Numbers 26:35-65  Are You Being Counted? Part 2

[Study Aired November 6, 2023]

Introduction

This study concludes the second census ordered by the Lord with the view to use it to apportion the inheritance of the various tribes. We must remember that later when the Israelites had settled in the land of Canaan, David decided to count the people. However, the Lord was not pleased with this census by David and therefore judged the people of Israel. Let’s therefore review this census by David to understand the difference between the two censuses and why the Lord was not pleased with the census ordered by David.  

Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 

2Sa 24:2  So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 

When we compare scripture with scripture by looking at the same account in 1 Chronicles 21:1-4, we see that the Lord used David to count the people as an occasion the Lord was seeking to bring about His judgment on Israel.

1Ch 21:1  Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
1Ch 21:2  So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”
1Ch 21:3  But Joab said, “May the LORD add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?”
1Ch 21:4  But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 

Jdg 14:1  Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” 
Jdg 14:3  But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” 
Jdg 14:4  His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

One key take-away from David’s census is that the Lord uses the Devil as part of His available resources to accomplish His purpose. The Devil is like the left hand of the Lord in dealing with mankind as shown in the following experience of Job:

Job 1:9  Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 
Job 1:10  Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 
Job 1:11  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Today’s study focuses on the counting of the remaining tribes. It is worth noting that unlike the first census where the Levites were not counted, this census also included the Levites. However, they were separated from the other tribes since their counting was not related to inheritance. In addition, the Levites who were counted were from a month old and upward which is different from the way the other tribes were counted. The study today will highlight the significance of not counting the Levites as part of the other tribes and the reason why in the case of the Levites, they were counted from a month old upwards. Finally, the chapter ends by emphasizing that those counted were not part of the Israelites who left Egypt as almost all of them died in the wilderness with the exception of Joshua and Caleb.

1Co 10:5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 
1Co 10:6  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 
1Co 10:7  Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 
1Co 10:8  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 
1Co 10:9  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 
1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 
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.

The Counting of the Remaining Tribe

Num 26:35  These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites: of Becher, the family of the Bachrites: of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.
Num 26:36  And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.
Num 26:37  These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families.

Ephraim means ‘doubly fruitful.’ In Christ, we become like a fruitful vine which bears fruits in its season. This is because our mother (the church of the firstborn) abounds with plenty of water which is made available through what every joint supplies.

Eze 17:8  It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

Eze 19:10  Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

The total number of Ephraimites counted was 32,500. This implies that it is with grace through faith (significance of the number 5) that we go through the process of spiritual maturity as we are judged (significance of the number 3) to become the Lord’s witnesses (significance of the number 2). 

Num 26:38  The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites: of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites: of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites: 
Num 26:39  Of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites: of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 
Num 26:40  And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites: and of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. 
Num 26:41  These are the sons of Benjamin after their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred.

Benjamin means ‘son of the right hand.’ We, His elect, are indeed the sons of the Lord’s right hand as it is His right hand that saves us. 

Psa 20:6  Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

Psa 63:8  My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. 

Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psa 139:10  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 

The total number of the families of Benjamin was 45,600. This suggests that the whole of the elect are selected from among men and are saved by grace through faith.

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;

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.

Num 26:42  These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families. 
Num 26:43  All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred.

Dan means ‘a judge.’ As we know from the word of the Lord, we, His elect, shall judge the world.

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

Rev 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.

Apart from being judges, we, His elect, are like vipers that bite the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backwards. The horse here represents our old man, or the flesh, with the rider being the devil who pulls us in all directions until Christ comes to us. 

Gen 49:16  Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 
Gen 49:17  Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

The sum of the families of Dan who were counted was 64,400. This suggests that it is the whole of the elect who are selected from among men. 

Num 26:44  Of the children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites: of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites: of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.
Num 26:45  Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites: of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. 
Num 26:46  And the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarah. 
Num 26:47  These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them; who were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

Asher means ‘happy.’ We are indeed a group of people who are filled with happiness because of what the Lord is doing on our behalf. 

Psa 144:15  Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

Psa 146:5  Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

Pro 3:13  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

What distinguishes us from our brothers and sisters in Babylon and the people of the world is that the spiritual food (the word of the Lord) we eat is rich, and what every joint supplies is a delicacy fit for a king.

Gen 49:20  “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies. (ESV)

The total number of people counted for the tribe of Asher was 53,400. Again, this is to stress on the point that grace through faith and the process of becoming spiritually mature through judgment are necessary requirements for the whole of the elect of every generation.

Num 26:48  Of the sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites: of Guni, the family of the Gunites: 
Num 26:49  Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites: of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.
Num 26:50  These are the families of Naphtali according to their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred.

Naphtali means ‘my wrestling.’ If we are called and chosen by the Lord, then we shall surely be victorious as we wrestle with our old man or the flesh in this life.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

We, His elect, are like a hind set free from the power of sin. The Lord has given us His goodly words which we freely give to those who desire to know His truth. 

Gen 49:21  Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. 

The number of the people of Naphtali counted was 45,400. Here we are reminded that it is grace through faith that the whole of the elect, selected from among men, shall become the sons of God. 

Num 26:51  These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty. 

The total number of the men of Israel counted was 601,730. This number represents the process the Lord is taking us through to become His sons and what the goal of being enrolled in His army is; that is, the Lord wants us all to have the same mind as His. That is the significance of the number 1 which means unity. This one mind is the result of the process of spiritual maturity through judgment of those the Lord has called and chosen from among men. The Lord himself will bring to completion what He has started within us. 

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. 

Deu 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 
Deu 7:7  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
Deu 7:8  But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

The Promised Land Shall be Shared According to the Size of Families

Num 26:52  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 26:53  Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.
Num 26:54  To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him.

As indicated at the beginning of chapter 26, which deals with this second census, we are given to know in these verses that the motive for this census is to serve as a guide for the sharing of the promised land of Canaan as an inheritance. The promised land shall be shared proportionately such that those with larger families shall receive more land and those with fewer families shall receive less. As we know, the promised land refers to our bodies which we must possess as a prerequisite to be given an inheritance. As we can see in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, it is only those who overcome their flesh or possess their bodies that are given to receive an inheritance. 

Rev 2:7  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 tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

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.

The sharing of the land according to the sizes of the families of Israel is therefore to let us know that the Lord has given us various capabilities to serve Him acceptably as we possess our bodies. Ultimately, our inheritance or reward is dependent on being able to possess our bodies, which is also dependent on the capabilities the Lord has given us in this life. The parable of the talents gives us insight into how the Lord has given us various capabilities or talents to carry out His work of possessing our bodies. 

Mat 25:14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Mat 25:15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Mat 25:16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 
Mat 25:17  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
Mat 25:18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 
Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 
Mat 25:20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 
Mat 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 
Mat 25:22  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 
Mat 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 
Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 
Mat 25:27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 
Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 
Mat 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 
Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 
Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 
Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 
Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 
Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

The Lord ordering Moses and Eleazer to count the people and to share the land according to the size of the families is also to let us know that the Lord requires the elders of the church to know the capabilities of their brothers and sisters such that they can be assisted to maximize their potential in their service to the Lord. The elders are therefore not to put impediments in the way of our brothers and sisters in serving the Lord. For example, if Moses and Eleazer gave small land to the tribe of Judah which was the largest tribe, it would have been difficult for them to function well in the promised land. That would amount to putting impediments in the way of the people of God.

