

Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The narrow windows of verse 16 is to remind us of the narrow road that leads to our reigning with Christ.

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The posts which were palm trees is to indicate that this narrow road is preserved for only the Lord’s elect who are symbolized as palm trees.

Psa 92:12  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

The Outer Courts

Eze 40:17  Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement. 
Eze 40:18  And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement. 
Eze 40:19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward. 

Our journey through the temple of the Lord starts from the gate of the entrance, through the porch of the inner gate which leads to the outer court. The outer court of the temple was the place for atonement, worship, and cleansing in preparation to meet God. As we have seen from the beginning of the journey through the temple, the measurements we observed were mainly 6 cubits, 10 cubits, 13 cubits, 60 cubits and fifty cubits. With the exception of the 50 cubits which speaks of our liberty in Christ, all the other measurements show us man’s frailties, our rebellion and the fulness of our flesh. It is at the outer courts that we start the process of cleansing as we are judged by the Lord.

It is therefore instructive to note in verse 17 that there were thirty chambers upon the pavement that surrounds the inner court. The number thirty represent our rulership over our flesh and later the kingdoms of this world. This is because both Joseph and David became kings at the age of thirty. The number thirty therefore symbolizes the time that our new man starts to reign in our lives as our old man has commenced the dying process. The fact that there were thirty chambers on the pavement is to tell us that Christ has started his work in us to judge us first in this life by beginning the process of putting the old man to death for the birth of the new man who is to reign in our lives.

Gen 41:46  And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

Num 4:23  From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

We are informed in verse 18 that the pavement in the lower courtyard ran alongside the gateways. It was as wide as it was long. This implies that all that we go through in the outer court in terms of cleansing is part of the entry process to meet the Lord in the holy of holies. The fact that the pavement in the lower courtyard was wide and long means that there are many who are called but only few are chosen to proceed to the holy of holies.

The fact that in verse 19, we are told that the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner courtyard is measured as hundred (10×10) cubits eastward and northward is to let us know that at this point of our walk with Christ, we are yet sinners as our sins have reached their fulness and our judgement has begun.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

The North Gate

Eze 40:20  And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof. 
Eze 40:21  And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 

The north spiritually represents the judgement of the Lord. The gate to the outward court looking towards the north in verse 20 therefore signifies the beginning of the judgement of the Lord as we enter through the north gate to the outward court. As we have indicated, the outer court of the temple is the place for atonement, worship, and cleansing in preparation to meet God.

Jer 1:13  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
Jer 1:14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Jer 4:6  Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

This process of cleansing is symbolized by the judgement of our old man or flesh and is affirmed by the fact that there were three little chambers on one side and another on the other side. The number three means spiritual maturity through judgement. The three little chambers, the arches, and the entrance hall were the same size as those in the east gateway. This northern gateway was fifty cubits in length and twenty five cubit in width. As we have shown earlier, the number fifty means liberty and that of twenty five signifies the beginning of our reign as kings. This implies that the judgement of the Lord is to liberate us from the chains of the flesh and to begin to reign over it. In the fulness of time, we shall reign as kings over the kingdoms of this world.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Eze 40:22  And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them. 
Eze 40:23  And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.

Here in verse 22, we are told that the windows, the arches, and palm tree pictures were the same size as those in the east gateway and that there were seven steps which lead to the inner court.  The fact that the measurement of the windows, and their arches and the palm trees were the same as those in the east gate spiritually signifies that whether we come through the north gate or the east gate the experience is the same. In other words, we all go through the same spiritual experience.  This experience is the seven steps indicated in verse 22.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

In verse 23, we are told that the inner courtyard had a gateway opposite the north gate just like the east gateway and the measurement from gate to gate was an hundred cubits. As indicated, the northern and the eastern gateways being alike means that our experiences are the same in terms of our walk with Christ. The measurement being one hundred (10×10) cubits implies that we come through the gateway to the inner court being full of the flesh and needing to be judged by the Lord.

We therefore thank God for His mercies towards us in choosing us in Him before the foundation of the world.

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.

Amen!!

The Book of Joel – Chapter 3:17-21

[Study Aired October 19^th 24]

In last week’s study, we reasserted that God’s word is the foundation and conclusion of all things. In our past lives in Babylon, we engaged in every conceivable Epicurean pleasure, both physically and doctrinally, with the wealth represented as mammon, meaning money, that our self-righteousness always lavishly afforded.

The concept of Mammon, which signifies money and wealth, represents our work, both good and evil. If I am unable to recognise that the Creator of all things is responsible for my bad work, then I will not be trusted with good work. If I fail to give God credit for my evil works, then He will not entrust me with greater responsibilities. If I cannot attribute my unrighteous mammon (evil works) to God as their creator, then I will not receive the righteous mammon (good works). We cannot serve two masters – God must give us the ability, by His will, to choose between righteous mammon and unrighteous mammon. We will either love one or despise the other.

Luk 16:9  And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

By juxtaposing good with evil, we can discern the truth. As a former friend of Epicurean delights in Babylon, an Elect of God is given the unique ability to see both the dark and light of a subject, filtered through the immutable truth of Christ’s word. This contrast enlightens us and helps us discern the truth.

Judah, the Priests of God, effectively robbed Israel of her representative ‘spiritual’ wealth by not righteously and, in season, preaching the word of God.

