New Jerusalem (Above) – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:09:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cropped-headerlogo-32x32.png New Jerusalem (Above) – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com 32 32 Gemstones — The Stones That Transfer, Part 3 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/gemstones-the-stones-that-transfer-part-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gemstones-the-stones-that-transfer-part-3 Tue, 17 Mar 2026 22:33:18 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=35699 Audio Download

Gemstones — The Stones That Transfer, Part 3

Beryl and Jasper — Transformation and Transparency

[Study Aired March 17, 2026]

Introduction: The Arc Completed

Scripture moves with sovereign precision. What begins in the shadows of Aaron’s priestly garments continues through the covering of Eden’s anointed guardian and arrives at last in the foundations of the city that needs no sun — each context a deeper unfolding of the same eternal purpose. In the first two parts of this study, we traced four of the six gemstones that appear across all three of these divinely appointed settings: the sardius and topaz bearing the testimony of blood and wisdom, the sapphire and emerald declaring the throne of authority and the power of resurrection life. Now the final pair demands our attention. Beryl and jasper complete the testimony.

Their positions across the three contexts are themselves part of the message. On Aaron’s breastplate, the beryl is the tenth stone and the jasper is the twelfth — the last, closing the fourth row. In Ezekiel’s account of the anointed cherub, beryl stands fourth and jasper sixth among the nine covering stones. In New Jerusalem, the arrangement is inverted with striking precision: jasper becomes the first foundation of the eternal city, and beryl occupies the eighth. The jasper that closed the breastplate now opens the city of God. The beryl that stood fourth in Eden’s covering now rests at the position Scripture consistently marks as new creation. These are not coincidental placements. Every position is a declaration.

The governing principle that unlocks both stones is the same one that governs all of Scripture’s progressive revelation: “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” (1Co 15:46). Beryl and jasper do not contradict the pattern — they crown it. The beryl, with its sea-green translucence, stood on Aaron’s breastplate and upon the cherub’s covering, but it reaches its ultimate declaration as the eighth foundation of the holy city, the position of new creation and resurrection life. The jasper, last of the twelve breastplate stones, closes the list on Aaron’s chest — yet in Revelation it stands as the very first foundation of New Jerusalem, and more strikingly still, it is the stone Scripture uses to describe the appearance of God Himself seated upon His throne. That reversal — the last becoming first, the creaturely shadow becoming the substance of divine glory — is precisely the reversal that creation was designed to undergo.

These stones are not ornamental. They are not arbitrary selections from a mineral catalogue. They are, as all six transferring stones are, witnesses to a single coherent testimony: that God created humanity carnal by sovereign purpose, subjected creation to vanity “in hope” (Rom 8:20), and purposed from eternity that what was external and shadowed in the first order would be made internal, luminous, and transparent in Christ. Beryl’s transformation and jasper’s crystalline clarity are the fitting capstones of that testimony. Let us examine what the text reveals.

The Beryl

The Beryl in Three Contexts

The beryl appears first in the fourth row of Aaron’s priestly breastplate, occupying the tenth position among the twelve stones: “And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper” (Exo 28:20). In Ezekiel’s account of the anointed cherub’s covering, the beryl stands fourth among the nine adorning stones: “The sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold” (Eze 28:13). In New Jerusalem, beryl occupies the eighth foundation: “the eighth, beryl” (Rev 21:20). The Hebrew term is tarshiysh (H8658), associated with a shimmering, sea-colored quality. The Greek of Revelation is berullos (G969), rendered consistently as “beryl.”

What makes the beryl’s profile particularly rich is that tarshiysh appears not only in stone-lists but in visionary contexts of the highest order. When Ezekiel sees the four living creatures and their wheels, he describes those wheels precisely: “The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl” (Eze 1:16). The same qualification recurs in the expanded throne-chariot vision: “the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone” (Eze 10:9). And when Daniel beholds the heavenly man beside the great river, the identification is unmistakable: “His body also was like the beryl” (Dan 10:6). Across two separate visions in Ezekiel and one in Daniel, the beryl colors the appearance of God’s mobile glory and of His heavenly messenger — consistently marking what belongs to the realm of God’s presence and movement. As we examine the tribal witness and the throne-chariot imagery more closely, the full weight of what this color declares will become clear.

The Beryl’s Tribal Witness: Naphtali

Exodus 28:21 establishes that the twelve stones bear “the names of the children of Israel,” yet assigns no individual stone to any individual tribe by name. The series has followed the traditional correspondence that places the tribes in the order of Jacob’s sons across the four rows — a framework that, while not explicitly confirmed by the text, is the most scripturally consistent available and has governed the tribal readings throughout this study. By that ordering, the beryl in the fourth row corresponds to Naphtali. What the text does confirm without ambiguity is the theological portrait Scripture builds around that name — and it is that portrait, not the positional arithmetic, that carries the argument.

Rachel’s cry at Naphtali’s birth opens the testimony: “With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali” (Gen 30:8). The name derives from pathal (H6617), meaning ‘to twist’ or ‘to wrestle.’ Naphtali enters the world as the child of striving — the natural realm’s characteristic posture of self-effort and conflict. Yet Jacob’s final blessing transforms this portrait entirely: “Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words” (Gen 49:21). The wrestler becomes the swift hind. Striving gives way to freedom, and conflict yields to the eloquence of one released.

From Wrestling to Freedom

The movement from Naphtali’s birth name to Jacob’s final blessing is not a biographical peculiarity — it is Scripture’s picture of the first order giving way to the last. Romans 8 traces the same arc in doctrinal form. The carnal mind, Paul declares, “is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom 8:7) — and this hostility is not an anomaly to be explained away but the present operation of the natural condition that God Himself ordained: “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope” (Rom 8:20). The enmity of the carnal mind is the designed posture of the first order, appointed by the One who subjected creation to vanity precisely so that its liberation would be His work and not its own. That liberation is the destination: “the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). The hind let loose — Naphtali’s final portrait — is precisely this: from the striving of the natural first order into the liberty of the consummated life.

The beryl’s appearance in Ezekiel’s throne-chariot vision deepens this testimony. The wheels that move wherever the Spirit directs — wheels that never resist, never strive against the Spirit’s impulse, perfectly responsive throughout — are the color of beryl. Where the carnal mind wrestles against God’s purposes, the Spirit-governed existence moves in effortless correspondence with God’s will: “They went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went” (Eze 1:12). The beryl-hued wheels illustrate what Naphtali’s transformed portrait declares: the striving of the natural condition resolved into freedom and perfect responsiveness to God’s Spirit.

The Eighth Foundation: New Creation Declared

The beryl’s position as the eighth foundation of New Jerusalem completes its testimony. Scripture establishes eight as the number of new beginning and new creation not by inference but by explicit appointment. Circumcision was ordained for the eighth day (Gen 17:12) — not the seventh, the day of completion within the first creation order, but the eighth, the day beyond completion, the inauguration of something altogether new. Paul draws the line directly from that appointment to resurrection in Christ: “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God” (Col 2:11-12). The eighth-day ordinance and the resurrection it prefigured belong to the same declaration: what was appointed in the natural order pointed toward the new creation accomplished in Christ. Paul states the substance plainly: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2Co 5:17). The eighth position and the new creature declaration are markers of the same consummated reality — the first order fully passed, the new creation fully established.

On Aaron’s breastplate, the beryl bore Naphtali’s name — representing the natural, wrestling condition carried before God in the first order. As the eighth foundation of New Jerusalem, the beryl no longer represents that striving; it declares the completion of transformation, the entry into the new creation that has no return. The wrestling is finished. The hind is loosed. “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” (1Co 15:46). The beryl is the stone of that passage — carried through all three contexts to bear witness that God’s purpose in subjecting creation to vanity was always this: the glorious liberty of the children of God.

The Jasper

The Jasper in Three Contexts

The jasper completes the breastplate. Following the same birth order correspondence the series has applied throughout — a framework the text does not explicitly confirm but which remains the most scripturally consistent available — the twelfth stone closes the fourth row bearing Benjamin’s name: “And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings” (Exo 28:20). In Ezekiel’s account of the anointed cherub’s covering, the jasper stands sixth among the nine adorning stones: “The sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold” (Eze 28:13). And in Revelation, the jasper achieves a prominence unlike any other transferring stone. It is the first foundation of New Jerusalem (Rev 21:19), the material of the city’s entire wall (Rev 21:18), the stone to which the city’s glory is likened (Rev 21:11), and — most remarkably — the stone whose appearance Scripture uses to describe God Himself upon His throne: “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone” (Rev 4:3). The Hebrew is yashpheh (H3471), and the Greek of Revelation is iaspis (G2393). In Revelation 21:11, the jasper bears a qualifier absent from all other occurrences: it is “clear as crystal” — a distinctive designation whose full weight the text itself will supply as we examine what this stone declares in its consummated form.

The Last Becomes First: Benjamin’s Reversal

Benjamin’s place in redemptive history is marked by reversal from the very moment of his birth. His mother Rachel, dying in childbirth, named him Ben-oni — son of my sorrow. However, Jacob overruled the name of death: “But his father called him Benjamin” (Gen 35:18) — son of the right hand. The child born of the greatest suffering in Israel’s family was renamed by his father to declare glory and position. This is not merely biographical; it is the pattern of the One who bore the world’s sorrow — “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa 53:3) — and whom the Father exalted to the right hand: “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:3). Benjamin, the last-born, son of sorrow renamed son of the right hand, declares in name and birth the pattern that jasper enacts across the biblical contexts.

The reversal of the jasper’s position from last to first is no accident of arrangement. On Aaron’s breastplate, jasper is the twelfth stone — the final one, closing the list. In Revelation 21:19, it is the first foundation of the eternal city. Scripture states the governing principle explicitly and twice within the same discourse: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Mat 19:30; cf. Mat 20:16). What appears last in the external, temporal ordering of Aaron’s breastplate appears first in the consummated ordering of the city of God. God consistently inverts the order of the natural to establish the order of the glorified — because the natural came first by design, not as the ultimate arrangement, but as the shadow pointing toward the very different order of the age to come.

Clear as Crystal: Transparency Before the Throne

The qualifying phrase attached to the jasper in Revelation 21:11 carries the full weight of what this stone’s transfer through three contexts was building toward. The holy Jerusalem’s light was “like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” The Greek is krustallizon (G2929), the present active participle meaning to be clear as crystal, to be fully transparent. This descriptor is not ornamental. The natural man exists in a condition of opacity before the things of God: “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1Co 2:14). The consummated order reverses this condition entirely: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1Co 13:12). Scripture gives this transparency concrete expression throughout New Jerusalem. The jasper wall is “clear as crystal” (Rev 21:18) — the very boundary of the eternal city pervious to divine light. The city “had no need of the sun, neither of the moon…for the glory of God did lighten it” (Rev 21:23) — God’s glory permeates every dimension without obstruction, which the transparent jasper wall structurally embodies. The consummation of all this imagery is personal: “They shall see his face” (Rev 22:4) — the unveiled, unobstructed encounter with God that the opacity of the natural first order made impossible.

That this same stone describes the appearance of God in Revelation 4:3 is the apex of the jasper’s testimony. God appears “like a jasper and a sardine stone” upon His throne. In Revelation 21:23, the glory of that same God illuminates the jasper city without obstruction. The jasper appearance of God in chapter 4, and the jasper clarity of the city He inhabits in chapter 21 are one continuous declaration: divine glory expressed in the stone that began as a tribal name engraved on a breastplate. The stone of divine self-disclosure and the stone of the consummated city are the same stone — because the city is the dwelling of God with His people, and nothing remains between them.

On Aaron’s breastplate, the jasper externally represented Benjamin before God — one name engraved on one stone, a finite sign carried into the earthly holy place. That external representation has become the very substance of the eternal city. The city does not need a breastplate to bring names before God; the city is jasper — wall, foundation, light — and God’s own appearance corresponds to it. The shadow of external representation gives way to the substance of internal union: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb 9:24). Aaron carried the jasper into an earthly copy; Christ has entered the heavenly reality — and the jasper that describes that reality describes Him as well.

Conclusion: The Six-Stone Testimony Complete

As this series has traced across five prior installments, six stones traverse all three contexts — breastplate, cherub, foundation — and each bears witness to a single testimony. Sardius speaks of blood. Topaz declares wisdom. Sapphire establishes authority. Emerald proclaims resurrection life. Beryl announces transformation — the natural wrestling of Naphtali’s birth resolved into the swift liberty of the hind let loose, completed at the eighth foundation as new creation declared. And the jasper finishes the arc: the last becomes first, the son of sorrow renamed son of the right hand, the natural opacity of the creaturely condition becomes crystal-clear in the eternal — the wall and first foundation of the holy city and the very appearance of God Himself.

Christ is the fulfillment of every stone’s testimony. He is the blood-ground of sardius, the wisdom of topaz, the enthroned authority of sapphire, the resurrection life of emerald, the Spirit-driven freedom of beryl, and — most profoundly — the One whose appearance is described as jasper: crystal-clear, hiding nothing, the full self-disclosure of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2Co 4:6). The natural shadow declared it; the consummated substance has accomplished it.

“And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass” (Rev 21:18).