1Jn 2:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

This sharing of the land as inheritance is a foretaste of the joy that is set before us. It also shows us how the Lord apportions His gifts according to the capacity He has given to His children. In the fullness of time, our reward shall  not be dependent on capabilities since all elect shall receive the same reward as clearly shown to us in Revelation chapter 2 and 3. Examples are as follows:

Rev 2:7  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ 

Rev 2:11  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’ 

Rev 2:26  The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 
Rev 2:27  and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.

Num 26:55  Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 
Num 26:56  According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few.

The land being divided by lot signifies that receiving our inheritance in the fullness of time is all the work of the Lord since the outcome of a lot is what the Lord has ordained. This implies that everything is working according to the counsel of the Lord’s will. 

Pro 16:33  The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. 

Eph 1:11  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

The Levites not Counted According to the General Rule

Num 26:57  This was the list of the Levites according to their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites.
Num 26:58  These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram. 
Num 26:59  The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister. 
Num 26:60  And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 
Num 26:61  But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.
Num 26:62  And those listed were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. For they were not listed among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.

The Levites in these verses represent Babylon. Not being counted among the people of Israel, who in this case represent the elect, means that there shall not be any inheritance for our brothers and sisters in Babylon. This implies that if we remain in Babylon, we shall not experience the joy that is set before us. In Numbers chapter 1, the Lord expressly commanded that the Levites should not be counted. However, in this second census, they were counted, although they were not among the people of Israel.  As we can see, within the Levites were Moses, Eleazor and others who belonged to the priesthood. The counting of the Levites in this second census was for the sake of the elect, His priests. That is to let us know that as priests, who shall inherit the earth even though we are initially counted as Levites.

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

It is worth noting that the number of the Levites counted were males from a month old and upward. What this suggests is there is a significant number of the Levites who were infants (a month old and less than twenty years) who do not know how to war against the flesh. Even the older ones do not know how to go to war since they were excluded from becoming part of the army right from the onset. In other words, they were carnal and therefore cannot inherit the promised land.

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

The total number of the Levites being 23,000 implies that it is through the process of spiritual maturity through judgment that our brothers and sisters shall also become witnesses of Christ.

Those Counted were the New Generation

Num 26:63  These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 
Num 26:64  But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 
Num 26:65  For the LORD had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 

As indicated in the first part of Numbers chapter 26, the counting took place when the Israelites were in the plains of Moab, with the river Jordan between them and Jericho. What this implies is that as the Lord’s elect, we were still in Babylon (signified by the plains of Moab) and about to have access to the truth of the word of the Lord (symbolized by the river Jordan). Knowing the truth of the word of the Lord is all part of equipping us with the whole armor of God to start waging war with the flesh signified by Jericho. 

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Those who were counted were the new generation who were born in the wilderness. All the Israelites who left Egypt and were counted in the first census in Sinai had died except Caleb and Joshua. Spiritually, the people of Israel in the first census represent our old man who rebels against the Lord and therefore is doomed to die in this wilderness of life to give way to the new man represented here by the new generation of the Israelites who were to possess the land.

Num 14:26  And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
Num 14:27  “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
Num 14:28  Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 
Num 14:29  your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 
Num 14:30  not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31  But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. 
Num 14:32  But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

May the Lord continue to be merciful to us to continue in Him until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts!!  Amen!!

Numbers 26:1-34  Are You Being Counted? Census – Part 2

[Study Aired October 30, 2023]

Introduction

This chapter deals with the second census that the Lord commanded Moses and Eleazer to undertake. The purpose for this census was different from the first census held when the Israelites were in the desert of Sinai (Numbers Chapter 1). The first census focused on the formation of an army with the aim of uniting the people of Israelites for one purpose – that is, to obey their commanding officer (Jesus Christ) as He led them to fight their way to possess the promised land when they began their journey in the wilderness.  This second census was different. It was to serve as the basis of apportioning their inheritance even though the Israelites had not yet taken possession of the promised land. Indeed, our Lord sees the end from the beginning.

Num 26:52  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 
Num 26:53  “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. 
Num 26:54  To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list. 

Isa 46:9  Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 
Isa 46:10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

We, His elect, are therefore to have confidence in the Lord that whatever He starts, He is able to bring to completion. Are you worried that you do not see any significant progress in your walk with Christ as you are still plagued by sin? Lift up your eyes from yourself and your failures, and focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. Our help does not come by focusing on ourselves but by lifting our eyes to the hills from where our help comes!

Psa 121:1  A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 
Psa 121:2  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 
Psa 121:3  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 
Psa 121:4  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psa 121:5  The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
Psa 121:6  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
Psa 121:7  The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
Psa 121:8  The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

We must also take note that almost all the people who were counted initially in Numbers chapter 1 did not end up possessing the promised land as a result of their rebellion against their commanding officer, Jesus Christ. They did not believe that the Lord would give them the promised land. 

Num 14:26  And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
Num 14:27  “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
Num 14:28  Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:
Num 14:29  your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me,
Num 14:30  not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31  But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.
Num 14:32  But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

This second census, however, focused on a new generation of Israelites who were to inherit the promise. Spiritually, the people of Israel in the first census represent our old man who rebels against the Lord and therefore is doomed to die in this wilderness of life to give way to the new man, represented here by the new generation of the Israelites who were to possess the land. As we go through our daily lives, all we need to do to possess our inheritance is to have faith that the Lord will accomplish whatever concerns us in order to drag us to the finish line. Since we do not know the Lord’s timing, we are required to be patient as we see the Lord unfold His plan for our lives. 

Heb 6:9  Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 
Heb 6:10  For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 
Heb 6:11  And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 
Heb 6:12  so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The Command to Count the People of Israel

Num 26:1  And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 
Num 26:2  Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.

As we learned in the previous chapter, the plague mentioned in verse 1 relates to our spiritually dead state because of the plague of sin. It is when we are helpless or spiritually dead that the Lord comes to us to give us a future and hope by enrolling us in His army.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 
Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

The Lord ordered for the second time, a census to be conducted for all males of the tribe of Israel above 20 years old. As we know, all things are for our benefit. Thus, this census was part of the Lord’s plan to unveil to His elect, who would come centuries later, what is required to be part of the Lord’s army. 

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

Being a male of 20 years old signifies that we are ready to handle the word of truth as the Lord guides us to engage the flesh in battle on a daily basis. This implies that at age 20, we are not being blown about by every wind of doctrine. 

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 

Verse 2 says that these armies to be numbered were to come from every tribe of Israel. It shows that the Lord is redeeming people from every tribe and kindred from every generation to be enrolled in His army. 