What compensation can we possibly give our Creator in return for him choosing us? Plumb nothing! He requires our espousal dues quite the opposite of what Old Israel gave her mouldy best. The fruit Christ requires is the spiritual fruit from the womb of his Wife, her single-eyed heartfelt focus on Him!

1Co 9:18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. (NKJV)

However, Paul was also clearly teaching the Corinthians that other Churches were paying his wages.

2Co 11:7 Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? 
2Co 11:8  I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you (NKJV)

The word that Paul uses in 2 Cor 11:8 for “wages” is the same Greek word used in Luk 3:14.

Luk 3:14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” [G3800] (NKJV)

G3800
– Original: ὀψώνιον
– Transliteration: Opsonion
– Phonetic: op-so’-nee-on
– Definition:
1. a soldier’s pay, allowance 
a. that part of the soldier’s support given in place of pay [i.e. rations our food, particularly spiritual food] and the money in which he is paid 
2. metaph. wages: hire or pay of sin

Wages are what we earn for doing work for others. It is wrong and sinful not to pay someone who works for us. We all know this from our physical lives. We all go to work and expect to get paid for what we do. God’s ministers are no different. However, as Paul explains, he preaches the gospel free of charge so as not to abuse this authority and hinder babes in Christ from coming to the truth. James is quite bold towards the rich in his admonition and doles out some harsh words to those who conscionably pay wages and don’t do it.

Jas 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!
Jas 5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
Jas 5:3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
Jas 5:4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
Jas 5:5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. (NKJV). (Abridged from other Elders all speaking the same thing who likewise think it not stealing ~ how can a Christ steal from himself?).

In light of this, God asks: What will be our answer to him, our “recompense,” our compensation to him unwittingly to us, spiritually seen in one of the two resurrections? Well, the following verses in Matthew 22, and particularly verse 12, prophecy us as dumbstruck to Christ for our requital, our payment to him. We, the created at the hands of the supreme creator, have nothing personally or by our works that can ever “recompense” Him!

Jer 2:23  How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley [for our cause, the Vally of Jehoshaphat], know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways; 
Jer 2:24  A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind [of every Grecian/Epecurean] at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month [equal to the men of Sodom-like unrestrained passion to know the Angels of the Lord’s new doctrines] they shall find her.

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man [you and I – hopefully not] which had not on a wedding garment: 
Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 
Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them [the tares] is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world [at your preordained timely death]; and the reapers are the angels [Christ’s Christs {plural}].
Mat 13:40  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels [His Christs], and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

It is the only “few [who] are chosen” who are to be the Elect, the Bride of Christ, who will be first to “shine forth as the sun.” So, we had better “hear” while it is yet called “today” and know who was addressing us. We, like our good friend, Job, ostentatiously have many Epicurean words and doctrines in this life to express, but to listen closely to that ‘still small voice’ of God is often far from us.

Job 32:17  I said, I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion.
Job 32:18  For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me. [scarcely]
Job 32:19  Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles.
Job 32:20  I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer.
Job 32:21  Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man.
Job 32:22  For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away.

Significations of Joel 3:17 – 21:

Consequently,

Joe 3:17  So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. 

That is to say, your corruptible flesh assuredly contains NOTHING of any worth to me! That all will come to know the glory of God. Thus, no strangers will ever pass through her since the old corruptible Jerusalem of the flesh is gone, trodden down, first under the feet of his Elect, and thoroughly in the Lake of Fire by every man since Adam to the end of the One Thousand Year reign under the rod of iron.

Rev 21:21  And the twelve gates [of the Heavenly Jerusalem, the Lord’s Wife]  were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it [As are a husband and wife one in each other].
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. 
Rev 21:24  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Rev 21:25  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
Rev 21:26  And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Joe 3:18  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. 

Notice that the water of Christ’s word gives life to the valley of Shittim from whence the dense and beautifully grained hardwood of the acacia tree, known as Shittim wood, was used in the Temple of God.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Our former Babylonian selves used to trumpet to each other and any poor, deluded soul who would innocently listen that the New Jerusalem would physically replace the one being destroyed this very day in the Middle East, together with her worldwide collective of Jews who say that they are Jews and are not. That Mount of Olives and Jerusalem would cleave in two, and the entire world would come to Christ through the physical Jews and the river of water flowing out of it to water the hungry world devoid of knowing Christ. That strong delusion, in part, comes from outwardly believing the following verses in Zechariah:

Zec 14:3  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Zec 14:4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zec 14:5  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
Zec 14:6  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
Zec 14:7  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
Zec 14:8  And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Zec 14:9  And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 

Accordingly, the Epicurean ideologies of Egypt, Tyre, Greece, Sodom, and Old Jerusalem, all represented as Babylon, and her lying doctrines that promised tremendous physical wealth and AI knowledge integrated with the human mind will be violently ground to powder. The spiritual children of Judah, the ‘Lord’s Christs’ will in Him, take vengeance upon their Joeseph-like brothers and sisters, who spilt spiritual blood represented by them magically twisting their husband’s word to substantiate their Sodom-like lusts.

Gen 50:15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

Joe 3:19  Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 

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

Rev 18:1  And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Rev 18:12  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
Rev 18:13  And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
Rev 18:14  And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
Rev 18:15  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Rev 18:19  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Rev 18:20  Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Rev 18:21  And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Rev 18:22  And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Rev 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Rev 18:24  And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Joe 3:20  But Judah [meaning, first, the Lord’s Elect, and following, the world] shall dwell for ever, and [the New Heavenly…] Jerusalem from generation to generation. 
Joe 3:21  For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion. 