]]> Introduction: The Hidden Language of Stones https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/introduction-the-hidden-language-of-stones/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=introduction-the-hidden-language-of-stones Tue, 09 Dec 2025 22:31:12 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=34783 Audio Download

Introduction: The Hidden Language of Stones

[Study Aired December 9, 2025]

Throughout Scripture, God employs the natural realm to reveal spiritual realities, a principle the apostle Paul affirms when he writes, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20). Among creation’s most striking teachers stand the precious stones—gems that capture light, endure through ages, and display beauty that transcends mere earthly value. These minerals, formed in earth’s depths through immense pressure and time, serve as sacred instructors pointing us toward eternal truths about Christ, His people, and the progression from our natural Adamic state to our spiritual transformation in the Last Adam.

The Scriptures present precious stones in three primary contexts, each revealing distinct yet interconnected spiritual truths. First, we encounter them adorning the High Priest’s breastplate, where twelve stones represented Israel’s twelve tribes before God (Exodus 28:15-21). Second, these gems appear covering the anointed cherub in the garden of Eden, as described in Ezekiel’s prophetic declaration concerning the king of Tyrus (Ezekiel 28:13). Finally, they form the foundations of the New Jerusalem, the eternal city descending from heaven where God dwells with His people forever (Revelation 21:18-21). These three appearances—priestly representation, original covering, and eternal foundation—trace God’s redemptive purpose from creation through the present age into the age to come.

Understanding this series requires recognizing a foundational principle that governs all of Scripture’s symbolism: humanity was created subject to vanity, not having fallen from an original state of perfection. As Paul writes, “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope” (Romans 8:20). God’s purpose from the beginning was to bring forth creation first in the natural realm—weak, earthly, subject to vanity—so that He might then raise it to the spiritual. The first man Adam was made a living soul; the Last Adam became a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). Paul establishes this pattern explicitly: “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46). This progression from natural to spiritual, from Adamic to Christic, from earthly to heavenly, governs how we must interpret every symbol in Scripture, including precious stones. The gems we examine were first formed in earth’s crust, extracted from mines, shaped by human hands, and placed in earthly settings—yet their true purpose lies in revealing spiritual realities that belong to “Jerusalem which is above” and “is free, which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26).

Christ the Stone: The Foundation and Fulfillment

Before examining individual gems, we must establish the ultimate truth that all precious stones proclaim: Christ Jesus Himself is the precious, chosen stone upon which everything rests. The prophet Isaiah, looking forward to God’s work, declared, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” (Isaiah 28:16). This prophecy finds its fulfillment in Christ, as Peter clearly identifies: “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded” (1 Peter 2:6).

The Hebrew word translated “precious” in Isaiah (yiqrah, from yaqar, H3368) carries meanings of “rare,” “valuable,” “honored,” and “costly.” This same root describes the precious stones of the breastplate, the gems in Eden, and the foundations of New Jerusalem, creating an unmistakable connection: all precious stones point toward the One who is supremely precious. When Scripture describes material gems, it consistently uses this language of costliness and rarity to direct our understanding toward Christ, who is of infinite worth and without equal. Solomon, speaking of wisdom, declares, “She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her” (Proverbs 3:15), using this same vocabulary of preciousness to indicate surpassing value.

Yet this precious stone encounters rejection before exaltation. The Psalmist prophesied, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner” (Psalm 118:22), and Peter, addressing the religious leaders, boldly proclaimed, “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner” (Acts 4:11). The natural, carnal mind—represented by builders who examine only outward appearance—rejects the stone that God has chosen. Peter explains this dual aspect: “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence” (1 Peter 2:7-8). The same stone that provides foundation for some becomes a stumbling block for others, depending not on the stone’s nature but on the beholder’s spiritual state.

The imagery extends beyond foundation to include Christ’s function as the rock that provides living water. When Israel wandered in the wilderness, God commanded Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, and water flowed forth (Exodus 17:6). Paul reveals this rock’s identity: “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). The striking prefigured Christ’s crucifixion, from which flows the water of life to all who believe. Understanding Christ as the stone—cornerstone and stumbling block, foundation and rock of living water—prepares us to rightly interpret every precious stone mentioned in Scripture.

Living Stones: The Transformation of Believers

Having established Christ as the precious, chosen stone, we must now understand how believers relate to this stone imagery through a profound transformation. Peter writes, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The Greek word translated “lively” (zao, G2198) means “living” or “alive,” distinguishing believers from dead, lifeless rocks. We are not inanimate minerals but living stones, animated by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.

This transformation involves both removal and renewal. Scripture consistently presents the unregenerate heart as stony—hard, unresponsive, spiritually dead. God promises through Ezekiel, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). The Hebrew word for “stony” (eben, H68) emphasizes complete hardness and unresponsiveness. This stony heart represents the carnal mind, which “is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7). Stephen accused the religious leaders: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost” (Acts 7:51).

Yet paradoxically, as our hearts of stone are removed and replaced with hearts of flesh, we simultaneously become living stones. This is not contradiction but progression. The stony heart must be removed, crushed, broken by the law’s demands that reveal our inability. As we are brought to spiritual life in Christ, we become living stones—no longer dead minerals but animated by His life, no longer hardened in rebellion but made alive in obedience, no longer individual fragments but built together as one spiritual house. Paul writes, “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 imagery of stones being built together emphasizes both unity and diversity. Paul explains: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19-21). Each stone is unique—different colors, compositions, and characteristics—yet all are fitted together according to God’s design. Just as the High Priest’s breastplate contained twelve distinct stones, each representing a different tribe yet all united on the priest’s chest, so believers maintain their individual identities while being built into one corporate dwelling place for God.

This building process requires shaping and refining. Natural stones extracted from mines arrive rough, unpolished, and unsuitable for their intended purpose. Peter writes, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7). The testing of our faith, like the refining of gems, serves God’s purpose of preparing us for our eternal position. Paul expands this principle: “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13). Here precious stones represent doctrine and works that endure testing, contrasting with perishable materials that burn away.

The Three Primary Contexts: Tracing God’s Redemptive Plan

The High Priest’s Breastplate: Representative Stones

The first comprehensive presentation of precious stones appears in God’s instructions for the High Priest’s garments. God commanded Moses: “And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work” (Exodus 28:15). Upon this breastplate, four rows of three stones each were to be set: “And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper” (Exodus 28:17-20).

These twelve stones correspond to Israel’s twelve tribes: “And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes” (Exodus 28:21). Each stone bore the engraved name of one tribe, and the entire breastplate rested over Aaron’s heart when he ministered before the Lord: “And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually” (Exodus 28:29). Aaron, as High Priest, typified Christ, our great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). Just as Aaron bore Israel’s names engraved on precious stones upon his heart, Christ bears His people constantly before the Father. The fact that each tribe had its own distinct stone emphasizes that God knows each of His children individually, values them as precious, and maintains them eternally in His presence.

The Covering of the Anointed Cherub: Original Adornment

The second major appearance of precious stones occurs in Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning the king of Tyrus. God declares: “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created” (Ezekiel 28:13). This passage reveals that precious stones originally served as covering for one who held exalted position, described as “the anointed cherub that covereth” (Ezekiel 28:14).

This context teaches several vital truths about God’s sovereign purpose in creation. First, God created all things according to His own will and purpose, including those who would serve as vessels of wrath. As Paul writes, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (Romans 9:21). The adversary was created for the purpose he serves, as Isaiah records God saying, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). Second, the natural must precede the spiritual in all realms of God’s creation. As created beings under the universal principle established in 1 Corinthians 15:46, angels too remain in the natural/carnal state. This truth is confirmed by Paul’s declaration that “the saints shall judge angels” (1 Corinthians 6:3), for only the carnal requires judgment. Third, precious stones that adorned the natural covering must ultimately adorn the spiritual reality in the New Jerusalem.

Ezekiel describes the judgment: “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:16). The expulsion from the “stones of fire” signifies removal from the privileged position originally held, revealing God’s eternal principle: what adorned the first (the natural, carnal covering) will ultimately adorn the Last (Christ and His bride, the New Jerusalem).

New Jerusalem’s Foundations: Eternal Security

The third and final major presentation of precious stones appears in Revelation’s description of the New Jerusalem: “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones” (Revelation 21:18-19). John then lists twelve foundation stones: “The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst” (Revelation 21:19-20).

These twelve foundations correspond to the twelve apostles of the Lamb, as John explicitly states: “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). Just as the twelve breastplate stones bore the names of Israel’s twelve tribes, these foundation stones bear the apostles’ names. What was once carried upon the priest’s heart is now established as the permanent foundation of God’s dwelling place. The New Jerusalem represents the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose—the bride of Christ, the dwelling place of God with His people, the culmination of all redemptive history.

The progression from breastplate to Eden’s covering to New Jerusalem’s foundations reveals God’s redemptive timeline. The breastplate stones represented God’s Old Covenant people, carried into His presence through priestly mediation. The Eden covering stones adorned one who fell through pride, demonstrating that the natural (even in the angelic realm) cannot endure but must be superseded by the spiritual. The New Jerusalem foundations establish God’s eternal dwelling place, built upon apostolic testimony concerning Christ, incorporating living stones who have been transformed from their natural Adamic state into their spiritual Christic nature. This progression moves from representation through corruption to permanence, from the first Adam to the Last Adam, from the earthly to the heavenly.

The Formation of Precious Stones: A Natural Type

Understanding how natural precious stones form provides powerful spiritual insight into how God forms precious character in believers. Gemstones develop through three primary processes, each with spiritual significance.

First, igneous formation occurs when molten rock cools and crystallizes under extreme heat. This parallels the refining fire of trial that believers experience, as Peter writes: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory” (1 Peter 1:7). Second, metamorphic formation happens when existing rocks undergo transformation through immense pressure and heat over long periods. This mirrors the spiritual transformation Paul describes: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Greek word for “changed” (metamorphoo, G3339) indicates complete transformation of nature. Third, sedimentary formation occurs when minerals dissolved in water crystallize gradually. This reflects spiritual growth through steady exposure to God’s word and His Spirit, as James instructs: “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4).

All three formation processes share common elements: time, pressure, heat, and hidden development. Gems do not form on earth’s surface where all can observe but deep underground, concealed from sight. Similarly, our spiritual formation occurs internally, hidden from public view. Paul writes, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The transformation happens within, in the secret place of the heart, where only God observes. When the gem finally emerges—when the believer’s character is tested and proven—the beauty that appears reflects the hidden work accomplished in darkness and pressure.

The extraction and preparation of gems also teaches spiritual lessons. Raw stones must be removed from their original matrix through violent breaking of surrounding rock, paralleling our separation from the world. After extraction, gems require cutting and polishing to reveal their beauty—a process that removes rough edges and brings forth hidden brilliance. This refining corresponds to sanctification, where God removes our unpleasant characteristics and develops the beauty of Christ’s character within us.

Colors, Composition and Characteristics: Reading the Symbolism

Each precious stone possesses unique color, chemical composition, and physical characteristics that serve as sacred vocabulary revealing specific spiritual truths. Throughout this series, we will examine how Scripture employs these natural properties as teaching tools, always comparing spiritual with spiritual and allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.

Color carries consistent symbolic meaning across Scripture. Red, found in stones like ruby (sardius), represents blood—both the blood of sin and the blood of redemption. God declares, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18), while Paul writes of “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Blue, seen in sapphire, consistently symbolizes heaven and authority, as when Moses and the elders “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” (Exodus 24:10). Green, appearing in emerald, represents life, growth, and mercy. Purple, seen in amethyst, signifies royalty and kingship, as when the soldiers mocked him “clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns” (Mark 15:17), unwittingly declaring His true royal nature.

Composition reveals further truth. The hardness of gems instructs us—diamond, the hardest natural substance, speaks of truth that cannot be scratched or marred by any opposing force. Transparency versus opacity offers another layer of meaning. Clear stones like diamond allow light to pass through completely, symbolizing those who are becoming transparent before God, hiding nothing, reflecting His light purely. Translucent stones permit some light while maintaining color, picturing believers who reflect God’s light yet retain their individual characteristics and callings.

Conclusion: The Journey Ahead

We have laid the foundation for understanding precious stones in Scripture, establishing several critical principles that will guide us through the remainder of this series. Christ is the precious, chosen stone, the cornerstone, the foundation, the rock—and every other stone mentioned in Scripture ultimately points toward Him. Believers are living stones, transformed from their natural state with hardened hearts to spiritual stones fit for building God’s eternal house. The three primary biblical contexts—the High Priest’s breastplate, the covering in Eden, and New Jerusalem’s foundations—trace God’s redemptive purpose from past through present into eternity. The natural properties of gems serve as heavenly vocabulary revealing spiritual truths, all following the foundational pattern of progression from natural to spiritual, from Adamic to Christic, from earthly to heavenly.

As we proceed to examine individual gems in subsequent articles, we will discover how each stone reveals particular aspects of Christ’s nature, specific stages of our transformation, and unique facets of God’s eternal purpose. The sardius (ruby) will speak of blood, redemption, and the rights of the firstborn. The sapphire will declare heavenly truth and the throne of God. The diamond will testify of hardness—both the hardness of unbelieving hearts and the hardness of sacred truth that no opposition can mar. Each stone contributes its unique voice to the chorus of testimony about Christ and His people.