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;

This numbering excluded all females of Israel. This is because spiritually, there is only one church who is the bride of Christ and therefore cannot be counted. This church is that of the firstborn, or Jerusalem which is above, which is contrasted with Jerusalem which is, and is in bondage with her children. As Paul indicated, Jerusalem which is, has many divisions and therefore cannot constitute an army, as no army that is divided can stand any chance against an enemy.

1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 

Mar 3:24  And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
Mar 3:25  And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 

Num 26:3  And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 
Num 26:4  Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt.

Moses and Eleazer spoke to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab, close to the river Jordan with Jericho on the other side of the river. What this implies is that as the Lord’s elect, we were still in Babylon (signified by the plains of Moab) and about to have access to the truth of the word of the Lord (symbolized by river Jordan). Knowing the truth of the word of the Lord is all part of equipping us with the whole armor of God to start waging war with the flesh signified by Jericho. 

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The Counting of the Tribes

Num 26:5  Reuben, the eldest son of Israel: the children of Reuben; Hanoch, of whom cometh the family of the Hanochites: of Pallu, the family of the Palluites:
Num 26:6  Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
Num 26:7  These are the families of the Reubenites: and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty. 
Num 26:8  And the sons of Pallu; Eliab. 
Num 26:9  And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD:
Num 26:10  And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign.
Num 26:11  Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.

Reuben means “Behold a son”. The Lord is excited to have many sons whom He calls His brothers. 

Heb 2:10  For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 
Heb 2:11  For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 
Heb 2:12  saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 
Heb 2:13  And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” 
Heb 2:14  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 

The tribe of Reuben was counted first since Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. The total number of the Reubenites was 43,730. The significant numbers here are 3, 4 and 7. As indicated in the introductory section, it is from all the tribes of the earth that the Lord selects His army. The number 4 signifies the whole of the issue under discussion, and in this case, we are dealing with the whole of the tribes of the earth from whom the Lord selects His elect from every generation to become part of the army of the Lord. The number 3 means that those who are being selected shall go through the process of spiritual maturity through judgment. A significant aspect of being of the army of the Lord is that we are required to endure hardships which is our judgment.

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

The number 7 in this case shows us that those selected shall be made complete in Him.  In other words, the Lord who has started His work in us shall see to its completion.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Verses 9 and 10 bring to the forefront, the fact that despite being chosen by the Lord for His army, we were carnal as we rebelled against the Lord’s elect (Moses and Aaron) by rejecting their words and were swallowed up by Babylon (the earth) and became spiritually dead. The two hundred and fifty men who died by fire also represent us who became spiritually dead as the fire of the word (tribulations and persecutions) caused us to be offended. The 250 men signify that it is grace through faith (the significance of the number 5) to become the Lord’s witness (the significance of the number 2).

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

The Lord not destroying all the tribe of Korah in verse 11 is to let us know that in spite of our failures, the Lord showed mercy to us by not destroying us. In the fullness of time, this mercy we have received shall be extended to the whole world through us.

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

Num 26:12  The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites: of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites: of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites:
Num 26:13  Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites: of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
Num 26:14  These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred.

Simeon means ‘God hears.’ In spite of our failures, the Lord heard us in our desperation and came to us. We must remember that the tribe of Simeon was cursed by Jacob and therefore, humanly speaking, they do not qualify to become the Lord’s witnesses. However, the Lord in His mercy, canceled everything that mitigates against our election. The families of Simeon were 22,200 in number. This shows us that those being counted are the Lord’s witnesses (the significance of the number 2). 

Gen 49:5  Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 
Gen 49:6  O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 
Gen 49:7  Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 
Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Num 26:15  The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: 
Num 26:16  Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites: of Eri, the family of the Erites: 
Num 26:17  Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites. 
Num 26:18  These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred. 

Gad means ‘good fortune.’ The best thing that can happen to us in this life is to be counted as part of the Lord’s army. That is good fortune. This good fortune is the same as the treasure hidden in the field that a man found and sold all he had to possess the field.

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

The families of the children of Gad who were males and twenty years old and above were 40,500. This implies that the Lord is selecting His army or elect from the whole of the tribes of the earth, and it is all being done by grace through faith.  

Num 26:19  The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 
Num 26:20  And the sons of Judah after their families were; of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites: of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites. 
Num 26:21  And the sons of Pharez were; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. 
Num 26:22  These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred. 

Judah means praise. We cannot praise the Lord enough for counting us as part of the Lord’s army to inherit the promise. 

Psa 34:1  A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psa 34:2  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
Psa 34:3  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Psa 34:4  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

The sum of the males who were counted for the families of Judah was 76,500. The number six means mankind. This suggests that the Lord’s elect are selected from the people of the earth, and it is by grace through faith that the Lord will complete His work in us to be able to possess our inheritance.

Num 26:23  Of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites: of Pua, the family of the Punites: 
Num 26:24  Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites: of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 
Num 26:25  These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred.

Issachar means ‘the Lord will bring a reward.’ The Lord is indeed a rewarder. We are therefore privileged to be part of this army of the Lord. 

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 

The number of the sons of Issachar was 64,300. This means that the Lord is selecting the whole of His elect from the people of the earth of every generation. After being enrolled in His army, the Lord takes us through the process of spiritual maturity through judgment.

Num 26:26  Of the sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Sardites: of Elon, the family of the Elonites: of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.
Num 26:27  These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred.

Zebulun means ‘habitation.’ The best thing that can happen to us is to be the habitation for the Lord. Being part of the army of the Lord means that He is preparing our bodies to be His habitation. 

Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

The tribe of Zebulun numbered 60,500. This implies that it is by grace through faith that the Lord has picked us from among men to become part of the Lord’s army to inherit His promises. 

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.

Num 26:28  The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim. 
Num 26:29  Of the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites: and Machir begat Gilead: of Gilead come the family of the Gileadites. 
Num 26:30  These are the sons of Gilead: of Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites: of Helek, the family of the Helekites: 
Num 26:31  And of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites: and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites: 
Num 26:32  And of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites: and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 
Num 26:33  And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Num 26:34  These are the families of Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and two thousand and seven hundred.

Joseph means ‘may he add.’ The Lord will add to us whatever is necessary for us to win the prize of His higher calling. Joseph is represented by his two sons, Manesseh and Ephraim, who constitute two of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is worth noting that the Levite tribe was not counted as part of the army of Israel. Its place was taken by one of the sons of Joseph in order to have twelve tribes. Manasseh means ‘causing to forget.’ The Lord will indeed cause us to forget the suffering we are going through. It is another way of saying that the current suffering we are going through cannot be compared with the glory to be revealed. 

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.

The total number of the tribe of Manasseh who were counted was 52,700. What this suggests is that it takes grace through faith to become a witness for Christ, and it is the Lord who shall complete what He started in us. 

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

We have the full assurance of the Lord that what He has started in us, He is capable of completing. We should therefore not regard the work He has started in us as something small. 

May the Lord therefore grant us the grace to walk by faith and not by sight. Amen!!