The cleansing of the world’s blood is upon their timely death at the end of the One Thousand Year Rule.

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 
Heb 9:23  It was, therefore, necessary that the patterns of things [We are the pattern, the fleshy representation of God being recreated in his image] in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea [no more flesh]
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

“… for the LORD dwelleth in Zion”, the Heavenly Jerusalem, his wife, and she, in Him as one with their children, the world collectively in the Father forever more.

Amen.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 87

September 30, 2015

The mystery of the kingdom of God is contained within all of the scripture.

Jesus told us that we do not need to look here nor there but to look inside because the kingdom of God is within you.

The study for this evening is going to cover the start of the complete judgment of the flesh as passed down by God to Moses and the Israelites.

This is all a type and shadow of the plan of God and how He plans to bring about His judgment on us all, but that judgment leads to salvation of us all.

Isa 56:1  Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

Come Nigh

Like Jesus, Moses was a reformer. Like Moses, Jesus is a reformer. After passing down all of the judgments that we have been reading in Exodus, the Lord reveals to us not only the commands that Moses and the elders of Israel were to immediately follow, but the commands that we all keep spiritually as the people of God.

Exo 24:1  And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
Exo 24:2  And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

Notice that there are 4 individuals mentioned and then the 70 elders. Moses, his brother and his brother’s children.

Most of Christendom recognizes that Moses typifies Christ in a lot of ways. While all these men represent a family in the flesh, they also show us that Christ is called alone to “come near the Lord” while Aaron and his children are told to worship afar off with the elders.

This is important to recognize because it is Jesus Christ who alone has ascended that mountain and has come near to God. It is Jesus Christ who has descended to bring us the law of liberty from the mountain of God, but what does that look like in our lives as Christians?

I realize that Moses only brings Israel the 10 commandments and eventually the Mosaic Law which is for a lawless and disobedient people, but so too is the law of liberty given to us to bring us out of death into the glorious like of Jesus Christ and communion with God the Father.

What does it mean to be in liberty to have freedom?

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.
Luk 17:22  And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
Luk 17:23  And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
Luk 17:24  For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Have you ever considered that the judgments of God are to judge those things in your heavens that need to be cast down and out of heaven?

Luk 10:16  He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
Luk 10:17  And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Lest we forget, the judgments we have been studying in Exodus all started with this:

Exo 20:18  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
Exo 20:19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Judgment and the judgments being given to us are not for some future time or time period where we can execute God’s commandments then. God’s judgments are for us to learn from and be JUDGED with NOW, but again I ask what does that look like today for us as Christians?

While you consider that question, hear what Moses was given to speak to the people.

Exo 24:3  And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.
Exo 24:4  And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exo 24:5  And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
Exo 24:6  And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
Exo 24:7  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
Exo 24:8  And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

Isn’t it amazing that while there is lightning and thundering we are afraid and answer the Lord in one voice with, “we will hear…. we will do”, but if we turn our back, close our eyes and clasp our ears we are able to pretend the Lord isn’t ever present with us.

The strong delusion the Lord has created in us all initially is to be in a position in our Christian walks where we think we are walking, talking and eating with God the Father when in fact we are just doing so with His Son so that we can later be converted and truly serve Him.

It is right after the covenant is made with blood, both on the altar (that is to say the cross) and half of it on the people (ONE sacrifice’s blood was used – that would be Jesus Christ) that Moses, Aaron Nadab, Abihu and all the elders believed fully that were partaking of EATING and DRINKING with God.

They did experience this event, but what they THOUGHT it represented was far from what it really was.

Exo 24:9  Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
Exo 24:10  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
Exo 24:11  And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

Jesus Christ walked, talked, ate and drank with the disciples yet none of them were converted. Does that discount that they walked, talked, ate and drank with Jesus Christ in the flesh? No, it doesn’t.

The same Jesus that they walked with said this:

Joh 5:36  But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
Joh 5:37  And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

So, if they were not “seeing God” in a true sense of the meaning, who or what were they seeing? This is an important question and one that directly applies to us today right now in our lives.

They were seeing someone and experiencing these things yet Jesus told us that they and no one else has seen God nor heard His voice.

This question is one that beckons to be answered and the answer is one of are we seeing “within or without”.

See, if we hear or see someone saying “lo here” or “lo there” is Jesus Christ, we are to NOT follow them, but what does that mean? What does any of this have to do with the study today?

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:

Our daily lives are constantly being judged. In fact, we are dying daily and a part of the dying process is judging the things the Lord has set in motion in our lives.

Most of the time it seems we fail miserably at being and living the example of being like Christ in this world. At least it appears that way to me as I evaluate my life and living as a Christian daily.

It seems to me that as I am at the foot of this mount, waiting for Moses to tell me what to do and how to obey God, that I often fail to obey and fall while I wait.

But, the Lord has given as set of armor and a weapon in our hand to combat this FALSE judgment.

We have been given communion with God through prayer to recognize that we ARE seeing God when we look within and realize that this failing and falling IS the judgment we often times talk about.

Isa 56:1  Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
Isa 56:2  Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Isa 56:3  Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
Isa 56:4  For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
Isa 56:5  Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
Isa 56:6  Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Isa 56:7  Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isa 56:8  The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

As we live our lives daily we should be evaluating which altar we are making sacrifices on. Are we making physical sacrifices to wash the outside of the cup or are we DOING what is pleasing unto the Lord upon the altar and cross of Christ?