The prophet Malachi provides a fitting close to this foundational article, declaring what God says about His own: “And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels” (Malachi 3:17). The Hebrew word translated “jewels” (segullah, H5459) means “treasured possession” or “peculiar treasure.” God values His people as precious gems, unique treasures that He has chosen, formed through pressure and heat, extracted from the earth, refined and polished, and will ultimately set in His eternal city’s foundations. We who were once hardened in sin, dead in trespasses, alienated from God, have been made living stones by His grace, fitted together with fellow believers, being built into a holy temple where God Himself dwells. The journey from earth’s darkness where gems form to heaven’s glory where they shine eternally reflects our spiritual journey from death to life, from darkness to light, from bondage to freedom.

]]> The Year of the Jubilee, Part B https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-year-of-the-jubilee-part-b/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-year-of-the-jubilee-part-b Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:38:08 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=34538 Audio Download

The Year of the Jubilee, Part B

You are Strangers and Sojourners with Me

[Study Aired November 7, 2025]

Lev 25:23  The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

We concluded our last study by pointing out to whom we owe our debt and why we are all in such deep debt that we have all been forced to sell our land. We have all been sold into Egypt as slaves to sin. As the Lord informs us here in verse 23: “The land is mine… you are strangers and sojourners with Me.” Therefore our deep debt is to the Lord Himself and to no one else, and it is all His work:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

As King David confessed when he was exposed for committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband to hide his own sin:

Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest,  and  be clear when thou judgest.

It is Christ Who made us as we are, and it is Christ only who is bearing the price for our sins. He is therefore “clear when [He] judges us. “The land”, signifying each of us, is His, and our entire debt is ultimately to Him. As the Lord told King David:

2Sa 12:9  Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

King David, to satisfy the lusts of his old man, his flesh, had despised and broken both the sixth and seventh commandments:

Exo 20:13  Thou shalt not kill.
Exo 20:14  Thou shalt not commit adultery.

As the Creator of the land He has every right to make the laws of the land:

Lev 25:24  And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.

Christ is our only redeemer. He and His Christ alone bear upon them the sins and iniquities of His people:

Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell [signifying Christ Himself], and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat [signifying the Lord’s Christ, us], shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

It is beyond our ability to properly appreciate the magnitude of our own calling to “bear… all the iniquities of the children of Israel… with the Lord’s goat.” We must first acknowledge our own iniquities, and our own spiritual poverty and be redeemed  by “the Lord’s goat”, Christ Himself:

Lev 25:25  If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
Lev 25:26  And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;
Lev 25:27  Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession.

It is only in “this present time” that redemption from our sins is taking place and Christ and His Christ are that redeemer. We really are “filling up in [our] bodies that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church”:

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Lev 25:28  But if he be not able to restore it to him [if it is not redeemed in this present era], then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out [out from under the bondage of sin], and he shall return unto his possession.

Now we are told of the difference between possessions “in the fields of the country” and houses “in a walled city”:

Lev 25:29  And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it.
Lev 25:30  And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubile.
Lev 25:31  But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile.

Why would “a dwelling house in a walled city be distinguished from “the houses of the villages which have no wall”?

This is what we are told of the Lord’s faithful “friend”, Abraham and his children:

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles [G4633: ‘skene’, tents] with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

In Genesis 25, this is what we are told of Jacob and Esau:

Gen 25:27  And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

This is how the Lord summarizes the lives of the faithful of the Old Testament:

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

‘They wandered in sheepskins… they wandered in deserts.’ The point being made here in Hebrews 11 is that the Old Testament examples of faith did not dwell in walled cities. They lived in temporary dwelling and were “looking for a city which had foundations whose builder and Maker is God”.

The ‘walled city’, like every word of God and like the cloud that separated Israel from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, is bright on one side and dark on the other. In other words “a dwelling house in a walled city” has both a positive and a negative application. In its positive application, it remains forever with the person who bought and paid for it if it is not redeemed within a year. In its positive application the walled city signifies the New Jerusalem with a wall great and high:

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues [One of the Lord’s elect, Rev 10:10, Rev 22:8], and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
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:

In its positive application the person buying the dwelling house in the walled city is Christ. He alone has purchased us and forever owns us.

In its negative application “a dwelling house in a walled city” is not counted as the land which belongs to the Lord. While the Lord owns everything, a house in a walled city is not identified with “the land [of which the Lord says] is Mine.” In its negative application it is assessed as the work of men’s hands and not identified with the land which goes out in the Jubilee:

Lev 25:23  The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

As always, the darkness of ‘The Cloud’ (Exo 14:19-20) is only darkness, contradictions and confusion to our old man. The new man is accepting of God’s sovereignty over light and darkness and can see the efficacy of both in the Lord’s work and His plan for His creatures (Isa 45:7).

Now we come to a positive application of the Levites. In Numbers, Deuteronomy, and in Joshua, we are at least five times told “the Levites shall… have no part nor inheritance with Israel”:

Num 18:23  But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
Num 18:24  But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

Deu 18:1  The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.
Deu 18:2  Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.

Jos 18:7  But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.

These verses give us the positive application of the Levites. In these verses the Levites signify the Lord’s elect who have no part in the blessings of the Jubilee. In these verses the Levites signify those who are given part in the blessed and holy first resurrection and are blessed far above any blessing given at the Jubilee.

In their negative application ‘the Levites’ signify Babylon which is given to the Lord’s elect to do many wonderful works and to bring billions to Christ and yet they are not permitted to touch nor to even look upon the holy things within the tabernacle of God:

Num 4:15  And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Num4:20  But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

Here in Leviticus 25:32-43 we see the Levites in their positive application of signifying the Lord’s firstfruit elect with their special blessings:

Lev 25:32  Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time. [Signifying the advantages of the seven weeks of Pentecost over the seven sevens of years of Jubilee of all the rest of mankind]
Lev 25:33  And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubilee [This ‘jubilee’ signifies those “who first trusted in Christ”, (Eph 1:12)]: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.
Lev 25:34  But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.

We as the Lord’s elect truly are a special people, with special privileges. We are “a royal priesthood”, not to be treated as those who are cast into the lake of fire and come up through the great tribulations of that “cursed” dispensation (Mat 25:41):

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

‘Royalty’ signifies kings, and we are called to be “kings and priests [to show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light”.

Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Being ‘poor’ signifies a lack of spiritual knowledge. It signifies those who do not yet know the Lord and His Christ. The Lord insists that we are to be ‘the good Samaritan’ to all men, especially to them who are the household of faith:

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially [G3122: ‘malista’] unto them who are of the household of faith.

The Lord Himself treats us as a special people, and He expects us to do the same:

1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially [G3122: ‘malista’] of those that believe.

That is the spiritual significance of the following verses:

Lev 25:35  And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.
Lev 25:36  Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.
Lev 25:37  Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.

We are all by nature extremely self-righteous. When we see the poor, the natural thing to do is to think within ourselves, just as Job’s miserable comforters, that the poor man brought his poverty upon himself. We speak of the Lord’s sovereignty, but it is not that easy to remember that the Lord is indeed working all things, including the poverty of the poor, after the counsel of His own will” (Eph 1:11).

Lev 25:38  I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt [spiritual poverty], to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

Everything we have, including our ability to avoid poverty, is a gift from the One Sovereign God. The poor are also the work of His hand:

Pro 22:2  The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

Lev 25:39  And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
Lev 25:40  But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:

In effect we are to minister to our poor brothers “until the year of the jubilee.” Spiritually speaking we are to minister to the spiritually poor until they are converted at Pentecost and begin to understand the things of the spirit as the Lord opens their blinded eyes and their deaf ears, which has been the source of their spiritual poverty.

Lev 25:41  And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
Lev 25:42  For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
Lev 25:43  Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

Those who outright reject the Word of God are to be considered as “the heathen” and “the son of the bondwoman”:

Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Lev 25:44  Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
Lev 25:45  Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
Lev 25:46  And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

We are “as [Christ] in this world” (1Jo 4:17). As such we are “Saviors” (Oba 1:21). As ‘saviors’ we are seeking to redeem our brother who has become spiritually poor:

Lev 25:47  And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family:

The Corinthian fornicator is signified by this brother who has sold himself to a stranger. Our old man… carnal flesh is this ‘rich stranger’ to whom our poor brother has sold himself. It is our blessing as the ‘near kinsman’ of our poor brother to redeem him from his bondage:

Lev 25:48  After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
Lev 25:49  Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.

We all reap what we sow and he that needs many stripes will receive many stripes. He that needs but a few stripes will receive few stripes.

That is the spiritual significance of discerning the value of the land in relation to the jubilee. We must never oppress our brother or we will not be in the position to do so:

Lev 25:50  And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him.
Lev 25:51  If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.
Lev 25:52  And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.
Lev 25:53  And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight.
Lev 25:54  And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him.
Lev 25:55  For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

This is the assessment of the holy spirit via the pen of the apostle Paul concerning the Lord’s just and righteous judgments, and this is how we will conclude this study:

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

“How unsearchable are His judgments”? Amen to that!

]]> Song of Solomon 3:6-11 – Part 7, Solomon Arrives for the Wedding https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/song-of-solomon-36-11-part-7-solomon-arrives-for-the-wedding/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=song-of-solomon-36-11-part-7-solomon-arrives-for-the-wedding Sun, 11 Dec 2022 05:53:20 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=26736

Song of Solomon 3:6-11 – Part 7, Solomon Arrives for the Wedding

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom; [with gladness in his heart].” (Luke 12:32, Son 3:11)

[Study Aired December 10, 2022]

Christ has almost finished building His Temple, the Body of Christ, His Bride, and is on His way, even at the door. While living the Shulamite’s dream, we are watchful and careful in preparing to receive our Lord. With growing gladness in our hearts, the Lord, more than any preceding groom could ever experience, has immense gladness for the forthcoming wedding.

Son 3:6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? 
Son 3:7 Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. 
Son 3:8 They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. 
Son 3:9 King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. 
Son 3:10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. 
Son 3:11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. 

To the Elect of God, it is obvious that the Shulamite’s Groom is Christ. In chapter 3:6, Christ is the pillar of smoke.

Son 3:6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

Notice that the towering pillars of smoke are plural. I remember the early pioneering days in the Wandoan district of Queensland, Australia, back in the late fifties and into the seventies, pillars of smoke. New farmland needed clearing, and crawler tractors with ship anchor chains linked between them would pull down swathes of trees on tens of thousands of acres. In subsequent years when the dead trees lay in thick summertime grass, the farmers would sporadically light up huge areas, sometimes a thousand acres or more, in one hit. Random pillars of smoke could be seen dotted up to eighty kilometres or more in any direction most summers for decades. Within the fire, violent tornados (thermals) of fire fed the Sodom-like furnace forming an atomic bomb-like pillar of smoke, often with a thundercloud atop. Such a sight was what Lot’s wife saw when she turned and looked back; the entire plains were ablaze, and she became a pillar of salt.

The Seven Candlesticks in the Temple (and incense), as they burn daily (Rev 1:12, 13), are effectively smoke pillars. Undeniably, those pillars of smoke result from the aromatic incense, the prayers ascending from the Elect of God. Every word in Joel 2 speaks of an event perfecting the Elect.

Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 
Joe 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 
Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 
Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 
Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Pillars are almost always metaphors for Christ and his Christ; even the pillars that Moses built at Sinai were an outward affirming of the Covenant and pointed to the twelve tribes that are the twelve pillars of Israel (Exo 24:4).

Upon having his dream of angels ascending and descending a ladder to the heavens, Jacob named the location Bethel and built a pillar representing Christ, the Lord’s house of Israel.

Gen 28:22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Of course, the original Tabernacle had twenty pillars of the court, with many more references to pillars within the Tabernacle. Most famously, the Lord stood over the Tabernacle by day as a pillar of cloud that turned into a pillar of fire by night.

Exo 13:20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 
Exo 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 
Exo 13:22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. 

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.

Solomon coming out of the wilderness with his command of soldiers like pillars (plural) of smoke can be established in the next verse (vs 7) with his threescore valiant men all representing pillars of smoke. With Shulamite-like imagination, seeing 60 men walking through the shimmering mirage distorting their movement, they would look like ill-defined shapes as small pillars of smoke. Of course, the Shulamite didn’t understand the spiritual nature of her dream, with the number 6 representing the entirety of mankind x 10 for the completeness of dying flesh, ground to powder as fine incense going up as a pillar of smoke with Solomon representing Christ as their head.

Solomon’s sixty men coming out of the wilderness represent the end of David’s household, where war through the physical sword was largely finished. Solomon and the dual witness of the Shulamite represent a coming from the wilderness of perpetual war to a kingdom of peace. The Elect of God will deliver that peace through the sword of the spirit, a fiery sword and billions of pillars of smoke following the one-thousand year reign beginning with the eighth day of judgment.

The 60 men of Solomon’s troupe are effectively perfumed with myrrh, frankincense and powders of a merchant (God’s word), and can also physically represent those renowned and mighty men who serve the Tabernacle and the Elect of God. These unwittingly surround and protect the Lord’s priests, the chariot of his word, and Solomon’s consummative bed since Christ’s death.