Numbers 4:21-49  The Duties of the Levites – Part 3

[Study Aired May 22, 2023]

Num 4:21  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 4:22  Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;
Num 4:23  From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 4:24  This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens:
Num 4:25  And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers’ skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 4:26  And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.
Num 4:27  At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. 
Num 4:28  This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 
Num 4:29  As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;
Num 4:30  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 4:31  And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, 
Num 4:32  And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden. 
Num 4:33  This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 
Num 4:34  And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:35  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation: 
Num 4:36  And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 
Num 4:37  These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 
Num 4:38  And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:39  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 4:40  Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 
Num 4:41  These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD. 
Num 4:42  And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers,
Num 4:43  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 4:44  Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 
Num 4:45  These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 
Num 4:46  All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
Num 4:47  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 4:48  Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. 
Num 4:49  According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses. 

Overview

The study defines the services to be rendered by the Levites – Gershonites, Kohathites and the families of Merari, when the camp is setting out, that is, when the Israelites were moving from one place to another. We must remember that Israel’s movement in the wilderness was dictated by the pillar of a cloud which leads them from place to place by day and a pillar of fire by night to give them light to travel by night. 

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:

Neh 9:19  Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.

Both the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire represent Christ and the fire of His words. This age is regarded as one long night, and it is those who are guided by the pillar of fire (that is those who are being judged) who are being given the light of His words to navigate their way through this wilderness of life. 

Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

In a sense, the movement of the Israelites in the wilderness under the guidance of the pillar of cloud and fire symbolizes how the kingdom of heaven is being built over the ages as the word of the Lord (the pillar of cloud and fire) goes forth. As we know, the Levites represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon, and as we shall see later in the study, they play an integral part in the building of the kingdom of heaven. This is an example of what the Lord says regarding the work of our brothers and sisters in Babylon in the building of the kingdom of heaven:

Mat 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 
Mat 13:32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Mat 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 
Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 
Mat 13:35  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

The mustard seed growing to become a tree, where all kinds of birds lodged in its branches, tells us about the negative aspect of the growth of the kingdom of heaven. The birds represent the devil or the evil one and his messengers, who make the assembly of our brothers and sisters in Babylon, a synagogue of Satan.

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

The woman who hid three measures of meal to cause the whole meal to be leavened represents the harlot woman who represents Babylon. The whole meal becoming leaven implies that the word of the Lord has been corrupted with false doctrines. As Jesus said in the parable, this is all part of the building of the kingdom of heaven for the sake of the elect. That is why Jesus forbade His disciples by saying that he that is not against us is for us. 

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.

Luk 9:49  And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
Luk 9:50  And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

Paul reiterated the point Jesus made by saying that some preach the good news out of envy and strife. However, whether the word is preached in pretense, or in truth, the kingdom of heaven is advancing!

Php 1:15  Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
Php 1:16  The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 
Php 1:17  But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
Php 1:18  What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Wow!! How unsearchable is the wisdom of God who uses both good and evil to accomplish His purpose!!

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 forever. Amen.

Num 4:21  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 4:22  Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;
Num 4:23  From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

As indicated in the previous study, there is an age requirement for one to do the work of the Lord regarding the tabernacle of the congregation. To serve as a Levite – a Gershonite, Kohathites or from the families of Merari, one has to be between the ages of thirty and fifty. In a positive sense, one has to be spiritually mature to do the work of the Lord as the ages specified refer to the “golden years” of our lives where we are mature and have the necessary strength to do all kinds of work. The number 30 signifies the time we are spiritually mature as we have our senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Our spiritual maturity involves going through fiery trials as we see Joseph go through trials to become Prime Minister of Egypt at the age 30. David also became king at the age of 30 years. The number fifty refers to the liberty we have in Christ as we become spiritually mature. This liberty is about our freedom from bondage to sin.

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

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

Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

As we recall from the Bible, our Lord Jesus Christ waited until He was thirty years old before He began His ministry or work of service to God. Although He was a son, He learned obedience by the things He suffered and became the author of salvation to the elect first and then to the rest of the world.

Luk 3:23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

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;
Heb 5:10  Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Num 4:24  This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens:
Num 4:25  And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers’ skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
Num 4:26  And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.

In serving the Lord, the clan of the Gershonites were required to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the covering of the tent of meeting and the covering of the badgers’ skin as they journeyed through the wilderness. They were also to carry the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate. We can see that these Gershonites’ service to the Lord are basically superficial. There was nothing of the spirit involved in their service to the Lord. The items they were supposed to carry were basically the coverings of the tabernacle which is what the people of Israel see when the tabernacle is erected. In the Bible, coverings or clothing signify righteousness. 

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.

There are two kinds of righteousness – the righteousness which is self-made and that which is imputed by the Lord.  These Gershonites, or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, propagate self-righteousness which is that of the law. As the scripture says, this self-righteousness is iniquity before the Lord.

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 Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Because these Gershonites, or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, do a lot of work in transporting their own righteousness according to the law across the world, they think they have the right standing with the Lord but do not know that they are workers of iniquity.  When we were in Babylon, we also thought that we have the right standing with the Lord, but by the mercies of the Lord, we have renounced our self-righteousness in favor of righteousness which is by faith in Christ Jesus as we exited Babylon.

Mat 7:21  Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Num 4:27  At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. 
Num 4:28  This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

These verses are to remind us that the work of the Gershonites, or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, are all ordained by the Lord. Aaron and his sons here represent our Lord Jesus Christ, who is working all things after the counsel of His will.

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

In verse 28, the son of Aaron, Ithamar, was chosen to be responsible for the work of the sons of Gershon. Itharmar signifies ‘palm coast’. It is very instrumental to note that where there are palm trees, there is water.

Exo 15:27  And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

Num 33:9  And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there.

As the Lord becomes our helper, we become like palm trees which are planted by the rivers of water and bring forth fruit at the right time ordained by the Lord.

Psa 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The sons of Gershon working under Ithamar signifies that all the works of the Gershonites are for the sake of the elect. 

Joh 4:37  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Num 4:29  As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;
Num 4:30  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.

As we have indicated earlier in this study, being thirty years old and above means being spiritually mature to serve the Lord. This is the requirement to serve the Lord. However, in Babylon, this is not the case as children are the ones leading the Lord’s children.  The Bible has a lot to warn us about children who try to serve as they assume leadership of the Lord’s people. This is what happens:

Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

Num 4:31  And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,
Num 4:32  And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.
Num 4:33  This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

The service to be offered by the sons of Merari involves carrying the frames of the tabernacle with its bars. pillars and bases. In other words, the sons of Merari or the Levites’ work in the kingdom of heaven is related to the beginning aspect of building the kingdom of heaven with the Lord having laid the foundation. However, after the foundation has been laid, how we build on it is the issue. The work of the Levites is related to the wood, hay and stubble which cannot stand the test of fire, which is judgment. As we have all experienced, it is after we leave Babylon that our judgment begins resulting in the burning of the chaff which we have used in building on the foundation of Christ. This implies that the initial work of the sons of Merari or Babylon as we begin our relationship with Christ is what gives the Lord the occasion to come and judge us as we leave Babylon.

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

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 
Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

The fact that Ithamar, who represents the elect, was to supervise the work of the sons of Merari is to let us know that all the work being done by our Babylonian brothers and sisters are for our sake.