You might be thinking, “Steven stop speaking mumbo jumbo”.

Pro 21:3  To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Php 4:17  Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
Php 4:18  But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Hos 6:6  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Mat 9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The living sacrifice and acceptable to God is a renewed MIND which tells us these words of Christ are true.

Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Contrast all of these verses with what you see the children of Israel do in the flesh. Of course it was given to them to do these things at this appointed time, but they are admonishments for us today to learn from and to apply spiritually.

Exo 24:12  And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
Exo 24:13  And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
Exo 24:14  And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

There is a season for everything including a time to be taught. However, there always comes a time to put into action and DO the things we’ve been taught.

Notice what happens when Moses “ascends” the mount. What happened once Jesus ascended into heaven? Where did He go?

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Exo 24:15  And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
Exo 24:16  And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

It is the day of rest, the Sabbath, which is when Jesus is called out of the midst of the cloud into someone’s life.

For us, as the clouds, we abide with the REST DAILY. In other words, for 6 days the clouds cover the mount and this is a mountain of prayer where we have communion with our Lord and Saviour.

Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Mat 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mat 26:64  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mar 14:61  But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
Mar 14:62  And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mar 14:63  Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
Mar 14:64  Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

What does this look like to even those who are simple onlookers? After all, we have heard all our lives that FIRE is BAD. Fire represents hell and no one can stand the flame that consumes.

The Pharisees and high priest that question “WHO WE ARE” look on and condemn us to death!

Here is why that happens.

Exo 24:17  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
Exo 24:18  And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Who possibly could survive such a DEVOURING FIRE? The answer is NO ONE can unless the Lord causes them to be able to dwell in the fire. Fire consumes anything it comes in contact with especially when talking about the fire of the Word of God.

Those that are brought through the fire are those that walk and dwell comfortably in it, and they walk comfortably in it because they know what the fiery judgment of the Lord is all about. It is for our good and it is so that we learn obedience just like Jesus Christ. As He is so are we in this world.

Isa 33:13  Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
Isa 33:16  He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

A Discussion That “here a little, there a little” builds the answer to this spiritual question.

Hello,

I have a question about Isaiah 65 and could use your help in answering it.

Isa 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

What does it mean spiritually that dust shall be the serpent’s meat?

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

S____

Hi S____,

Everything will indeed be accomplished when God is all in all. But “My holy mountain” is God’s kingdom, and that ‘mountain’ or ‘kingdom’ is within us even now.

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come [when Isa 65 would be fulfilled], 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.

Therefore when we read of the New Heavens and New Earth in Isaiah 3 or Isaiah 65, they also have a very present application in down payment form.

I hope this is of some help.
Your brother in Christ.
Mike

Mike, thank you for what you’ve added to my understanding on Isaiah 65. I really see more clearly the present “is” application of what I believe this prophecy is showing us today.

Seated with Christ now in the heavens, we are able, through Christ who strengthens us, to have all of our tears and many tribulations understood (1Pe 4:12) and not thought of as strange as He increases and we decrease.

The “is” part of the ‘is, was and will be’ nature of God’s word in each joint supplies an effectual work which makes increase of Christ’s body as we edify each other with Godly love now.

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

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.

That suffering I perceive to be nothing compared to the glory that is going to be revealed as God continues to heal us and wipe away all our tears which He causes as we grow in our realization of His goodness which 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?

Your grateful brother in Christ,
Tony

Hi S____,

I believe the serpent in this situation of Isaiah 65 is the elect during the millennium prior to the great white throne judgement, and they are ruling with a rod of iron over the dust, which is a symbol of the yet unconverted first Adam. (ie: no one is converted during the millennium, there can be no overcoming without an adversary, who is bound at this time.) These symbols can be both negative and positive, and in this case we can easily think that a serpent is Satan when in fact the serpent represents the elect seraphim of Isaiah 6, and the lion is the Lion of the tribe of Judah within us as He rules as the King of kings and Lord of lords during the millennium.

Speaking of Moses and Aaron: Exo 7:12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

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:

Consider the rod (rod of iron) as being a serpent for a moment. The magician’s rod which was turned to a serpent was swallowed up by Moses’ (Aaron’s) rod. This tells us that the law (Moses represents the law) will overtake the camp (The magicians of Egypt, the world – Exo 7:12).

Exo 7:12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

The next stage is for the rod of Moses to be engulfed by Christ (Christ is the end of the law… Rom 10:4), and this is symbolically shown in the wilderness where the new rod (Christ and His Christ) is raised in the wilderness to symbolize the dominion that God will give the world one day over sin (where is your sting… 1Co 15:55-57) The raised Christ (seraphim – Elect) in the wilderness do not convert the people who are being stung by serpents, that ultimate victory will only come later. Notice he is in the wilderness, and this is a type of where mankind will be during the millennium. Man’s heart is not converted during this time, and therefore he is in the wilderness, or the kingdoms of this world (Rev 11:15) as God’s seraphim ruling with a rod of iron over the nations of this world (Rev 2:27).

Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

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.

The lamb (Christ in us) and the wolf of Isaiah 65 will dwell together in harmony as long as the devil is bound (Rev 20:2), but as soon as God allows Satan to be released (Rev 20:3) from the pit or abussos, the wolf in sheep’s clothing will be revealed for what its true nature is. Gog and Magog symbolize this time as well (Rev 20:8-9).