Christ is the merchant who grinds the world to powder (Triturator – not a biblical term), with the Bride of Christ being the first to experience the merchant’s stone breaking her into pieces and ground to powder. (Triturator – one grinds into powder or pulverizes; a device grinds into powder or pulverizes). The trituration stone, a millstone (abrasion; friction; grinding; pulverization), has a central hole to receive the grain or broken pieces of rock to be ground to flour or powder; hence, in Matthew 21:44 they fall on the stone into its central hole and are ground to powder and propelled outwardly to the grinding stone’s perimeter for collection.

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

Continuing…

Son 3:7 Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.
Son 3:8 They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

These threescore valiant men also represent every joint of the Bride holding a sword of the word and being expert with its use against the forces of darkness within. They don’t fear the night since Christ is fighting their spiritual battles. The fear spoken of in verse 8 is for disobeying the Lord and is a healthy, alert fear for the machinations of the Devil speaking against her, day and night, and her knowing that her Lord goes before her as the sword of his word.

The Lord has chosen the Bride, the New Jerusalem above, for himself, and the Bride rests assured of His protection with His name fire-branded in her heart, having been plucked from being thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Zec 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 
Zec 3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

SOS continued…

Son 3:9 King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.
Son 3:10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple…

A chariot is a conveyance, a covering, even a cloud (Psa 104:3). Solomon’s chariot is not a war chariot; it appears to be a carriage of extravagant majesty and elegance with an open cabin with silver pillars upholding a covering of purple, somewhat reminiscent of the majesty of the much larger British Royal family’s ceremonial horse-drawn carriage. Although Solomon’s carriage is made of wood, like the wood in the Temple of God, it is overlaid with silver and gold and a priestly cloth of purple, all no doubt in the detail of tasteful cunning workmanship.

It is inconceivable that a gold and silver chariot would be used for anything other than to highlight kingship. As was common for the time, a conveyance (chariot) for royalty was carried on the shoulders of valiant men representing the nation over which the king or queen ruled. The Ark of the Covenant was carried in like manner, and since Solomon represented Christ, it was fitting for his ‘chariot’ to be conveyed likewise. There is no evidence that Solomon’s ceremonial chariot was horse-drawn, denoting our more powerful trust in the world’s wisdom and works of the flesh (Rev 9:16).

The altar, the Ark of the Covenant, with the cherubim’s wings stretching over the Ark as a covering (H4817), is described as a “chariot”. Solomon symbolised the Lord behind a veil of purple, riding not only on the chariot but under the covering, also identified as a chariot. The entire chariot was a symbol of the Ark, that is, Christ, behind the temple veil ruling the nation of Israel.

1Ch 15:15  And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD. 

1Ch 28:18 And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

Son 3:10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering[H4817] of it of purple…

Solomon’s chariot’s silver pillars represent the Bride’s intense arousal and desire for her Lord’s word; he is the pillar, the Word, with its foundation of gold holding up the Temple, his Bride. Silver’s root meaning is H3701 and figures 287 times in scripture. 112 times it depicts money that the negative spirituality means our self-righteousness.

The clouds are the Elect of God upon whom Christ bears witness to humanity, and she is a covering veil (chariot) of the earth to her brothers and sisters yet to be saved; they cannot see the blue and purple of Christ above since they are the scarlet, the yet to be saved earth below. Almost every scripture mentioning those colours is in the order of blue, purple and scarlet from the top down ~ God (blue), his priestly Elect (purple thunder clouds stark white on top) and the earth, that is, mankind (scarlet), under the clouds in gloomy spiritual darkness.

Psa 104:3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: [covering] who walketh upon the wings of the wind: 

Silver primarily represents atonement and redemption through repentance as we become solid gold. Silver’s monetary representation is either our God-given righteousness or unrighteousness. Here are the Hebrew meanings of silver.

The origin for Silver is H3700, and like the Shulamite for her Lord, she yearns or longs for him as the Elect does for Christ is effectively spiritually ‘greedy’ (hungry) for his word.

Solomon’s chariot’s floor and lower structure (“the bottom thereof of gold”) were made of gold, and it seems that the four pillars of silver supported a roof, and since there weren’t glass windows, it all was an open cabin for his seat. The entire image was breathtakingly beautiful in a fiery bright splendour of royal colours “being paved [H7528] with love” in fact, a bright fiery love mingled with exceptional beauty as H7529 denotes.

The chariot’s cabin was fitted out with love for the daughters of Jerusalem, and the H7529 defines that fitting out as:

The subsequent derivative is H8313 and means to burn, to be burned, burnt up.

Solomon’s chariot was a spectacular image of royal grandeur, with its ornate fiery brilliance reminiscent of the fearful imagery of Elijah’s fiery chariot. Elisha, having been handed Elijah’s mantle, witnessed the powerful, and no doubt terrifying, vision of a fiery tornado carrying Elijah’s chariot into the heavens (2Ki 2:11). The breathtaking fiery and colourful beauty of Solomon’s chariot represents the Bride’s ardour for her Lord’s word as does Elijah’s chariot of fire, God’s word, exacting obedience on Israel.

Jer 23:29 Is not my word [his love] like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 

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.

Son 3:10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved [H7528] with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

As such, the daughters of the New Jerusalem above, the Bride, burn with a fiery passion that is love for her Lord’s word. She is dressed in the fine white linen of the Saints and is “paved” in white, like a sapphire stone’s clarity of brilliant hues of blue (azure sky blue). If we accidentally see the sun reflected up close in a mirror, we see a brief, blinding flash of very pale sapphire blue; such is the brightness of the Bride’s white linen clothing.

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.

The Bride of Christ is the Seraphims in Isaiah 6. The Seraphims are the Christs who are given to place the burning coals of the Lord’s word on another’s lips and he has his spiritual mind purified by its fire. Coals of fire are the Lord’s word that only the Angels, the Saints who have overcome the evil one, can handle.

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 
Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: [H8314] each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 
Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 
Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 
Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 

See IWWB for a detailed understanding of the Seraphims https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?s=seraphims

Notice that the Hebrew for Seraphims is closely associated with coals of fire and its translation and phonetics.

The Bride has learned to be comfortable walking in the coals of fire for many years and has had the wood of her chariot burned up. She has had the coals of fire touch her lips and was thunderstruck by the understanding and stirred-up love she is given at her Lord’s pleasure. Only gold and silver are left, emphasising gold and the colourful purity of the heavenly Jerusalem descending from above; she is immensely aroused in desire for her Lord, and nothing will turn her away. It is a major part of why she frequently says,

Son 2:7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

The Lord confirmed the Covenant through Moses and the seventy elders of Israel; they saw the Lord just as the Bride would look.

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 [H3840] work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Rev 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 

Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Solomon’s chariot was effectively the Lord’s throne coming in its fiery and colourful grandeur, signified as Christ coming to his Bride, the collective daughters of the heavenly Jerusalem, the Temple of God. In its midst is His heart, the Ark of her Lord paved with love in the purity of His word, fire branded on His heart and in hers (1Jn 4:7-21)

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

In the negative, that is a future positive for the other daughters of the earthy Jerusalem of the entire world; the chariot is paved with eternal life for God’s love of the world ~ (John 3:16).

Son 3:11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

King Solomon wasn’t crowned by Bathsheba, effectively denying the headship of God by women ruling over men.

1Ki 1:34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. 
1Ki 1:35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he [Solomon] may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. 

However, at the Lord’s hand, Bathsheba was alerted by Nathan, the prophet, to Adonijah’s machinations to wrest the Kingdom from Solomon upon David’s death (1Kings 1 and 2). In effect, she was highly instrumental in crowning Solomon on the day of his “espousals” The term espousals being plural, prophesied his many subsequent wives.

Jer 2:2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. 
Jer 2:3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

Christ is the head of the Body, the Woman of His espousals, to bring forth the heavenly Jerusalem above represented by the Shulamite.

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Solomon, who represents Christ, is the watchman over the walls of the Shulamite, the New Jerusalem, the second, final and espoused witness. Like Boaz with Ruth, Solomon (Christ) had “no rest” for his espousal obligations until what was righteously ordained was consummated (Ruth 3:1-18).

Isa 62:5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Isa 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [Shulamite] which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, 
Isa 62:7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Indeed, the Shulamite did not rest day or night with her most staunch and passionate arousal and desire for her Lord. As we know, she represents the Bride of Christ, the Elect of God, who have increasingly glowed brightly like Solomon’s chariot, the Ark of her Lord in which she rides with Him.

So the plural of Him being glad in the day of his “espousals” refers to the aggregation of the Bride, her every joint and member of her Body, though she being one Body. It is her Lord, her God, “and in the day of the gladness of His heart,” She anticipates her espousal.

In the next study, Christ admires His Bride; he is effectively admiring her right this moment, today.

]]> Study of the Book of Judges -Jdg 11:1-22 Jephthah … Was the Son of an Harlot https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-judges-jdg-111-22-jephthah-was-the-son-of-an-harlot/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-judges-jdg-111-22-jephthah-was-the-son-of-an-harlot Mon, 07 Jun 2021 23:52:18 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=23684 https://www.dropbox.com/s/op0dr3qg82xlpy9/20210608-Study_AtoB-Jepthah.m4a?raw=1

Jdg 11:1-22 Jephthah … Was the Son of an Harlot

[Study Aired June 7, 2021]

Jdg 11:1  Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 
Jdg 11:2  And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 
Jdg 11:3  Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. 
Jdg 11:4  And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 
Jdg 11:5  And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 
Jdg 11:6  And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. 
Jdg 11:7  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 
Jdg 11:8  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 
Jdg 11:9  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 
Jdg 11:10  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. 
Jdg 11:11  Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh. 
Jdg 11:12  And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 
Jdg 11:13  And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 
Jdg 11:14  And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 
Jdg 11:15  And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 
Jdg 11:16  But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 
Jdg 11:17  Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 
Jdg 11:18  Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. 
Jdg 11:19  And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 
Jdg 11:20  But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 
Jdg 11:21  And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 
Jdg 11:22  And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 

Chapter 10 of Judges is about the judgment of God in our lives as we go astray and worship another Jesus as reflected in the Israelites worshiping seven different gods – Baalim, Ashtaroth, gods of Syria, Zidon, Moab, Ammon and Philistines. The number seven signifies completeness, so what this means is that these gods represent everything which engages our worship instead of our Lord Jesus.

God comes to judge us using His four sore judgments, which in this case is the use of the sword. God therefore gave the Israelites over to be oppressed by the Philistines and the Ammonites.

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?

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

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

The combination of the Philistines and the Ammonites oppressing Israel means that God gives our flesh (Ammonites) over to worship another Jesus. We therefore changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped the creature more than the creator when we were in the churches of this world (Babylon).

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

In our oppression, we come to our wits’ end, and we cry to the Lord for help, and He comes to our aid to start the process of deliverance.

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

Our review of the first part of Judges Chapter 11 today deals with the deliverance by the Lord through a man named Jephthah.

Jdg 11:1  Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 
Jdg 11:2  And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.

The name Jephthah means “He will Open” according to Strong. The question is what will our Lord open?  Our Lord Jesus is giving us the key to the house of David or the key to the kingdom of heaven, which is the opening of our hearts and minds to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Jephthah, therefore, represents the elect.

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.

What is also striking here is that Jephthah was the son of a harlot, and as a result, his brothers thrust him out from their father’s house with the reason that he was not part of his father’s inheritance. We need to note that even though we are the elect, we were not qualified to reign with Christ when we started our journey because we were sons and daughters of a harlot or the strange woman, which is the existing church system of the world.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Paul explains our situation as follows:

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Jdg 11:3  Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. 

The fleeing of Jephthah is our exit from the Babylonian system.

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.

When we leave Babylon, we end up with the New Jerusalem that God has prepared for us which in this context is called by the Lord as “vain men”. Our name is because of the following:

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

These vain men are the same as David’s men who were with him when he fled from King Saul, who also represents Babylon.

1Sa 22:2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

The elect are therefore a bunch of people characterized by the following:

As indicated, we the “vain men”, are the New Jerusalem, the Assembly of God’s first born.

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.

Jdg 11:4  And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 

As we said earlier, the Ammonites represent our flesh and when Christ comes to deliver us in our sinful situation, He comes with judgment. We come to realize that even though we want to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God, we are not able to do so as we see our old man controlling us. The war between the Ammonites and Israelites therefore typifies our war with the flesh. Jesus told us about this war as follows:

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

I am come to set a man at variance against his father, etc. means that Christ’s coming to us is initiated by a war within us against our flesh (father, mother, etc.).

Jdg 11:5  And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 
Jdg 11:6  And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
Jdg 11:7  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 
Jdg 11:8  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 

We cannot be called overcomers if we do not wage and win this war with the flesh. It is only when we overcome or reign over the beast within that we can reign over the earth with Christ outwardly.

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

Our inner victory will make us rulers of the earth for a “thousand years”. After that we shall help all humanity since Adam to also win this war within during the lake of fire age.  The Israelites beckoning Jephthah to come and be their captain so that they may fight the Ammonites is the same as saying that the elect will lead all humanity to win this war against the old man or the flesh.