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.

Num 4:34  And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:35  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation: 
Num 4:36  And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 
Num 4:37  These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

The number of Kohathites who were from thirty years old and up to fifty years, who were counted by Moses and Aaron, was 2,750. This number implies that the complete number of the elect (significance of the number 7) must be spiritually mature to be counted for the service of the Lord which entails being witnesses of Christ (the significance of the number 2). This is achieved by grace through faith through the chastening rod of our Lord Jesus Christ (the significance of the number 5).

Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Num 4:38  And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:39  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 4:40  Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.
Num 4:41  These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD.

The number of the sons of Gershon who were qualified to serve was 2,630. What we are being made aware of is that from every tribe and kindred (the significance of the number 6) the Lord is selecting His witnesses (the significance of the number 2) to become spiritually mature through the process of the Lord’s judgment (the significance of the number 3). We all through tribulation (judgment) must enter into the service of God’s kingdom.

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

Num 4:42  And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:43  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 4:44  Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 
Num 4:45  These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

The sons of Merari numbered 3,200. Again, it stresses the point that to become part of His witnesses in this world, we must become spiritually mature through the Lord’s judgment of our old man. In other words, to become a witness of the Lord requires us to go through the seven plagues (complete judgment  of our old man).

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.

Num 4:46  All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
Num 4:47  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation,
Num 4:48  Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore.
Num 4:49  According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

In total, the number of Levites who were counted was 8,580. We are called and chosen from the tribe of Levites (Babylon) to come and serve the Lord. It is by grace through faith that we are called and chosen to birth the new man within us who is after the image of Christ (significance of the number 8). As indicated, this grace is the chastening work of the Lord which results in the birth of the new man.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching (The Greek word used is Paideuo which means chasten) us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

May the Lord continue to help us to become witnesses of Christ as we see the day approaching!! Amen!!

Numbers 3:27-51  The Duties of the Levites – Part 2

[Study Aired May 8, 2023]

Num 3:27  And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
Num 3:28  In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
Num 3:29  The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward. 
Num 3:30  And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 
Num 3:31  And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
Num 3:32  And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. 
Num 3:33  Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
Num 3:34  And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred. 
Num 3:35  And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward. 
Num 3:36  And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto, 
Num 3:37  And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. 
Num 3:38  But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 
Num 3:39  All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand. 
Num 3:40  And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 
Num 3:41  And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. 
Num 3:42  And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
Num 3:43  And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen. 
Num 3:44  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:45  Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. 
Num 3:46  And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; 
Num 3:47  Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:) 
Num 3:48  And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons. 
Num 3:49  And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: 
Num 3:50  Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 
Num 3:51  And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Introduction

This session looks at the roles of the Kohathites and the families of the sons of Merari, who were all part of the tribe of the Levites. It also takes a look at the payment of the redeemed amount resulting from the excess of the firstborns of Israel who were being replaced by the Levites as commanded by the Lord. We, His elect, are the laborers or the Levites who are replacing the firstborns. As our Lord Jesus stated, the laborers are always fewer than those who parade themselves as apostles of the gospel but are actually the firstborns who have been replaced. Such apostles think they have the legitimate right to lead the Lord’s people but are actually false apostles, deceitful workers who have transformed themselves into apostles of Christ.

Mat 9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 
Mat 9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 

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

Num 3:27  And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites. 

Kohath is the second son of Levi, and the name Kohath signifies an assembly. As we know, there are two types of assembly in the sight of God – the Babylonian assembly and that of the elect. Since the Kohathites belong to the Levite order and not the priesthood, they represent Babylonian assembly or Jerusalem, which is in bondage with her children.

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.

The names of the sons of Kohath are Amram, Izehar, Hebron and Uzziel. Amram means ‘exalted people’, Izehar means ‘anointed’, Hebron signifies ‘seat of association’ and Uzziel means ‘the strength of God’. What these names imply is that the Kohathites are associated with the exalted people of God (the elect) who are anointed through the strength of the Lord. This is affirmed through the following scripture:

Num 18:2  And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.

Num 18:4  And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.

Num 3:28  In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

The number of males of the Kohathites counted was 8,600. This means that being a Kohathite (the significance of the number 6) is all part of the process of giving birth to the new man who is after the image of Christ. As we are aware, it is as we come out of the Babylonian system (Kohathites) that Christ begins to transform us into new creatures, that is, the new man begins to be formed in us.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Num 3:29  The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

The families of the sons of Kohath were to dwell on the southward side of the tabernacle. Pitching their camp on the south side of the tabernacle of congregation means that their dwelling portion in this life is towards the sea. In other words, this group are those who start their journey with the Lord. However, the pull of the sea of flesh denied them from attaining the higher calling of the Lord.

Eze 48:28  And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.

Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 

Num 3:30  And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 

The leader of the Kohathites is called Elizaphan which means ‘my God has protected’. The implication here is that in the grand scheme of the Lord, He is the one who is protecting the Kohathites to play the role of capturing the Lord’s children in Babylonian captivity until the set times that they are released to know 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:

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 
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.

Num 3:31  And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

These Kohathites are to take care of the ark, the table, the candlesticks, the altars and all the vessels used in the Holy place. As we indicated in the previous study, the Kohathites, who were part of the Levites, are given to the elect to help them minister to the Lord. They do the initial leg work of using the law of Moses as our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. After we get to know Christ through faith, we are no longer under their influence or the law of Moses. Today’s Kohathites also represent the Christian religion. They are focused on building and taking care of physical churches (tabernacle of testimony). In other words, they are protecting the legacy of the Christian religion.

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

Num 3:32  And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. 

Eleazer, the Priest, was the appointed leader of the Levites as he oversaw the work of the Levites. Eleaser means ‘God is help’. We can therefore say that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who helps our brothers and sisters in Babylon carry out their work, which is related to the letter of the word which brings death. As we all know, all the good and the evil things that are happening in this world are all part of the plan of the Lord. As the Bible indicates, all things, whether good or evil, are being done for our sakes, the elect, including the work of the false apostles in Babylon.

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

Num 3:33  Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
Num 3:34  And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.

Merari was the last son of Merari. The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli means ‘weak’, and Mushi signifies ‘yielding’. This spiritually means that since our flesh is weak, we naturally yield to the deeds of the flesh. That is what characterized our lives in Babylon as we were yielding to the deeds of the flesh because of what we hear from our leaders in Babylon.

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

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.

The total number of the males that were counted for the families of Merari was 6,200. This signifies that the weakness of our flesh as man (the meaning of the number 6) serves as a witness (the meaning of the number 2) to our failure to inherit the promise unless the Lord intervenes by driving us out of Babylon (families of Merari).

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.

The name Merari means ‘bitter’, which is part of the deeds of the flesh which we are warned by the Lord can disqualify us for the prize.

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 
Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 
Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Num 3:35  And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward. 

The head of the families of Merari is Zuriel which means ‘God is a rock’. This is therefore to let us know that our Lord Jesus is the one who is actively involved in the affairs of the families of Merari who represent Babylon. 