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

The resurrected elect are represented by the lion who have the lion of the tribe of Judah within them, and they have dominion over the straw just like Pharoah had dominion over Israel when they were using straw to make their bricks, only later to have the straw taken away (Exo 5:18). This is a time of prosperity physically, and spiritually the world is as the Laodicean church (Rev 3:17) increased with spiritual riches which have not been tried in the fire. There is no adversary effecting humanity (humanity is being fattened for slaughter, ie: lake of fire), and there is ease in the sense that there is straw to make bricks, or a world that does not have the influence of Satan who has been bound for a symbolic thousand years (Rev 20:3). When the straw is taken away in type and shadow then Israel’s greater judgment, ie: the great white throne judgment will occur (lake of fire).

Exo 5:18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

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

So the lamb co-exists with the wolf = (elect and unconverted world during millennium) just as in Christ’s walk on this earth with the unconverted which He did not convert, and as He is so are we. 1Jn 4:17)

Serpent (Elect – seraphim of Isaiah 6) has dominion over dust (humanity – Gen 3:19, 14) as stated in Isaiah 65, which shows us the positive use of this concept, seeing we know that Satan once had all of humanity for his meal of dust, which is the negative use of this concept.

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.

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

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:

Finally, the lion will be nourished (Caleb and Joshua – Num 14:9) by the unbelief of those who are yet unconverted during this time prior to the great white throne judgment which is why they are straw. This straw which the lion eats of Isaiah 65 is a good training ground for God’s elect, as it gets eaten by the elect in preparation of the great white throne judgment. This great white throne experience is when the symbolic straw is taken away (burned up) from Israel, the fiery trial of the lake of fire will consume everything that can be burned until all the world is comfortable in that fire (1Co 3:12-13, Isa 33:14, 1Co 15:22, 28).

Num 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

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.

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

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

1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

I pray this helps answer this question about Isaiah 65, as I try to be a helper of your joy as you are of mine.

Your brother in Christ,
Tony

Hi Tony,

Thank you both for this opportunity to discuss this subject of the fulfilling of Isaiah 3 and Isaiah 65 relating to the kingdom of God, and its progressive, “like unto leaven” spread throughout each of us first, and then “through [our] mercy”, all of mankind.

Mat 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

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.

As Isaiah 33:14-15 demonstrates, God’s elect will, via the fire of the lake of fire, which is of course, God’s word within them, judge the devil’s angels and messengers “till the whole is leavened” or until the kingdom of God ‘becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth’:

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

Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

When Christ, the king of that kingdom, is in all men, then He will submit himself to His Father and God will be all in all.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the [harvest at the] end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Your fellow laborer to that end,

Mike

Hi S____,

I think Mike helped me see a fuller view of God’s word with the email he sent to you. If we consider the ‘is, was and will’ be nature of God’s word, then it is true that this prophecy in Isaiah 65 does apply to the time after the great white throne judgment as well as to the life of the elect in this age or generation that Christ is within (in earnest), as well as the millennium period (in shadow).

God’s word is eternal and is fulfilled in each generation, but not always in earnest as it is within the elect. If we break this into two groups, those who have God’s spirit now and are living out these prophecies in earnest (Eph 1:14) and those who don’t have God’s spirit within them and are living out the shadows which serve us who now believe with the holy spirit within us (1Pe 1:12), it remains true that the time frame when those tears are wiped away permanently is in the lake of fire, and until then we are either experiencing these prophetic words in earnest (spirit within) or in shadow like ancient Israel, and the world during the millennium.

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

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 tears we wipe away during the millennium are worldly sorrow and not godly sorrow (2Co 7:10). We know that the nature of man has not changed, and there never really was godly sorrow because when Satan is loosed for a season, then the world turns into Judas over night and needs to go and encompass the camp of the saints to destroy them.

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Just like the manna which was a shadow of the true bread of life Jesus Christ (Joh 6:32), sorrow of the world which the elect are dealing with during the millennium is only a shadow of the Godly repentance that will lead to eternal life in the lake of fire.

Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

The same thing could be said of Jerusalem, because we know that for us today Jerusalem is above, and we rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice because of this, but that does not mean that we have the fullness of that rejoicing either, seeing we still have tears and much tribulation.

The fullness of our rejoicing will be when we see Him face to face, and the shadow of that rejoicing will be experienced during the millennium for the world, just like the manna providing temporary sustenance or the woman at the well that Christ says if she had asked Him for she would never thirst again because He would have given her living waters.

I love the question, and I hope it does help get us closer to the sum of His word on the matter.

ybic,
Tony

Dear Mike,

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. This is a subject near and dear to me. You see, ten months ago my son was killed in a car accident on his 20th birthday. At the time of his death, none of my family knew the truth of God, as I understand it now. Through this devastating loss, I was lead (dragged) on a quest for the “real” God and to know and understand Him and His truth. My son was “saved” in a baptist church, and I had taken him and his brothers to “church” all of their lives and read to them out of the bible and taught them as best as I could. Little did I know I was teaching them completely FALSE doctrine. I have so much guilt for this, as I feel that as a student of the bible, I should have known better. Two days before my son’s accident, we had a conversation (and I believe this was by God’s design) that has haunted me ever since. My son was telling my how he had this struggle within, how it was like he had two voices in his head, one telling him to do the “right” thing, the other telling him “just have fun”. He was just your average/ typical teenager. I know he sincerely believed in God/ Christ’s sacrifice and wanted to please God, he just had NO CLUE about the “meat” of God’s word. He also was more interested in typical teenage stuff. I have pretty much accepted that he will most likely be in the second resurrection, and I am okay with that. I completely trust God to know what is best, and I completely trust in God’s mercy in judgment. I don’t claim to understand everything, and probably will not in this lifetime, but God has blessed me with trust, and that is enough for now. I just want to be sure from now on that I have God’s complete truth.