Jdg 11:9  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 
Jdg 11:10  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. 
Jdg 11:11  Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh. 

These verses are to assure us again that if we overcome in this life, we are destined to reign over the earth. This reign will be initiated when the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ just at the beginning of the millennial reign. This outwardly event will be heralded by the first resurrection. This resurrection is for those who did not worship the beast and his image which means those who are able to overcome the beast or the old man or the flesh within.

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 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Jdg 11:12  And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 
Jdg 11:13  And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 

These verses are to let us know that this war against the flesh is for a lifetime.  The reason is that at every point in our walk with Christ, our flesh, if given the opportunity, will take back the areas in our lives that God has won for us. The flesh regards the new man within as a usurper and will therefore do everything possible to take back that which it has lost. The Ammonites posed a real threat to the Israelites throughout their history. They were able to take over some of the lands Israel had possessed after defeating some of the enemies in the Promised Land. For example, during the time of Jeremiah, the Ammonites were able to take back the land in Gad.

Jer 49:1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
Jer 49:2  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.

In our initial walk with Christ, the areas in which we had victories were quickly taken back by our old man as we went back to our vomit in Babylon when we paid heed to our leaders instead of Christ.

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Jdg 11:14  And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 
Jdg 11:15  And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 

What we are being told here is that the flesh or the old man, signified by Ammon and Moab, is meant to be taken and destroyed. The new man is not a usurper but is made to possess the land or inherit the earth which is our bodies.

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

Jdg 11:16  But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 
Jdg 11:17  Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 
Jdg 11:18  Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. 

These verses are to remind us that when we start our journey with the Lord we are not to engage the Ammonites, the Edomites and the Moabites in battle to possess their land immediately. This was the directive our Lord Jesus gave to the Israelites when they left Egypt as follows:

Deu 2:17  That the LORD spake unto me, saying,
Deu 2:18  Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:
Deu 2:19  And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.
Deu 2:20  (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

The Ammonites, the Edomites and the Moabites were all fleshly related to the Israelites. So what we are learning is that when we start our walk with Christ, He does not bring us immediately to war against all our fleshly desires. As indicated in Deuteronomy 2:20, the reason for this is that these Ammonites, Edomites and Moabites are giants in our land.  In other words, they pose a much higher level of opposition, and so our Lord takes time to train our hands to war (handling the sword or God’s words) before we can handle these opposition.

Psa 18:34  He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Psa 18:35  Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
Psa 18:36  Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

Later in the scriptures, our Lord told the Israelites to confront these enemies when they had possessed a significant portion of the land.

Jer 48:42  And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.
Jer 48:43  Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.

Jer 49:1  Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
Jer 49:2  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.

Jer 49:14  I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.
Jer 49:15  For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.
Jer 49:16  Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.
Jer 49:17  Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.

Jdg 11:19  And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 
Jdg 11:20  But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 
Jdg 11:21  And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 

King Sihon’s refusal to let the Israelites pass through their land resulted in a war in which the Israelites utterly defeated the Amorites. This battle was during the wilderness experience of the Israelites. This is to show us that even during our time in Babylon, God gave us victory over some of our fleshly desires, and as a result, we took possession of parts of our bodies or land. However, our Lord always leaves much tougher opposition for us to encounter later as He did to the Israelites.

Jdg 2:21  I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
Jdg 2:22  That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
Jdg 2:23  Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

Jdg 3:1  Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
Jdg 3:2  Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;

Jdg 11:22  And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 

This verse is to let us know that our victory must be thorough before we can become overcomers. In other words, we must leave nothing that breathe or offend as we continue our journey with Christ.

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:
Deu 20:17  But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
Deu 20:18  That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

Paul puts it this way:

Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

]]> The Book of Hebrews – Heb 22:11-16 “Through Faith we Understand that the Worlds were Framed by the Word of God” – Part 4 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-book-of-hebrews-heb-2211-16-through-faith-we-understand-that-the-worlds-were-framed-by-the-word-of-god-part-4/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-book-of-hebrews-heb-2211-16-through-faith-we-understand-that-the-worlds-were-framed-by-the-word-of-god-part-4 Thu, 04 Mar 2021 13:35:01 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=23214 Heb 22:11-16 “Through Faith we Understand that the Worlds were Framed by the Word of God” – Part 4
[Study Aired March 4, 2021]

Heb 11:11  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 
Heb 11:12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 
Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God”, and in this study we will look at another “through faith” example in the life of Sara of whom we read: “through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised”.

Sara, who represents the body of Christ, the church, is a bright example for us in type and shadow of the maturation process that God’s manchild or remnant seed (Rev 12:5, Heb 11:5) must go through by faith in order to become the bride, or wife, of Revelation 19:7 who has “made herself ready” as we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ (Col 1:24) “in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Eph 5:30). That filling up of what is behind of the afflictions of Christ is accomplished through judgment, which is typified by the normal nine month gestation period both Sara and Mary endured, one bearing the typical seed Isaac (Gal 4:28), who represents the one seed by which all men will be saved, Jesus Christ, who was physically born by Mary.  Now we are one body, one manchild, bearing each other’s burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ (Gal 3:16, Act 4:12, Gal 6:2).

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 

Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

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

Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Gal 3:16  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

In Numbers 14:7-8 we read of how Joshua, who represents Christ, “spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, the land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land“, and that “if the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.” As we look now at the entries in God’s word where Sara’s name is used [SaraG4564], and consider her and Mary, the mother of Christ, as that good land, it becomes very apparent that what God is accomplishing within that land for our sakes is to give us a lasting hope through the work of faith which is unfolding in each of God’s children today, by Christ our hope of glory whose love is being shed abroad in our hearts for that purpose (Rom 3:22-25, Rom 5:1-5, Col 1:27-28, Rom 8:28).

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 
Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 
Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [forbearance and longsuffering of God that endures for nine months as we are judged and give an accounting in this life (Rom 2:4, 1Pe 4:17-19)]

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? 

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? 
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 
Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 
Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

[Christ in us is our hope of glory that makes not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us, giving us the power to be obedient (Act 5:32, Heb 5:8-9) and overcome as we go from glory to glory in that process of being recreated (2Co 3:18)]

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Sara G4564 means ‘noble woman’, and her giving birth to Isaac foreshadows the nobility of the King who Mary was going to be blessed to bear. Nothing and no attempt of the devil or the gates of hell was going to thwart or prevail against this birthing process (Isa 26:17, Isa 66:9) which is typical of the building of the church (Luk 1:28, Luk 1:42, Mat 16:18).

It is with Abraham who typifies Christ, and Sara who represents the church, that we read this hope filled statement of faith (Rom 4:19-20) directed to those who are being judged today, a judgment witnessed by Abraham’s age [10×10=100] (Joh 5:30), along with Sara being [9×10=90] (Joh 15:5), a number which points to the fact that Sara represents the church that needs to be judged (1Pe 4:17) in order to put off our flesh and believe as Abraham did [Mar 10:8] that regardless of the impossibility of the circumstances that their flesh was presenting to them, God’s faith could make it possible for them to prevail: “and being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:”. Abraham’s “giving glory to God”(Rom 4:19) typifies Christ as he considers what is possible in his own flesh (Joh 5:30) and his wife’s barren womb as he’s given the faith to believe that God can and will fulfill His promises to him of receiving an inheritance that will be born out of his lineage that should start with Isaac.

Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 
Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Like Abraham, God fills us with a supernatural hope through His spirit (Rom 5:5) that bears witness with our spirit (Rom 8:16) that we are more than conquerors through Christ and that He can make a way where there appears to be none in our heavens [10×10=100 (Isa 43:19)]. That new thing being spoken of which is being done in Isaiah 43:19, is typified by the son Sara will have (Rom 9:9). Both Sara and Abraham were given to believe and see the possibility of a son being born through the faith that was given unto them (Heb 11:11), and it will be through the obedience of the church that a manchild will be born in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye (1Pe 3:6, 1Co 15:52).

Isa 43:19  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

With this backdrop in mind, let’s look at this extremely hope-filled section of Hebrews that demonstrates through Sara and Abraham how God is able to frame the worlds within us to His glory, typified by the circumstances that were framed in the lives of Abraham and Sara who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them“.

Heb 11:11  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 
Heb 11:12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 

Sara, who represents the church “through faith“, received strength to “conceive seed“. The body of Christ parallels this experience today by being blessed to hear the words of the true Shepherd (Joh 10:27), and that word is likened to a seed that Christ plants in our heavens (Mat 13:37) and faithfully nourishes in us so that we can bring forth life out of these bodies of death. That life is represented by true doctrine (Joh 6:63) that is likened to children “as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable” (Rom 11:33).

Our Father is the one who gives us that seed and the faith of Christ to be able to “conceive” or perceive what God has given us with eyes that see and ears that hear (Mat 13:16). Then, if we are granted to abide in that word, it will in time and through a process of judgment cause us to grow in the mind of Christ if God gives us that increase which will set us free from the bondage of sin (2Pe 3:18, 1Co 3:6, Joh 8:32-36, Tit 2:12).

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Sara “was delivered of a child when she was past age” to remind us that our calling and election has nothing to do with our physical strength and health (Luk 10:21) in our flesh or earthly minds (1Co 1:26-29). Because “she judged him faithful who had promised” is speaking specifically of the faith that she had that a son would be conceived, which faith typifies the stedfast faith of Christ that God gives to His elect who “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”, and are convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:38-39) which is casting out fear in our hearts and perfecting His mind within the manchild whose name is written in heaven (Joh 6:28-29, 1Jn 4:18, Rev 12:5, Luk 10:20).

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 

Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Luk 10:21  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

The next verses describe for us what physical blessings resulted in Abraham’s and Sara’s lives of faith as a result of the one seed of Abraham that typifies the one seed of the body of Christ that will receive these blessings, not as a physical inheritance but rather a spiritual inheritance in Christ (Gal 3:16, Eph 1:11-12, 1Pe 1:4). “Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

Gal 3:16  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (Luk 10:20, Psa 139:16)

These promises spring forth from him (Abraham) who is “good as dead“, and remind us in type and shadow that it is when our fleshly life is dead to sin and alive in Christ that we can bring forth much fruit (Rom 6:11, Joh 12:24). This is also why the two witnesses of Revelation 11:8 lie dead in the street, which is a shadow of our acknowledging that we can of our own selves do nothing, and how we need the Son of God to set us free from sin through a process of spiritual completion [3], being His two witnesses who lie dead in the street for three days (Rev 11:11). The first Adam lies dead in the street, dead to sin, and the second Adam, Christ in us prophesies and witnesses to the power of God for three and a half years (Rev 11:3).

The words “multitude” and “innumerable” in this part of the scripture: “the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable”, remind us that this is speaking of all of humanity who will be saved, each man in his order (1Co 15:22-23, Rev 7:9).

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. 

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number [“innumerable“], of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 

What we are being told here is if you die with the faith of Christ within you, you will receive the promises (Php 3:9, Php 1:21). Seeing things “afar off” and being “persuaded of” and embracing those promises was accompanied with a confession or testimony that they were seeking a country whose builder and maker is God, and is a shadow of the confession in the spirit within God’s elect that bears witness with us that we are the sons of God (Rom 8:14-16, Rom 10:9).

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christby faith:

Php 1:21  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 
Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
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. 
Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

All of this desire and vision was given to a select group through the years in the old covenant to typify for us the faith of Christ (Gal 2:20) that would be given to the few (Mat 22:14) who, with that faith of Christ, would come out of her my people (Rev 18:4) and consider themselves “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (1Pe 2:9) who are not only seeking the outward fulfillment of seeking that country, which represents the kingdom of God (Mat 6:33), but also have that hope in earnest within them (Eph 1:14), and the strength and faith of Christ today that makes it possible for us to be persuaded of those things that God has promised us, even as we see though a glass darkly (1Co 13:12) which is typified by saying ‘seeing these things “afar off“‘.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

This last section is an admonition for us to forget “those things which are behind, and [reach] forth unto those things which are before”. We are to press “toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:13). If God is mindful of us, it is for that express purpose of keeping us focused on “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” that we are pressing toward, acknowledging that we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling while at the same time know that it is Christ who has apprehended us and bound us to the altar. We can have absolute confidence that what He has started in us is going to be accomplished as we continue to “desire a better country, that is, an heavenly” one (Php 2:12-13, Php 3:12, Psa 118:27, Php 1:6). That heavenly country for us today is being experienced in earnest as the Lord raises us into heavenly places where we are seated “together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:4-6).

 

God “is not ashamed to be called their God” because we are not ashamed of His gospel (Luk 9:26) and are convinced of the promises that tell us: “for he hath prepared for them a city” which is speaking of the elect who are that “holy city, new Jerusalem” (Rev 21:2) which comes down from heaven as the bride of Christ who has been made ready through Christ (Rev 19:7-8, Joh 14:3-4).