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

The fact that the families of the Merari were required to dwell on the northern side of the tabernacle suggests that this group is far away from the sea of flesh. Thus, the sons of the Merari represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon who have escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust of the flesh but are being entrapped into it due to false doctrines perpetrated by their leaders. This affirms our earlier assertion of the spiritual state of this group of the Levites.

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.

Num 3:36  And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto, 
Num 3:37  And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

The responsibility of the sons of Merari was toward the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories. In addition to this, they were to take care of the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords and the services connected with these. All these responsibilities relate to superficial aspects of serving the Lord. It has nothing to do with worshiping the Lord in truth and in spirit, which is the portion of the elect. What Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that they worship what they do not know is very relevant today. Many worship another Jesus thinking it is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 4:21  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 
Joh 4:22  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 
Joh 4:23  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

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

It was Moses, Aaron and his sons who were required to dwell on the East side of the tabernacle. It is from the East that the sun of righteousness rises with healing in its wings. This affirms that Moses, Aaron and his sons, who represent the priesthood, symbolize the elect who are first to experience the rise of the sun of righteousness in this life.

Mal 4:2  But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 
Mal 4:3  And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.

The wicked in Malachi 4:3 refers to our old man who we are destined to tread down.

We are told in Numbers 3:38 that the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. The stranger represents all those who are not called and chosen but are forcing themselves into the kingdom of God. Our Lord Jesus mentioned that the kingdom of God has suffered violence since John the Baptist as strangers try to usurp the rightful owners (the elect) through their perceived will. 

Mat 11:12  From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. (ESV)

As we know, the kingdom of God, which rightfully belongs to the elect, is given but is not there to be taken. Many people of various religions of this world including Christianity are typical examples of strangers coming nigh to take what belongs to the elect and are therefore put to death as shown in verse 38. Being put to death means they are blinded with thick darkness by the Lord and kept until judgment as shown in these verses: 

2Pe 2:1  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 
2Pe 2:2  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 
2Pe 2:3  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 
2Pe 2:4  For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 

2Pe 2:9  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 
2Pe 2:10  and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,

Num 3:39  All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand. 

As indicated in the previous study, the Levites needed to be counted. The reason the Levites were counted was that since they were required to replace the firstborns, it was necessary that the number of Levites had to be equal to the number of firstborns of Israel and that any shortage would then be redeemed. The number of the Levites counted was 22,000. On a positive note, this number suggests that we, the elect, who are replacing those who have been shown mercy are called and chosen to become witnesses of Christ. 

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. 

Num 3:40  And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 
Num 3:41  And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. 
Num 3:42  And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
Num 3:43  And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.

Spiritually, the Levites replacing the firstborn of the children of Israel is a foretaste of the fact that the Lord’s election is no longer dependent on a person’s pedigree or his or her birth. Paul made this clear when through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he made the statement that it is not one who is born a Jew that counts, but a Jew is a person who worships the Lord in truth and in spirit. 

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

The number of the firstborn counted was 22,273. This means that at the completion of the ages (the significance of the number 7), all those who were initially shown mercy will become witnesses of Christ (the significance of the number 2) as they go through the process of spiritual maturity through judgment (the significance of the number 3).

Num 3:44  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:45  Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. 
Num 3:46  And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; 
Num 3:47  Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:) 
Num 3:48  And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons. 
Num 3:49  And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: 
Num 3:50  Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 
Num 3:51  And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. 

The amount of money paid to Aaron and his sons as a result of the difference in number between the firstborn and the Levites was 1,365 shekels. This amount shows us the sacrifice that our Lord Jesus Christ made on our behalf for us to be considered part of the commonwealth of God’s people.

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

The redeemed amount of 1,365 shekels shows us that we need to have the same mind with Christ or to be united with Christ (the significance of the number 1) in our lives here as men (the significance of the number 6). This is achieved by the process of spiritual maturity through judgment (the significance of the number 3). All this is possible by grace through faith (the significance of the number 5). This grace through faith is made possible through the Lord’s sacrifice with His life. We, the elect, are those who have been redeemed through the precious blood of Christ. 

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:

May the Lord be merciful to us as He continues to redeem us!! Amen!!

Numbers 2:1-34  The Army of the Lord Encamping in Array

[Study Aired April 24, 2023

Num 2:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
Num 2:2  Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. 
Num 2:3  And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah. 
Num 2:4  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 
Num 2:5  And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. 
Num 2:6  And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:7  Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. 
Num 2:8  And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:9  All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.
Num 2:10  On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
Num 2:11  And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 
Num 2:12  And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 
Num 2:13  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 
Num 2:14  Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. 
Num 2:15  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. 
Num 2:16  All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank. 
Num 2:17  Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. 
Num 2:18  On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud. 
Num 2:19  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. 
Num 2:20  And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 
Num 2:21  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 
Num 2:22  Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. 
Num 2:23  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:24  All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.
Num 2:25  The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
Num 2:26  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 
Num 2:27  And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran. 
Num 2:28  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 
Num 2:29  Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. 
Num 2:30  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:31  All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards. 
Num 2:32  These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 
Num 2:33  But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Num 2:34  And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers. 

Introduction

Regarding the verses just read, we see that the children of Israel encamped in array. They did not have the right to be positioned anywhere in the camp of Israel. Their dwellings were all arranged in a pattern given to Moses by the Lord. The children of Israel in this case represent the world, and therefore, what the Lord is telling us is that in this world in which we dwell, He has arranged where we should live and at what time we are to live at a particular place. We do not therefore have the option of making our own decisions in this life. Apparently, we make choices every day, however, these choices are caused to reflect what has been written in our books concerning our lives. 

Act 17:26  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 
Act 17:27  that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 
Act 17:28  for “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said, “For we are indeed his offspring.” (ESV)

This is all part of the Lord’s predestination. We are not born to have our own will and to do what we like, whether good or evil. In Him we live, move and have our being means that everything we think about or do is from the Lord.

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. 

The prophet Isaiah was given to see that the God we are dealing with is a God who likes to hide Himself. In other words, His dealings are hidden to the world, but to the elect, He has given the eyes to see and the ears to hear from the Lord and therefore, He is no longer hidden from us. 

Isa 45:15  Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. 

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

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

This is what the Lord tells us through the prophet Jeremiah:

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

Understanding the sovereignty of the Lord is key to a peaceful life and rest in the Lord in this tumultuous world in which we live. In other words, knowing that everything comes from the Lord, including our sins, mistakes, etc., is what gives us rest in Christ. This is the same as knowing that in Him we live, move and have our being. As the scripture says, everything concerning us (our daily lives) was written in our books even when we were not yet born. 

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 
Psa 139:17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 

As we go through chapter 2 of Numbers, the key thing to remember is the Lord’s sovereignty in everything. We have already gone over the significance of the total number of the army of the Lord for each tribe in the previous two sessions, and so we shall not do so in this session.

Num 2:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
Num 2:2  Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. 