Thanks again so much for your ministry.
Love in Christ,
L____

Hi L____,

Thanks for sharing your story with me. I am so very sorry to hear about the loss of your 20 year old son just 10 months ago. Austin, my youngest of five, Isa 20, and I cannot imagine any of my children dying before me. I thank God that He has opened your eyes to know the comfort that is His Word in a situation such as the loss of a child.
But you are exactly right about your son. He is in very good, very just and very loving hands, and he will be given the same mercy you have been shown, and that same mercy will come through you, just as Joseph was used by God to show mercy to his family. God really is love.

1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

It is through the love of one person to another that “the rock cut out of the mountain without hands” eventually becomes “a great mountain that will fill all the earth.” “All the earth” is all men who have ever lived and who ever will live on this earth.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

That is as true for your son as it is for us. Christ will not be filled until every person who has ever lived on this earth is filled with Christ.

Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

It is “the church which is His body” which fills Christ, and it is Christ who fills His Father. It is by means of “the church which is His body” which will be used to show mercy to all who are not in that blessed and holy first resurrection.

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.

What a wonderful blessing it is that God has seen fit to reveal His mind, His plan, and Himself to you. We truly have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavens.

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.

Continue to “try the spirits”. It will pay great dividends in the things of the spirit.
Please join us on Ustream at 11 a. m. EST on Sunday mornings. We are going through the book of Revelation, and applying the admonition of chapter one verse 3 to “read, hear, and keep the things written therein.” When you approach scripture with the understanding that we are meant to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, and we do not apply “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” to someone else at some other time and some other place, then all prophecy becomes new and exciting and alive, because it is now within, and it is now personal.
I hope to see you with us Sunday morning.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

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Rev 8:8  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
Rev 8:9  And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Introduction

This second trumpet has within it six more symbols of the things we are to read, hear and keep (Rev 1:3): 1) A great mountain. 2) This ‘mountain’ is burning with ‘fire.’ 3) This ‘mountain’ burning with ‘fire’ is cast into the ‘sea.’ 4) This causes the ‘sea’ to “become as blood.” 5) When the ‘sea’ “becomes as blood” this causes a third part of the creatures which were living in the sea to die, and finally 6) The third part of the ships that were in the sea were destroyed when this mountain burning with fire is cast into the sea.

What is this “great mountain?”

This “great mountain burning with fire” is the kingdom of God within those in whom it dwells.

Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

That is the fourth chapter of Micah. But Micah four is concerned only with “the last days.” Before “the last days” we are a mountain of a different type. Jeremiah quotes Micah, and Micah repeats what Jeremiah quoted from an earlier chapter of Micah.

Jer 26:18  Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

Here is this same verse in Micah:

Mic 3:12  Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

The plowing and the burning of that great mountain are one and the same thing. We must be broken up and crushed to powder, and our works must be “burned up” before we can bring forth the fruit of the spirit.
As is always the case when dealing with words which we are told are “a two edged sword” (Heb 4:12 and Rev 1:6), this “great mountain” has within us a “two- edged” meaning, which is demonstrated by the way the holy spirit uses the phrase “a great mountain” in scripture.

Dan 2:31  Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
Dan 2:32  This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33  His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

This  Babylonian image has a Babylonian “head of gold” which heads up all the kingdoms of men. But “a stone… cut out without hands” hits the image on its feet and destroys the image and “becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.”

Dan 2:35  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

So this is the ultimate and primary meaning of “a great mountain.” In the end of this prophecy, “all in Adam” become this “great mountain,” which is nothing less than “the kingdom of God [ which] is within you.”

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.

But just the as “the stone” had to destroy the entire image before it could “become a great mountain and fill the whole earth,” so also is the image itself a type of an evil “great mountain” which is being replaced by the stone that was cut out without hands. Here is the negative application of “a great mountain.”

Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

So then…

What is a great mountain burning with fire?

Here are a few verses which will given this “great mountain burning with fire” its spiritual significance, so we can understand what we must “read, hear and keep” of this great mountain and of its burning.

Exo 3:1  Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
Exo 3:2  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Here it is just the burning bush. But just a few months later this same mountain itself is “burning with fire.”

Deu 4:11  And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

The mountain of God, will burn with fire all that will burn up within it. anything that can be devoured by its flames will be destroyed.

Jer 34:2  Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

Here is this same thought in New Testament words:

Mat 13:40  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Remember what  Micah and Jeremiah said, about “the end of this world?”

Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

When at long last “the mountain of the house of the Lord [ begins to be] established” within our hearts and minds, that is when our fiery trials will begin. That is when all men will begin to hate us and to separate us from their company and cast out our name as evil. That is when “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom [“within you”] all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Luk 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [ from their company], and shall reproach [ you], and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

This is all within each of us, and we will be covering this very event when we get to chapter 16.

Rev 16:10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Rev 16:11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Christ had already foretold of this plague within us in these words:

Mat 8:12  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Yes, most in this age will not be in that kingdom, but those who are will have lived by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, including having been cast into outer darkness and having wept bitterly and experienced the gnashing of teeth. The story of Peter is how this is first lived in us just as it was first lived in Christ when He Himself sweat great drops of blood.