Luk 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

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 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

It is always through faith that we will see this preparation of the bride of Christ unfolding in our midst, a faith that makes it possible for us to “understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

]]> Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 66:20-24 As the New Heavens and the New Earth, so Shall Your Seed and Your Name Remain https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-6620-24-as-the-new-heavens-and-the-new-earth-so-shall-your-seed-and-your-name-remain/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-6620-24-as-the-new-heavens-and-the-new-earth-so-shall-your-seed-and-your-name-remain Sun, 08 Nov 2020 03:10:05 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=21688 https://www.dropbox.com/s/kksyq57xovk4rcm/GMT20201108-155952S_Mike-Vinso.m4a?raw=1

Isa 66:20-24 As the New Heavens and the New Earth, so Shall Your Seed and Your Name Remain

[Study Aired November 8, 2020]

Isa 66:20  And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
Isa 66:21  And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:22  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
Isa 66:23  And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:24  And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

The first question we must ask is who are the ‘they’ of verse 20? Verse 19, as well as verse 21, makes very clear to whom the ‘they’ of verse 20 refers:

Isa 66:19  And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

“Those that escape” are those who “come out of Babylon” (Rev 18:4). “Those that escape” are us, the Lord’s “very elect”, if we are granted to “endure to the end”.

Isa 66:20  And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
Isa 66:21  And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:22  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Here is the “offering… in a clean vessel [which we] bring… into the house of the Lord”:

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy [“clean”], 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.

“Your seed, and your name” is speaking of the seed of Christ and His Christ being of the same mind and knowing “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”

Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

This is what Christ has to say about what He is doing through us:

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

The process of being “sanctified” is the process of being judged in this present time. This is accomplished only “through the Truth”. All the lies of all the religions of this world do not make a single Truth. The whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water had been taken away from us at that point in our experience. It is then that the eagles in our heavens will be nourished by the flesh of the carcasses of all the dead bodies of all the beastly self-righteous false doctrines that have been occupying the Lord’s throne in our hearts and minds for so long. It is at this point these words will come alive to us:

Isa 66:23  And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:24  And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Christ said the same thing in these words:

Luk 17:33  Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Luk 17:34  I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Luk 17:35  Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luk 17:36  Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luk 17:37  And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

It is our new man who is “left”, and it is our old man who is “taken” and whose carcass is devoured by our new man, who is typified by an eagle around the throne of God:

Rev 4:6  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Rev 4:7  And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

We are living in “the times of reformation”. The phrase, “From one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me…” in terms employed in the “times of reformation” (Heb 9:10) is simply saying that from month to month and from week to week all flesh will come to worship before Christ and His Christ, just as carnal Israel did for so many years under the law.

Heb 9:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

As the Lord’s elect, we will be given to rule the nations with a rod of iron for a thousand years. Just as Israel was not given to return to Egypt, and  was instead told they would go as captives into Babylon, so it will be during the thousand years.

Hos 11:5  He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.

In that period of our rulership, the world will not go back to the “days, months, times, and years” of this Babylonian system which presently rules over the kings of the earth. Instead, the whole earth during the thousand-year reign will be just like Israel in the wilderness and just like Christ’s own apostles who, though they were with Him for three and a half years, were not converted and “broke the sabbath”. Christ ruled unconverted Israel, and He ruled His own unconverted apostles with a rod of iron.

Before we look at how Christ ruled Israel and His own disciples with a rod of iron, let’s first establish the fact that He came as a reformer, and that He demonstrated that office by refusing to keep the days, months, times, and years of the law of Moses.

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

Babylon teaches that Christ never broke the law of Moses, that He kept it perfectly, so we do not have to do so. Nothing could be further from the Truth. Every “…but I say unto you” in Matthew 5-6 breaks the law of Moses, and John tells us plainly that Christ “had broken the sabbath”:

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.

Now let’s look at how Christ dealt with unconverted Israel while they were under the law of Moses.

When Israel disobeyed Christ in the wilderness, He sent fire among them at one time, and serpents among them at another time, and He caused them to be destroyed by their adversaries:

Num 16:35  And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

Num 21:6  And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Num 14:45  Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.

When the Lord’s disciples withstood Him concerning His impending death and resurrection, He ruled them with a rod of iron in this manner:

Mar 8:33  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

The Lord “looked on His disciples” because He knew Peter was speaking for them all. None of them saw the need for this man’s death. They all wanted to be kings under Him here and now. That was the first question they asked Him after His resurrection:

Act 1:6  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Act 1:7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

That is how societies will be governed during the thousand years. They will not be converted, but they will be subjugated to the Lord’s elect until the thousand years are expired (Rev 20:7). That is the very meaning of “a rod of iron”:

Psa 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

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

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Spiritually and inwardly it is “Christ in [us] (Col 1:27)… in earthen vessels” (2Co 4:7) which will “go forth and look upon the carcases of the men”, the false doctrines within us who would not come up to worship before the Lord. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels [and] we are His flesh and His bones” who now witness of Him against our old man and against this present evil world:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

It is our own flesh which is being burned up with unquenchable fire which is signified as “Babylon is fallen” [and that destructive process of coming out of Babylon is called] “the patience of the saints and the faith of Jesus.”

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man [“all”men (Rev 13:16)] worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment [the torment of the Lord’s elect first] ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name [“…all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond” – (Rev 13:16)].
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

We are this “New Heaven”, we are this “New Earth”, and we are the “New Jerusalem… above, the mother of us all”, and it is through our mercy that all men of all time will be shown mercy in the great white throne judgment/ lake of fire/ second death.

Isa 27:13  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet [“the last trump” – (1Th 4:17 and Rev 11:15)] shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

Isa 52:1  Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

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.

Zec 2:12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

Zec 8:3  Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

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.

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 21:10  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,

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.

In Christ we are this ‘city, adorned as a bride for her husband’. That is our crown and our hope and our reward if we are granted to be faithful to the end:

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Isa 62:1  For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Isa 62:2  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
Isa 62:3  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Isa 62:4  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
Isa 62:5  For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

“So shall your sons marry you” is not incest. The point being made is that our spiritual offspring will “be of the same mind” which is the key to a successful marriage.

Peter repeats this promise of “a crown of glory”:

1Pe 5:4  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

This “crown of glory” is also called “a crown of life” which is given only to those who are granted to have a part in that “blessed and holy first resurrection”:

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried [Greek: G1384, dokimos, ‘approved’], he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Those who “reign” are given “a crown of glory… a crown of life” and will rule the nations with a rod of iron for a thousand years:

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

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.

We have very much in common with those who are cast into the lake of fire. “Those things which [we] shall suffer” are the same things suffered by those in the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death. Notice just how much we have in common with those we will be judging:

We are all, both the “blessed” and the “cursed”, “saved by [the Lord’s chastening] grace”:

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [Greek:  paideuō, chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Both groups endure the same fiery words of the Lord’s wrath upon our old man:

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.

Both the elect and the “cursed” are tormented with fire:

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.

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

Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Just what is all of this?

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Both the blessed and the cursed experience excruciating pain:

Mat 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Revelation 15 tells us:

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

This is the fifth vial:

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,

Both the 144,000, who are called “the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”, as well as the “great multitude which no man can number… come up through great tribulation and wash their robes white in the blood of the Lamb”:

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were [the first to be judge and] redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

What we do not share with those who are cast into the lake of fire is our “crown of life” and ruling with Christ over the kingdoms of this world for “a thousand years. These promises are given only to those who have a part in that “blessed and holy first resurrection”:

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

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.

It appears that these words of our Lord are true:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The words “live by” do not mean to duplicate every word of God. Rather, those words mean to believe and do and teach others the truths of the Words of God. Believing is “the works of God”:

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

If the Lord tells me “His mercy endures forever” and I teach otherwise, then I am neither “believing” nor “living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”. For example, the 136th Psalm tells us 26 times that “His mercy endures for ever”:

Psa 136:1  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:2  O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:3  O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:4  To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:5  To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:6  To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:7  To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:8  The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:9  The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:10  To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:11  And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:12  With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:13  To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:14  And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:15  But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:16  To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:17  To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:18  And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:19  Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:20  And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:21  And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:22  Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:23  Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:24  And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:25  Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:26  O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Now if I take it upon myself to deny that 26 times repeated doctrine and I tell the world that ‘His mercy endures only during this life’, then I am not ‘living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’. Rather, I am twisting His words to accommodate an idol of my heart (Eze 14:1-9).

In the exact same manner, if the Lord twice tells us:

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

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

If I take it upon myself, in spite of that twice-repeated promise, to tell you that ‘everyone will experience the purifying flames of the second death’, I am neither believing nor living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Instead, I am twisting the words which have proceeded out of His mouth, and I have made them say the exact opposite of what they really teach. I have twisted His Words to accommodate an idol of my heart (Eze 14:1-9).

What we do not have in common with those who are cast into the lake of fire, as we just read, is that we are not hurt of the second death, and the second death has no power over us:

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

If we are in the first resurrection, which resurrection Christ calls “the resurrection of life” (Mat 5:27-29), we will hear these words:

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Those cast into the lake of fire will never hear those words. Instead they will hear these words which we, Lord willing, will never hear:

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

The Lord only knows whose names are in the book of life from the foundation of this world. If our names are in the book of life, then we which have the firstfruits of the spirit will still “groan and travail in pain together” with those whose names are not in the Lamb’s book of life:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

If our names have been predestined to be in the book of life and in the first resurrection, then nothing we or anyone else can do will thwart the will of the Lord:

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That is our study for today concluding this very encouraging and hopeful prophecy of Isaiah. If the Lord wills, we will begin our studies in the prophecy of Jeremiah, who is known as “the weeping prophet” partly because of his authorship of The Book of Lamentations, ‘the book of weeping’, which follows Jeremiah in scripture.

While the theme of Isaiah has been the Lord’s faithfulness in spite of our weaknesses, the theme of Jeremiah is also the Lord’s faithfulness. However, in Jeremiah we will see in much greater depth and detail just how the Lord’s faithfulness stays with us while all of the powers of Babylon are attempting to destroy us. Isaiah’s assurances of the Lord’s faithfulness are therefore needed to see us through the trials of our faith which are a theme throughout this prophecy of Jeremiah.

Here are our verses for our next study:

Jer 1:1  The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Jer 1:2  To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
Jer 1:3  It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
Jer 1:4  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jer 1:6  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Jer 1:6 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Jer 1:8  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Jer 1:9  Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Jer 1:10  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

]]> Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 61:1-11 Double Shame, Double Possession https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-611-11-double-shame-double-possession/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-611-11-double-shame-double-possession Sun, 28 Jun 2020 02:24:06 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=21041 Download Study

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Isa 61:1-11 Double Shame, Double Possession

[Study Aired June 28, 2020]

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
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.
Isa 61:4  And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
Isa 61:5  And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
Isa 61:6  But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
Isa 61:7  For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
Isa 61:8  For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11  For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

This is the chapter from which Christ read in His first recorded sermon.

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Christ was rejected by His own people in His hometown of Nazareth because He told them in advance that they would reject Him and that He would take His gospel to the Gentiles:

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Luk 4:22  And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
Luk 4:23  And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
Luk 4:24  And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
Luk 4:25  But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luk 4:26  But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Luk 4:27  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Luk 4:28  And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Luk 4:29  And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
Luk 4:30  But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

It is instructive for us to notice where Christ stops reading here in Isaiah 61. He stops with the words, “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” in the middle of verse two. Stopping there emphasizes and makes it clear that He considers the words of scripture to have a ‘here and now’ application… “Today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” That inward present understanding is the primary application of all scripture.

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

“The acceptable year of the Lord” is “the day of vengeance of our God”, and that day is also a “comfort to all that mourn” and who “sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of the” Lord’s people.

Ezekiel 9 gives us much insight into ”the acceptable year of the Lord… the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn”:

Eze 9:1  He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Eze 9:2  And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
Eze 9:3  And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Eze 9:5  And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Eze 9:6  Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7  And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

That is what the holy spirit calls “good tidings unto the meek.” These words are addressed to every ‘joint’ of those who makes up the body of Christ and who “are the light of this world” (Mat 5:14-16, Eph 4:15-16, Col 1:24):

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

“Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women” is a command to totally destroy the kingdom of our old man. It is the same as saying:

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:
Deu 20:17  But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

This is not just some far-off past or future event. “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” means ‘this very day’ if indeed we are given the faith to believe the Lord’s words.

Eph 2:8  For by [chastening]  grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

“Grace… through faith” is a “strait and narrow” doctrine with no room for either of the two false doctrines of ‘salvation by our own good works’ or the false doctrine of ‘greasy grace’. This is the Truth of the Word of God concerning the narrow Biblical doctrine of ‘grace through faith’, and how we obtain our salvation. It is to be found in:

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [G3811: paideuo, chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Are good works required for salvation? Oh, yes, good works are indeed required! We simply cannot “continue in sin that grace may abound”:

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Who is it that produces these ‘good works’? Let’s read it again very carefully:

Eph 2:8  For by [chastening]  grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Impossible as it seems to our natural mind, the truth is that every act of every day in the life of every man who has ever lived was written in God’s book of each of our lives “before there were any of [those days]”:

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

Our days and our years are both written in the Lord’s ‘book’ before there were any of them:

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.

It is only “them that mourn in Zion” in “this present time” (Rom 8:18), who are “appoint[ed]” to be “given beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, in this age:

As the Lord provides the faith to believe that He really is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are the called according to His purpose, we will not let outward circumstances keep us from knowing the truth of those words. Even as we watch this entire world fall apart around us, the Lord will give us His peace, and we will rejoice in the beauty of knowing where it is all headed and what it is all designed to accomplish.