The father’s house in verse 2 is traced to Jacob, and it is through Jacob (one blood) that all the people of Israel came.  As we can see, the Lord is using the people of Israel to depict His plan for the world. In these verses, the children of Israel represent the whole world, and the Lord is showing us how He has made all humanity from one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth. Pitching by his own standard and with the ensign of their father’s house means that the Lord has determined our parental lineage even before we were born and that it is through our parents that the Lord determines the bounds of our habitation. All the tribes are arranged to face the tabernacle of the congregation. This is another way of saying that the Lord is not far from each one of us and that all humanity will seek the Lord, but it is the elect who shall feel after Him and find Him first. Paul’s words in Acts 17:26-28 are therefore another rendition of Numbers 2:1-2. 

Act 17:26  And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 
Act 17:27  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 
Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Num 2:3  And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah. 
Num 2:4  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 
Num 2:5  And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. 
Num 2:6  And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:7  Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. 
Num 2:8  And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:9  All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.

There are basically four camps around the tabernacle of congregation. The first group consisted of the tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, and they were to pitch their tent on the East side of the tabernacle of the congregation. The East side is towards the rising of the sun. In other words, the sun rises from their end. Having been given eyes to see, we know that Jesus Christ is the Sun of righteousness. What we are being told here, therefore, is the fact that this group represents the elect who are first to see Christ rise in their lives. The names of the tribe affirm this assertion that this group represents the elect. Judah means to praise the Lord. Issachar means “he will bring a reward” and that of Zebulun means habitation. So, this group represents the elect who will praise the Lord as they dwell here on earth (habitation) and will definitely receive a reward. 

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.

The leading tribe of this group is Judah. As we are aware, Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. As we can see from the prophecy of Jacob regarding Judah, Judah is described as a lion or an old lion. Jesus is therefore the leader of the elect or this group. Incidentally, the leader of the tribe of Judah in verse 3 is called Nahshon which means an enchanter. Jesus, who is our leader, is the one who has enchanted us with His love to follow Him.

Jer 31:3  The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Rev 5:5  and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.

Gen 49:8  Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 
Gen 49:9  Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 
Gen 49:10  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 

The names of the leaders of the other two tribes, Issachar and Zebulun, were Eliab and Nathaneel. Eliab means ‘God is father’ and Nathaneel means ‘given to God’. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our leader, is also God our father, and His life is given totally to God.   

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

In verse 9, we are told that those in the camp of Judah shall set forth first. We, the elect, are the ones to set forth in this life to engage the enemy, which is our flesh. Our leader has already assured us that being of the camp of Judah, we shall be the first to defeat the enemies as we break our enemies’ necks.

Gen 49:8  Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 

Num 2:10  On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
Num 2:11  And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 
Num 2:12  And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 
Num 2:13  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 
Num 2:14  Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. 
Num 2:15  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. 
Num 2:16  All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.

This second group shall camp on the south side. This group consists of the tribes of Reuben, Simeon and Gad. This group is dominated by the tribe of Reuben. Pitching their camp on the south side of the tabernacle of congregation means that their dwelling portion in this life is towards the sea. In other words, this group is those who start their journey with the Lord. However, the pull of the sea of flesh denied them from attaining the higher calling of the Lord.

Eze 48:28  And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.

Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 

We must remember that Reuben, the first son of Jacob, who through him the tribe of Reuben came into existence, was disqualified from His birthright as firstborn as a result of his inability to resist the pull of the flesh as he slept with his father’s concubine.  This affirms this group’s positioning at the south side, towards the sea of flesh.

Gen 49:3  Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Gen 49:4  Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. 
Gen 49:5  Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 
Gen 49:6  O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

The names of the leaders of this group are Elizur, Shelumiel and Eliasaph. Elizur means ‘my God is a rock’; Shelumiel means ‘Peace of God’ and Eliasaph denotes ‘God has added’.  The names of the leaders therefore implies that the God of the rock of our salvation, who is the prince of peace, will in the fullness of time add this group to His people. In verse 16, this group is the second to move whenever the Israelites have to move to another place. We must remember that it is only those who are first to know Christ in this life that matters. Whether you come second or third or fourth is irrelevant.  

Num 2:17  Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. 

The Levites who take care of the tabernacle of the congregation follow in terms of movement after the group led by the tribe of Reuben. As the story of the hired laborers shows us, what matters is those who were paid first. It is the group of Judah who moved first who received the prize. The Levites and the other groups who moved later will not receive the prize, although they shall be saved. The Levites in verse 17 here represent Babylon or the Christian religion who are protecting the relics of the fading glory – Ichabod!! 

Neh 1:3  And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”  

Mat 20:1  “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
Mat 20:2  After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Mat 20:3  And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 
Mat 20:4  and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 
Mat 20:5  So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 
Mat 20:6  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
Mat 20:7  They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too.’ 
Mat 20:8  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 
Mat 20:9  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 
Mat 20:10  Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 
Mat 20:11  And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,

Num 2:18  On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud. 
Num 2:19  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. 
Num 2:20  And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 
Num 2:21  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 
Num 2:22  Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. 
Num 2:23  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:24  All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.

This group is composed of the tribe of Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. The tribe of Ephraim is the dominant tribe of this group. This group is required to pitch their tents on the west side of the tabernacle of the congregation. The west is where the sun sets. This implies that those in this group will definitely be visited by the Lord at the end of the ages through judgment. The names of the leaders also confirm this assertion. The leaders of the tribe of Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin are Elishama, Gamaliel and Abidan. Eliashama means ‘God has heard’. Gamaliel means ‘God is my recompense’ and Abidan signifies ‘the Father judges’. What these names signify is that at the end of the ages when the sun sets, this group shall have God as their reward when He hears them through His judgment.

Rev 7:9  After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 
Rev 7:10  and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 

As we are aware in the scriptures, the Lord was not pleased with the tribe of Ephraim. This is what He says about the tribe of Ephraim:

Hos 4:17  Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

Hos 5:3  I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

Hos 7:8  Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

Hos 7:11  Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

Hos 8:9  For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

As a result of the sins of Ephraim, this group shall surely undergo the Lord’s judgment at the end of the ages before they come to drink from the rivers of water. 

Jer 31:18  I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.

Jer 31:9  They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Num 2:25  The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
Num 2:26  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 
Num 2:27  And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran. 
Num 2:28  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 
Num 2:29  Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. 
Num 2:30  And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 
Num 2:31  All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards. 

The group that dwelt on the northern part of the tabernacle of the congregation consists of the tribes of Dan, Asher and Naphtali. Being in the north, which is the opposite of the south, means they are far from the sea of flesh which represents the world. The dominant tribe in this group is Dan. In Judges we see the children of Dan setting up a graven image which became a stumbling block to many people of Israel. In addition, they used Gershom and his sons, who were from the tribe of Manasseh, to become priests which was against the Lord’s requirement. Dan here, or this group therefore, represents Babylon where we worship another Jesus.