Luk 22:44  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luk 22:60  And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.
Luk 22:61  And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Luk 22:62  And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

We have no idea how weak we are without our Lord’s strength being supernaturally given to us at the very moment we need it. Our Lord Himself was strengthened by an angel.

Luk 22:43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Peter had no idea that he was still in Babylon. He thought he had “come out of Babylon” three and one half years earlier. But Babylon must be “utterly broken… and burned with fire,” and completely destroyed from within each of us. That is “a great mountain burning with fire.”

Jer 51:58  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.
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.

The meaning of the word ‘fire’ does not change from chapter to chapter or from book to book. The ‘fire’ is always “My words…” (Jer 5:14). But those words are a “two- edged sword” and as such will always have both a positive and a negative application. What that means is that “a great mountain burning with fire” is a mountain that is burning up while another mountain is being built up. Let’s go back to Daniel two and notice that the fiery Word of God destroys the image of the beast and his kingdom while the kingdom of God is being built up in “the whole earth”.

Dan 2:34  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

The “stone cut out without hands” and the fire that is Christ and His Word are one and the same. The “mountain burning with fire” is God’s Word, Christ in us, burning up everything that will burn and as it does so, it is establishing and manifesting that “great mountain” which cannot be burned up, and that which is purified by the fiery words of our Lord. Here are the words of the King of that “great mountain [ which will] fill the whole earth.“

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
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.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Being saved is being purified, and “he himself shall be saved… by fire.” We all endure the fire, gnash our teeth, sweat great drops of blood, weep bitterly, and gnaw our tongues for pain. We all “keep the things written therein, and live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

So our next logical question is

Why is a great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea?

What is “the sea” in scripture? “The sea” is Bible- speak for all flesh of all men before the spirit of God even begins to work within us.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

This is where all the false doctrines of Babylon flourish. They are sold to the sea that is our very unstable and vulnerable flesh.

Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [ and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jdg 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;
Jdg 1:13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Here are two great Biblical types of the organizations of men which keep mankind deceived while thinking they are serving God. The first is Babylon, and this is what we read about Babylon:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

The “many waters” on which the whore sits are the “waters” of “the sea”.

Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Rev 18:19  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

“All who have ships in the sea” and “As many as trade by sea” are all the denominational ministers, who use their denominations and organization to sell their smooth things and their lies to the masses that make up the seas of mankind. The words of Christ mean nothing when they are compared to the doctrines of men. What sells is all that matters, and Christ’s true words have never done anything less than making those who are faithful to His Words to be “hated of all men.”
The second great type of that beastly organization of men, which “deceives the whole world, [ while] thinking they do God a service,” is Tyre. Where is Tyre situated?

Eze 27:3  And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.
Eze 27:4  Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
Eze 27:5  They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.

How does God deal with the king of Tyre?

Eze 28:18  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

This is the same “fire” we read of in Rev 8:8. Where was Tyre located? It was situated on the same ‘sea’ that enriched Babylon. That “sea” symbolizes all mankind upon whom the lying religions of mankind prey and from whom the churches of this world become rich by means of all the “ships” of Babylon and Tyre which ply the waters of the “sea” and trade their smooth deceitful wares there in the isles of the sea.

Eze 27:8  The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.
Eze 27:9  The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: a ll the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.

It is all the lies of Babylon that keep the riches “of the people of many isles” pouring into Babylon. Babylon literally and historically sat astride the great Euphrates River, and it was upon those waters that the wealth of all the nations kept pouring into Babylon. The same was true of Tyre, which was an Island nation just off the coast of Palestine. The holy spirit has seen fit to reveal to us all that these waters are “peoples and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” who have been deceived and seduced by the merchants of Babylon and Tyre and with the merchandise of those merchants which they sell to those among whom they sail their ships with all their seductive wares.

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

That is the “sea” within each of us. It symbolizes the corruptible flesh which we all are by birth. That is the sea into which this great burning mountain is cast. None of us ever asked to be that sea or to have that burning mountain cast into our flesh to cause us so much excruciating pain. But that is why we are told it was “cast into the sea.” The false doctrine of mankind’s “free will” is only one of the items of merchandise that is sold by the “mariners which are in Tyre to occupy [ Hebrew, sweeten] thy merchandise.” No one yet has ever freely chosen to “believe a lie and be damned.”

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

We have all lived lives of condemnation, believing all the lies of Babylon, “until the time appointed of the Father.”

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:

Our next question is

What does “the sea became as blood” mean?

If we have seen that the ‘sea’ is our flesh and our flesh cannot please God in and of itself, and if we have already seen that the drinking of the wine is the acknowledging of our crucifying of our Lord and His sacrifice and His death for our sins, then we will easily understand that the ‘sea’ within us is the very same flesh with which we are all born and with which we all have crucified our Lord even as we proclaim that we are above doing such a thing. Yet Christ said “Divide it among yourselves… it is shed for your sins.”

Luk 22:17  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Luk 22:18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake [ it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

We are not above doing such a thing, rather it is within our flesh to do just that. It is only as we acknowledge that we all have drunk of the wine of Christ’s blood in the New Testament that the “sea becomes as blood.”
But the sea becoming as blood does not convert us overnight. After Peter had spent three and a half years with our Lord, after Peter had healed the sick and cast our demons, our Lord still said this to Peter in the very night of His apprehension by the Jews.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luk 22:33  And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

So the sea does not become blood until we are given to acknowledge that blood is the blood of our Lord that we caused to be shed by our sins. That is what “the sea became as blood” means, and until that Truth has been lived as Peter lived it, that sea is not yet become blood. “Keep the things which are written therein” (Rev 1:3).