Isa 61:4  And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

If we are granted such faith, the Lord Himself is at this moment building His church within us. Our old man will be dying daily, and our new man will be being ‘renewed in the spirit of [his] mind… day by day’. The kingdom of our old man who worshipped the great red dragon and who worshipped the beast, will be “the old wastes [and]… the former desolations” with Christ as the foundation of a new man with the name “New Jerusalem” for the capital of the kingdom of Christ within that new man:

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Isa 4:5  And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

This “cloud and smoke by day” is Jesus Christ:

Rev 10:1  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

“The shining of a flaming fire by night” is the very same “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). That is the “glory [for] a defence” which is “upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion” which is who we are in Christ.

It was “every dwelling place of Mount Zion” to which Christ referred when He made this statement:

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions [G3438: mone, abodes, ”dwelling places”]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

This Greek word ‘mone’ appears only one other time in the New Testament, and it is right here is this same 14th chapter of the gospel of John where it is translated more properly as “abode”:

Joh 14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode [G3438: mone, dwelling place, residence] with him.

The root of this word is G3306, and it is similar to ‘meno’:

G3306
μένω
menō
men’-o

A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): – abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own.

This word appears 118 times and is always translated in some form of ‘abide’.  If Christ and His Father ‘abide within us’ then this is what will be given us, within and without:

Isa 61:5  And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

We are given the example of Saul of Tarsus to help us to internalize these words. Saul was exceedingly zealous to keep the traditions of His fathers:

Gal 1:13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Gal 1:14  And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

When all that carnal zeal was redirected into the Lord’s service, it all became the strangers standing and feeding the Lord’s flocks and the sons of the alien serving within us as our plowmen and our vinedressers in the Lord’s vineyard.

Only those who are given to subdue and redirect the zeal of their own flesh will be given to take part in the outward fulfillment of these words during the thousand-year reign of Christ and His Christ, and then carry that service to the Lord over into the lake of fire where we will be granted to show to others the same mercy shown by Christ, which He is showing to us in this present time:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

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.
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

It is to “the manifested sons of God” that these next words are first and primarily addressed:

Isa 61:6  But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

We are at this very moment in “the earnest of the spirit” “kings and priests” who are even now ministering to the Lord by filling up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh, for His body’s sake, which is the church:

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Exactly how do we “fill up in our flesh… that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ?” It is not a pleasant experience for our flesh. It is nothing short of death itself as we come to see that everything we ever believed was a lie. When the Lord gives us eyes that see and ears that hear, after a lifetime of thinking we were already seeing and hearing His Truth, we are forced to choose between believing Him or believing all the far more popular doctrines of the great whore and all of her harlot daughters. We must stand on His Word, and in so doing we will be “hated of all men” (Mat 10:22). We will be separated from all our old friends and even our own families. Our own families and friends will be ashamed of who we now are, and they will separate themselves from us lest they appear to be approving of our unacceptable and shameful ways.

The Lord prepares us for this shame filled dying experience in His own very clear words:

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

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

It is few indeed who are not ashamed of Christ. The truth is that we all prefer acceptance by men, and we are all first ashamed of our Lord:

Psa 4:2  Sons of men! till when is my glory for shame? Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie. Selah. (YLT)

It is the Lord Himself who “makes us to err from His ways” and brings shame upon us:

Psa 44:9  But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.
Psa 44:10  Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
Psa 44:11  Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.
Psa 44:12  Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.
Psa 44:13  Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
Psa 44:14  Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.
Psa 44:15  My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

Psa 44:22  Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

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

It is a simple biblical truth that all our weaknesses and all our sins are the work of the Lord’s hands to humble us.

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it. (CLV)

To be humbled is to be made ashamed of our own evil ways. The Lord wants us to know that it is the Lord Himself who has created all the darkness out of which He is calling His elect:

Psa 139:12  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The Lord wants us to know that our special calling has nothing to do with what we are of ourselves. He will make us to know that we are no better of ourselves than those who will be cast into the lake of fire. Our special calling is just one part of “all things” which He wants us to clearly understand are the work of His hand. All our good and our evil “works… are His workmanship”. Our sins and evil works are no more of ourselves than the act of selling Joseph into Egypt was the work of his brothers:

Gen 45:4  And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Gen 45:5  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Do we really believe these words apply only to this one event? No, not in the least is this the only time God worked evil deeds “after the counsel of His own will.” The fact is that even the most heinous crime ever committed was done by His will.

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28  For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Knowing the all-encompassing Truth of those verses should make it abundantly clear that we have nothing at all to do with being called to be the Lord’s elect in this age, if indeed that is what we are. If we are His elect, this is the only reason for our election:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

What the Lord is telling us is that He is the One who is giving us “double… shame… and… confusion [in] this present time” for this one reason:

Isa 61:7  For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

The physical law of a double portion to be given to the firstborn sons is merely a type and shadow of the spiritual inheritance of the Lord’s firstborn:

Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

The Lord tells us that physical Israel, as a type of “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:15-16), was counted as His firstborn, in spite of the fact that Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, was born first:

Exo 4:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
Exo 4:22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Just what did the Lord require for Israel, meaning you and me, to bring us to this double-portion status? Remember Israel was in bondage in Egypt for four hundred years before she heard the voice of the Lord:

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Then they heard the voice of their Lord:

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.

We must be in Egypt before we can “come out of her”, and we must be judged before we will learn righteousness:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

It all happened to Israel “and it was written as a type of us”:

1Co 10:6 Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things, (CLV)

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (CLV)

The Lord knew from “before the world began” (2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2) that “Israel” was always intended to be the name given to His elect called out of every nation on earth:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Therefore we, and anything having to do with us of ourselves, have nothing at all to do with the Lord calling us to be His first born… His firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” (Rev 14:4). It is all a matter of the sovereign hand of our Lord working all things after the counsel of His own hands.

By that same sovereign will it has before been ordained that we must be the first to be judged “in this present time”, and for that reason alone we are called “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb”:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

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?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

The judgment of our Lord is the greatest blessing He can place upon anyone for this reason:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

The Lord came into this world for the purpose of judging it, but it is very few He is judging in “this present time”.

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Instead, Christ is calling out a few elect and sending us to do exactly what His Father sent Him to accomplish – to die with Him for the sins of this world:

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

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

So Christ has also sent us… “for judgment… into the world”, and when our judgment is in the world, men will learn righteousness. We are the judges of Revelation 20:1-6.

Isa 61:8  For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

“I hate robbery for a burnt offering” means the Lord will not accept an idol of the heart for His Truth, nor will He accept our works as His works.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The fact that things are getting “worse and worse” is a sign to the Lord’s elect that “our salvation is nearer than when we believed”:

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

These words are just a different way of saying what Peter said:

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

If this day has already come within us, then a day is coming without in which:

[Our] seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and [our] offspring among the people: all that see [us] shall acknowledge [us], that [we] are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

According to His promise, we look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness both within and without. “We are of God: he that knows God hears us…”

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11  For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

It is we “who first trusted in Christ” who will be “to the praise of His glory… springing forth to all the nations.

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

That is our study for today. Lord willing, we will continue in chapter 62 next Sunday:

Isa 62:1  For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Isa 62:2  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
Isa 62:3  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Isa 62:4  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
Isa 62:5  For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Isa 62:6  I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,

]]> Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 52:1-8 They Shall See Eye to Eye, When the LORD Shall Bring Again Zion https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-521-8-they-shall-see-eye-to-eye-when-the-lord-shall-bring-again-zion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-521-8-they-shall-see-eye-to-eye-when-the-lord-shall-bring-again-zion Sun, 12 Jan 2020 03:56:30 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=20084
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Isa 52:1-8 They Shall See Eye to Eye, When the LORD Shall Bring Again Zion - Discussion

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Isa 52:1-8 They Shall See Eye to Eye, When The LORD Shall Bring Again Zion.

[Study Aired January 12, 2020]

Isa 52:1  Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 
Isa 52:2  Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 
Isa 52:3  For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. 
Isa 52:4  For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 
Isa 52:5  Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. 
Isa 52:6  Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 
Isa 52:7  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! 
Isa 52:8  Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

The first verses of this chapter are meant to be contrasted with these last two verses of chapter 51:

Isa 51:22  Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: 
Isa 51:23  But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

The Lord’s people, His very bride, have for so long been despised of the world and all its religions. They have been lying as dead ‘in the streets of that great city… wherein our Lord was crucified’ in the sense that we “reckon [ourselves]… to… be dead with Christ”, and in the sense that we are “the savor of death unto death” to this world:

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 
Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin. 
Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 
Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 
Rom 6:10  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 
Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And this is the symbolic ‘death of the two witnesses’ of:

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 
Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 
Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

This is actually a description of what happened, and what is happening to Christ, because “as He is so are we in this world” (1Jo 4:17). 

With no spiritual understanding it appears that a time will come when we will ‘finish our testimony and then be killed by the beast’ just before Christ returns to this earth. However, with the mind of the spirit we know that neither Christ nor we stop testifying against our own old man and this world until we draw our last physical breath.

Christ’s testimony, just as our own testimony, was “finished” the moment it was rejected of “His own”:

Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 
Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

He, too, “counted [Himself] as… dead in the streets of that… city” long before He was nailed to the cross, and the scriptures themselves tell us that He did as He tells us to do:

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily [“die daily” 1Co 15:31), and follow me.

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is [spiritually] crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 
Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin. 
Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 
Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 
Rom 6:10  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 
Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

He that is ‘dead’ has ‘finished [his] testimony’ and is “lying dead in the streets of that great city where also our Lord was crucified”:

Isa 51:22  Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: 
Isa 51:23  But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

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

Christ “reckoned [Himself] to be dead… from the foundation of the world”:

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Outwardly, our witness against this world is the light of our lives in a dark dying world, as explained by Christ Himself:

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.

Our ‘light’ is seen as “good works” only by “all that are in the house” of God in “this present time” (Rom 8:18). In time, seeing Christ in us, the world also will ‘glorify [our] Father which is in heaven’, but in the meantime, they do no such thing, and instead we are to them as dead men in the streets of spiritual Babylon. “The streets of that great city…” symbolize the ways of the harlot system which rules over the kings of this world. In those ‘streets’ we are as dead men:

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

“When they shall have finished their testimony”, and “where also our Lord was crucified”, are both in the aorist tense, and are continuing in our lives. “Make war against them… overcome them… and kill them”, are all in the future tense, telling us that what is happening in the aorist tense will continue to happen into the future until the end of this age.

Our witness is ‘finished’, and we are to this world ‘killed… the savor of death unto death’ at the moment our witness is rejected just as it was with Christ:

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one. 
Joh 10:31  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Christ considered Himself to be on the cross “daily” as He served His Father and spoke His Father’s words. As such He was, to this world and to our own ‘old man’, “the savor of death unto death”:

2Co 2:16  To the one [our old man] we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other [the new man within us] the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

The very fact we are on the cross and rejected by this world is to this world proof positive that we are not favored of God:

Mat 27:39  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 
Mat 27:40  And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 
Mat 27:41  Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 
Mat 27:42  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 
Mat 27:43  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

Such words are logical carnal reasoning to our old man. If the Christ we believe in is so powerful why is He not ruling this world with a rod of iron right now?

The answer to that question, posed by the Jews and their leaders, symbols of the religious leaders of this day, is that if Christ had come down from the cross before His death, we would have no propitiation for our sins. The price would not have been paid, and our faith would not have been tried. It is not simple faith, that saves us. “The devils also believe and tremble”. 

Jas 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 
Jas 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works [without being tried in the fire] is dead?

What saves us is “the trial of [our] faith… [which is as precious as] gold tried in the fire”:

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it [our faith] be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

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: 
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold [faith] tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

The fact that it has been almost 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Christ, and the fact that the religions of this world appear to be so firmly ensconced in their rulership over the kings of this world, and the fact that so very few can see and hear the voice of the True Shepherd, all serve as fiery trials of our faith, and it is few indeed who have been given to believe these words:

Hab 2:2  And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. [Heb 12:1]
Hab 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 
Hab 2:4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith [tried in the fire].

“The vision is yet for an appointed time” and the last thing any of us should do is to tell ourselves it is all spiritual and it is all within and “all [outward] things continue as they were from the fathers”:

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 
2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

We are to see our old man as ‘chief of sinners’, and as ungodly as anyone who is cast into the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment. But we are also given the faith to see our old man as being given the gift of faith which is “tried with fire… in this present time” (Rom 8:18), and therefore, by the sovereign hand of God made to be “the first to believe on Him… (Eph 1:12) the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb… (Rev 14:4), the church of the firstborn [Heb 12:23], [to be in] the resurrection to life” as opposed to “the resurrection of judgment”.

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 [the book of life], 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 [the lake of fire], if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

It is all because the Lord Himself, “after the counsel of His own will” (Eph 1:11), has chosen us as His people through whom He will “fill all in all” (Eph 1:23):

Isa 51:22  Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: 
Isa 51:23  But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

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

Any and all who are faithful to Christ’s doctrine have been walked on “as the street” by the rulers and religious leaders of this age. 

The time will come, and it is here in earnest even now, that we are no longer to see ourselves in that way:

Isa 52:1  Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 
Isa 52:2  Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 
Isa 52:3  For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. 

“Shake yourself from the dust; arise and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose yourself from the bands of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion…” That is the peace of mind which, at this very moment, is the fruit of being sealed with His spirit and knowing God and His Son, even as we are to this world “the savor of death”. 

The best is yet to come in the form of “the redemption of the purchased possession”:

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 
Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 
Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 
Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

‘Firstfruits’ are not the only fruits, and ‘the first to trust in Christ’ who are given to be “to the praise of His glory” are not the only people who will “trust in Christ”.

Notice the similarity between these words here in chapter 52, addressed to “Jerusalem… the daughter of Zion” and the words of the previous chapter addressed to the “Arm of the Lord”:

Isa 51:9  Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? 
Isa 51:10  Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? 
Isa 51:11  Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. 
Isa 51:12  I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

Again in this same chapter:

Isa 51:16  And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. 
Isa 51:17  Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

‘Jerusalem… the daughter of Zion… the Arm of the Lord’ are one and all symbols of the same thing. They all symbolize those who are called “overcomers” through “the sufferings of this present time… this present evil world” to whom the Lord is here saying “You are My people”. This is how we are to regard “the sufferings of this present time”:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Gal 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

“A new name… the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem” are all speaking of His doctrine, which is “rather to be chosen than great riches”:

Pro 22:1  A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

There is within us at this very moment, in “the earnest of our inheritance”, a “new heavens, a new earth, and a new name, New Jerusalem”:

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Pro 22:1  A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Isa 65:17  For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

Isa 66:22  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

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.
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.

The ‘new earth’ is being wed to the ‘new heaven’… “and the two become one”:

Mar 10:8  And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 

Christ’s “new name” is nothing less than His “new covenant”… His doctrine, which is “rather to be chosen than great riches”:

Pro 22:1  A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. 

Son 1:3  Because of the savour of thy good ointments [Your doctrines] thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

These words of Isaiah 52 tell us:

Isa 52:1  Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

These words are the very foundation for these words in:

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 
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 21:27  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. 

These next verses summarize the journey of every man who has ever been dragged to the Lord:

Isa 52:4  For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 
Isa 52:5  Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

Do not make the mistake of thinking these words about blaspheming the name of God are addressed to those among whom the Lord’s people were scattered. Not so! It is we, the Lord’s own elect, who are the first to blaspheme His name by refusing to be obedient to His doctrine as the Lord makes so very clear concerning our ‘qualifications’, or the lack thereof, as His chosen people:

Eze 36:19  And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 
Eze 36:20  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 
Eze 36:21  But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 
Eze 36:22  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 
Eze 36:23  And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

When the world sees how the Lord has been so merciful to you and to me, to a people who have so blasphemed His name by all their rebellious ways… “the heathen shall know that [the Lord] is [indeed] the Lord”. 

We will all “give an accounting” of all our shameful sins and our rebellious ways, but the Lord’s mercy endures forever (Psalm 136), and “He [has] devised means, that His banished be not expelled from Him”.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

We are all separated from the Lord by our own sins:

Isa 59:1  Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 
Isa 59:2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 
Isa 59:3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

In spite of the fact that we, the Lord’s chosen people, have “blasphemed His name continually” (vs 5), He has determined that He will still drag us to Himself:

Isa 52:6  Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 

The Lord will do the same for all men, “every man in his own order”, but the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb (Rev 14:4) are His firstborn, and the double portion of the inheritance belongs to them (Deu 21:17 and Exo 4:22) , and it is they who will be used of the Lord to bring forth all the rest of the family of God to Himself, and that is truly “the good news of the kingdom of God” brought to us by the Lord Himself:

Isa 52:7  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! 

Meaning:

Mar 1:14  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel [“good tidings] of the kingdom of God,

King David had a great appreciation of a united Israel, which gratitude he expressed in these words:

Psa 133:1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 
Psa 133:2  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; 
Psa 133:3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion [The Lord’s elect]: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Paul tells us that we are “overseers of the Lord’s flock… watchmen” who should be willing to lay down our lives for the Lord’s sheep:

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 
Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 
Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

By this time Paul had already admonished the church at Corinth, and all of us, with these words:

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 last verse of our study today is the fruit of our obedience to all the scriptures which make 1Corinthians 1:10 possible in our fellowship today:

Isa 52:8  Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. 

If indeed we are ‘Zion’ and ‘holy Jerusalem’ then we will even now “see eye to eye” concerning the doctrines of the Lord, and we will “all speak the same thing, and… there [will] be no divisions among us, but [we will] be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”.

That is our study for today, and here are the verses for our next study:

Isa 52:9  Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 
Isa 52:10  The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 
Isa 52:11  Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. 
Isa 52:12  For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. 
Isa 52:13  Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 
Isa 52:14  As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 
Isa 52:15  So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

]]> Studies in Psalms – Psa 137:3-9 “By the Rivers of Babylon” Part 2 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/studies-in-psalms-psa-1373-9-by-the-rivers-of-babylon-part-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=studies-in-psalms-psa-1373-9-by-the-rivers-of-babylon-part-2 Fri, 15 Nov 2019 00:17:44 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=19787 Psa 137:3-9 “By the rivers of Babylon” Part 2

Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
Psa 137:5  If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 
Psa 137:6  If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. 
Psa 137:7  Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. 
Psa 137:8  O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. 
Psa 137:9  Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. 

In this second part of our study entitled “By the Rivers of Babylon“, we will be looking at what will be required to continue to make “Jerusalem above my chief joy” and see how that joy is being given to each of us so we can help each other endure to the end of this life in the Lord (Col 1:24, 2Co 1:24). Remaining in that joy, as we will see, comes as a result of abiding in the word of God throughout our wilderness journey which frees us from the bondage of the law (Joh 8:31-33) by having Babylon deeply cleansed from within us. This cleansing occurs “by the rivers of Babylon” where we are tempted in all diverse manners just as our Lord (Heb 4:15-16) was drawn out into the wilderness and tempted of the devil for our benefit. God’s elect are represented by the scapegoat which is also sent into the wilderness to atone for the world’s sins by overcoming the world and all that is within it, through Christ (Joh 15:11-12, Joh 14:15, Joh 14:27, Luk 12:32, Mat 24:13, Php 4:13, Jas 1:14, Mat 4:1-3, Lev 16:10).

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

[Come boldly and confidently before God because we know Christ has endured all these things for our sakes so that we can overcome through him: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Rom 8:37)]

Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

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

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Mat 4:1  Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Mat 4:2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Mat 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

[Note: The forty days and forty nights, which represent the tribulation that is centered around a trial in Christ’s life that has to do with the devil tempting him to turn lifeless objects, stones that Christ likened Peter unto, into bread (Mat 16:18, 1Pe 2:5, Rev 21:19). Peter was lifeless and without true life until Pentecost. There are two forties in this event mentioned to remind us that Christ is witnessing to us that He will overcome the devil’s temptation by God’s holy spirit giving him the power to do the work of overcoming with an obedient spirit that produces the true bread of life(Act 5:32, Joh 3:34-36, Joh 5:30).

Satan wastes no time in this moment of temptation to discredit Christ of His sonship by saying “If thou be the Son of God” appealing to Christ’s hungry and vain flesh. That temptation was thwarted by the obedience of Christ to the word of God, as were the next two temptations our Lord endured for our sakes; not by might nor power but God’s spirit (Mat 4:5-10, Zec 4:6).

It is only after Christ overcomes the tempter within, and John, who represents the law, is bound in prison within us, that Christ can then come to us as the Rock or the true bread of life upon which we can mature and overcome with the true gospel of the kingdom of God which is within us and ready to be preached to all nations for a witness (Mat 16:18, Mar 1:13-15, Mat 24:14].

The psalmist is writing for our benefit when he speaks of “Jerusalem above my chief joy”, and this statement is a type of “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all”. We can be helpers of each other’s joy if our hearts are laying up store in heaven the good works “which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” from the foundation of the world. It is those works which bear witness that we are His disciples in this age who have love one to another, which love is an obedience to every one of God’s commandments we keep.

2Co 1:24  Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

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

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,

Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Eph 4:2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

This third verse of our study can be explained with these two verses (Mat 11:16-24, Eze 33:32-33), that demonstrate how we are soldiers for Christ (2Ti 2:3-4) who are “carried away captive”. We go where our flesh does not want to go (Joh 21:18), and there we witness to Babylon that “wasted us” (Luk 15:17-18, Luk 8:38-39).

Luk 15:17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

Luk 8:38  Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
Luk 8:39  Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

Mat 11:16  But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
Mat 11:17  And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
Mat 11:18  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
Mat 11:19  The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Eze 33:32  And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Eze 33:33  And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

Our new song is one of mirth because we are singing about our treasure in heaven, Jesus Christ, our hope of glory who has brought us to our senses with the mind of Christ (Col 1:27, 1Co 2:16). It is in the heavenly realms above where we are seated as the body of Christ that we “sing the songs of Zion”, words that the world cannot spiritually hear and yet they want the name associated with these songs (Eph 2:6, Isa 4:1).

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

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

Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
Psa 137:5  If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 
Psa 137:6  If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Our song or message of the true gospel is not good news for the flesh, just as Noah’s or Jeremiah’s preaching demonstrated for us in God’s word in type and shadow (Jer 7:25-27, 2Pe 2:5). We are hated by all men for His name’s sake as Christ told us we would be, if we “sing the LORD’S song in a strange land” (Mat 10:22, Mat 24:37).

Jer 7:25  Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
Jer 7:26  Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
Jer 7:27  Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.

2Pe 2:5  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

If we forget not ‘Jerusalem above’, the church, by coming together often as we seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness (Mat 6:33-34), He will strengthen us with His right hand which represents His power; power that is made manifest through the many joints which will supply that power in the body of Christ (Heb 10:25, Eph 4:16).

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

When our tongue cleaves to the roof of our mouth, we are in a season that we are not bringing forth fruit (Lam 4:4, Eze 3:26), and so we are admonished to pray that this won’t happen for each other and ask the Lord that our flight be not on the sabbath or in the winter, which is what we do when we pray “I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mat 24:20-21, Jas 5:16, Luk 22:32, 1Jn 4:17, Mar 9:23-24).

Mat 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

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

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

Mar 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

It is in that gathering of the true saints of God we are strengthened and healed in our spirits. Our “right hand” (of verse 5) represents where the power of God comes from through Christ (Rom 8:34, Joh 14:20) and must always come from in order for those hands to not lose their cunning (Php 1:6). If we wait on the Lord and are of good courage (Psa 27:14), our right hand will not forget her cunning, meaning we will be skilled in the word being able to rightly divide it as we help sharpen each other in the Lord (2Ti 2:15, Pro 27:17). We can be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us being “prepared unto every good work” (1Pe 3:15, 2Ti 2:21). If we seek the kingdom first or continue to make “Jerusalem above my chiefest joy”, then we will truly be overcomers in the Lord by the grace through faith that He provides to do so (Eph 2:8).

Psa 137:7  Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
Psa 137:8  O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. 

We don’t want to forget “the day of Jerusalem” which represents the day of our visitation or the ‘day of the Lord’, and so we must watch and pray and be ready against all the gainsayers at the end of this age who have said and will say “Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof” (2Pe 3:3-4), speaking of mankind’s natural hatred against Christ and His Christ’s message of hope (Luk 12:34-40, Act 4:27-28, Mat 10:22).

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

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

God willing, we will respond with the faith Mary demonstrated when told by an angel of God that “thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son” (Luk 1:31). That angel, in type, represents the elect who exhort each other daily (Heb 3:13) as we learn to bear each other’s infirmities and not despise the day of small things (Zec 4:10). It was because of unbelief that Zacharias remained speechless until the day of John’s naming and circumcision “on the eighth day” (Luk 1:20, Luk 1:22, Luk 1:59, Luk 1:63), representing the miracle of blinding that God brings upon the majority of the world for an appointed time through Satan (2Co 4:4). Babylon has been predestined to be destroyed within the lives of God’s elect first as stated “O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us”. She (Babylon) is destroyed as we “come out of her, my people” (Rev 18:5-7, Isa 61:7-9, Rev 18:4).

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

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. [think within for today]
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 3:18]

Isa 61:7  For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
Isa 61:8  For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isa 61:9  And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

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.

Psa 137:9  Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock. 

The “daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed” of verse 8 is done so by dashing “thy little ones against the rock”. The little ones represent false doctrines in type and shadow, and dashing them “against the rock” is another way of saying the idols of our hearts must be destroyed by our Lord, “the rock” who sanctifies us, cleansing us from all sin as we come out of Babylon (1Jn 1:7, Joh 17:17).

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

We are happiest when we are about our Father’s business “happy shall he be” (Luk 2:49) of preparing the bride for future events through the washing of the word (Php 4:4, Col 1:24, Eph 5:26-27). God’s glorious plan is moving forward and leading to the salvation of all of mankind (Rev 19:7, 1Jn 2:2, 1Co 15:22, 1Ti 4:10). That salvation is the joy we are looking and pressing toward as Christ did “by the rivers of Babylon” (Php 3:14-15).

Luk 2:49  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

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

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

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