Our next question is…

 What does “And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died,” mean?

If we are given to remember that the sea is “the waters of the great deep” before the spirit begins to move upon us, and that “great deep” is simply our flesh with all of its “giants in the land” full of cities which are occupied by giants of which we are told “kill every thing that breatheth,” then we should have no problem understanding that is not accomplished except through the process of judgment upon those “enemies in the land” which are the very same things as “creatures which are in the sea and have life.”

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

Israel certainly did not do this overnight. In fact this is what we are told they did, and this is what happens within us as we “keep the things which are written therein;”

Exo 23:29  I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

This is repeated in Deuteronomy.

Deu 7:21  Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
Deu 7:22  And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
Deu 7:23  But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
Deu 7:24  And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.

In the end all sin will be destroyed, but it will not be done but by little and little, by third and by third.

Eze 5:1  And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause [ it] to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the [ hair].
Eze 5:2  Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:3  Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.
Eze 5:4  Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.
Eze 5:5  Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.
Eze 5:6  And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that [ are] round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.
Eze 5:7  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;
Eze 5:8  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
Eze 5:9  And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.

“Thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel” is said of those who are “few in number” and who are first “cast into the midst of the fire.” It is from verses such as this that the apostle Peter knew this:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
 
1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Judgment must first begin at us. Judgment is not all at once, but it is little by little. It is by thirds because the spiritual significance of the number three throughout scripture, as these verses demonstrate is, not the number itself or the fraction itself, but it is the process of judgment that we are to keep of the things written therein.
“The third part of the creatures that were in the sea and had life died,” is telling us that judgment is a process which must first begin at us, the house of God.

So what is the spiritual significance of …

The third part of the ships were destroyed?

We have already seen that Babylon and Tyre are both situated on the sea. And we have been told that “every shipmaster and all the company in ships… were made rich… by reason of her costliness.” It is obvious that her wealth depends upon her location and her proximity to and her mastery of the sea. Let’s look again at what we are told of the ships of the sea in Rev 18. These are the same ships that we are reading about here in Rev 8:9.

Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Rev 18:19  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Eze 27:8  The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots.
Eze 27:9  The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: a ll the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.

The Hebrew word translated ‘occupy’ here in Eze 27:9 is ‘areb’, and it means ‘to sweeten.’ The wise men of this world’s religions “were in thee to sweeten your merchandise.”
The destruction of the third part of the ships of our sea is merely Biblical language expressing the little by little, one third by one third, process of destroying all the idols of our heart, which has begun as these symbolic seven trumpets sound as we keep the things that are written therein.

Summary

We have covered in this study  the six different symbols within this second trumpet. We are reminded that these six symbols are one and all things we are to read, hear and keep within our own earth and our own heaven (Rev 1:3). They are in order:
1) A great mountain. We have seen that this “great mountain” begins as the kingdom of the great image of the beast within us, which is struck on the feet of that image by a stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands and destroys the great image and replaces it and becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth.
2) This ‘mountain’ is burning with ‘fire.’ We have seen that this mountain is burning with fire because it is being affected and transformed by the devouring flame that is the mighty Word of God. We saw that as the mountain or kingdom of the image of the beast decreases, and is being burned with fire,  the mountain of God within us increases till it destroys the kingdom of the beast and becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth.
3) This ‘mountain’ burning with ‘fire’ is cast into the ‘sea.’ We saw that the sea, from Genesis to Revelation, is the symbol of our flesh, and that it is into our flesh that the word of God is cast and begins, little by little to kill and destroy all that is in our sea. We saw that our sea is dominated by the two great types of Babylon and Tyre, which make merchandise of us until we come to see them for the liars and cruel harlots they are.
4) This casting of the burning mountain into our sea causes the ‘sea’ to “become as blood.” The beginning of this little by little process causes our sea to become as blood. We saw that our sea becomes blood as we become aware of our own hand in the shedding of the blood of Christ in the New Testament, and the fact that we all drank of the cup that was His blood in the New Testament. We have seen that it was shed by us and it was given for our own sins. It is not some strange blood of some strange beast, and it certainly is not the blood of fish, but it is Christ’s blood which turns our sea to blood.
5) When the ‘sea’ “becomes as blood” this causes “a third part of the creatures which were living in the sea to die.” We have seen that the creatures in our sea are the weaknesses of our flesh along with the false doctrines of Babylon which prey upon the unstable waves of our flesh, and the natural desire of our flesh to want to hear only smooth and comforting words without the words of judgment that are these fiery words of our Lord. Little by little and one third by one third these lying creatures that are in our sea and have life begin to die.
6) Finally the third part of the ships that were in the sea were destroyed when this mountain burning with fire is cast into the sea. We saw all the verses of Ezekiel and Revelation that demonstrate that these ships symbolize those who have made merchandise of us with their smooth sounding false doctrines and their lies. This again, we have seen, is but another way of telling us that the lies we have bought into, while we were in Babylon, and all who sold us on those lies must be destroyed by little and by little, by third and by third.
Next week, Lord willing, we will see what is the spiritual significance of the third trumpet which we are commanded to read, hear and keep within our lives.

Rev 8:10  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, a nd it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
Rev 8:11  And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.