Jdg 18:30  And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

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

The names of the leaders of the tribes in this group tell us about the nature of this group. The leaders of Dan, Asher and Naphtali are Ahiezer, Pagiel and Ahira respectively. Ahiezer means ‘brother of help’, Pagiel stands for ‘meeting with God’ and Ahira signifies ‘brother of evil’. What these names imply is that our brothers and sisters in Babylon cause us a lot of evil, but they are also a help to us, the elect. As we can see in the scriptures, the Levites are given to help the elect. At the climax of the ages, our brothers and sisters in Babylon will also have the chance to meet the Lord. 

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

Num 2:32  These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 
Num 2:33  But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Num 2:34  And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers. 

As we indicated in the previous study, the Levites were not counted and therefore, were not enrolled in the army of the Lord. The Levites represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are also of Abraham’s seed. However, they are not counted as the seed of promise and therefore are not to be given any inheritance. This is not because we, the elect, deserve any inheritance. It is through the hardening of their hearts to believe that we are privileged to receive mercy to believe. In the final analysis, this mercy we have received will be extended to the whole of the human race. 

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.

May the Lord continue to show mercy to us as we strive for the mark of His higher calling!! Amen!!

[Study Aired June 9, 2022]

1Ki 20:22  And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. 
1Ki 20:23  And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 
1Ki 20:24  And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:
1Ki 20:25  And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. 
1Ki 20:26  And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. 
1Ki 20:27  And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country. 
1Ki 20:28  And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 
1Ki 20:29  And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
1Ki 20:30  But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.

In our last study, King Ahab, whose life represents that of God’s elect, was brought into remembrance by circumstances that God created through King Benhadad. How valuable the riches were in the temple that Ahab, which up to this point he had seemingly taken for granted. The lesson for God’s elect is that human nature can take anything for granted, and unless God gives us trials and tribulations, which came to Ahab by way of Benhadad, we would continue in this careless mindset of not holding fast to our crown, which all those riches represent (see vs 3: “Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest” [Rev 3:11).

Rev 3:11  I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

By God’s grace and mercy, Ahab had this laissez-faire spirit burned out of him. What an interesting modern word “laissez-faire” is, which would roughly translate into English as ‘leave the people do as they choose’. King Ahab is us as that carnal babe in Christ, and unless the Lord intervenes we will just do what we think is naturally right in our own eyes and even believe this is for the betterment of all others, letting ‘our brothers’ do as they choose (Pro 14:12, Pro 16:25, 1Co 5:11, Act 20:28).

Pro 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 

1Co 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

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.

This natural mind was as much a part of Christ as it is in all men, and unless Christ suffered in His flesh and learned obedience by those things which He suffered, losing His life in the process so He could gain it, we would not have a savior and high priest as we do today (Heb 4:15).

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.

The feelings of our infirmities (Psa 119:67-71) includes being marred in the hand of the Potter (Jer 18:4) and being subject to a way that seems right to all mankind in this corruptible flesh. Nevertheless, Christ, being in that marred condition and having God’s spirit without measure, (“for God giveth not the Spirit by measure” [Joh 3:34]), always obeyed His Father and said not my will but your will be done — even as He was learning obedience through the things which He suffered (Heb 5:8-9, Mat 16:24, 2Ti 2:12, Luk 22:44).

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;

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Christ denied himself to become our High Priest who can now save us from our natural tendency to deny Him in our flesh (Gal 2:20). Only Christ can be Christ, and He won’t deny Himself the work of saving all those whom the Father has given Him to save as a kind of first fruits unto God (2Ti 2:12-15, Joh 6:39, Jas 1:18, 1Pe 2:9).

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 
2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself [These are the profitable words that’s God children have been called to believe in order to do the work of God in this life].
2Ti 2:14  Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 
2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

Joh 6:39  And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (1Jn 2:17, Php 2:13)

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:

The winnowing process spoken of in Matthew 3:12 applies to our Head, Jesus Christ, as much as it does to His Body as well (Col 1:24), and unless the Lord builds the spiritual house within us which consists of many members that make up His body (Rom 12:5), we will be laboring in vain (Psa 127:1, Col 1:27). We are not laboring in vain however, any more than Christ was, and the reason is clear to God’s elect as to why this is the case: (1Co 15:58, Joh 5:30, Joh 15:5, Php 2:12-13).

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

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

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

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

This particular study is centered around the truth of scripture that tells us God is the God of the mountain as well as the God of the plain or valley, which is another way of reminding us that God’s will is being fulfilled in the lives of His children on earth…

“Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys“ (1Ki 20:28)

…as it is in heaven:

“Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys” (1Ki 20:28)

… and as such we have nothing to fear as we die daily and serve our Lord and His body, of which Body we are told, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven [represented by the hills] and in earth [represented by the plains]” (Mat 28:18, Php 2:12-13).

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

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

1Ki 20:22  And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. 

The day of the Lord can be likened to one year (“for at the return of the year” of this verse), and Ahab is being told, as we are, that we are to prepare ourselves for battle (Psa 90:11-14, Eph 6:13). Ahab’s battle was physical and ours is spiritual in the Lord who gives us the power to “strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest” (Eph 6:12, Php 4:13).

Psa 90:11  Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 
Psa 90:12  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. 
Psa 90:13  Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. 
Psa 90:14  O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

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

What we must do to overcome sin after having done all is stand up against “the king of Syria” who “will come up against thee” who typifies Satan (Mat 4:2-3). The preparation for that battle against “the King of Syria” requires that “the prophet” come “to the king of Israel” to alert us of this day of visitation or judgment that is coming, and we are to heed this warning (Eze 2:5, Luk 12:47, 1Th 5:20).

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. 

Eze 2:5  And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. 

Luk 12:47  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 

1Th 5:20  Despise not prophesyings.

1Ki 20:23  And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 
1Ki 20:24  And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms: 
1Ki 20:25  And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

It is “the servants of the king of Syria” who come to the king of Syria to give him their earthly counsel as opposed to the prophet who came to the king of Israel to let Ahab know for certain what was going to happen (Amo 3:7).

Amo 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Carnal reasoning for taking “the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms” never works! To dismiss the ordained rulers (“the kings”) and replace them with the ‘military commanders’ will not bode well (Pro 14:12).

1Ki 20:24  So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. (NET)

Their pagan concepts of who they thought God was were defined with a small ‘g’, “god”. They believed that they had the “home court advantage” against Israel because of their belief that Israel’s ‘god’ only battled well in the mountains and as such was only the god of the mountains.

The lesson for God’s elect is to not lose sight that God can and will fight all our battles, the ones in the plain and the ones in hills, which are symbols for us of how Christ has all power over heaven and earth where He will reign victoriously (Mat 28:18, Isa 33:22).

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Isa 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

The fleshly carnal mind just naturally wants to compartmentalize God, and this pantheistic approach of the Syrians in defining who they thought Israel’s God was, led to their destruction.

The definition of insanity was once defined as doing the same thing over and over with the same wrong results, which is what we do when we are in the bondage of sin and why we read of Syria’s preparation for war in these terms: “And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.“

I can’t help but think of comparing this story to Gog and Magog (Rev 20:8-9). This battle at the end of the thousand year reign of the saints has the same delusional undertones as that of “the servants of the king of Syria“.

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

1Ki 20:26  And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
1Ki 20:27  And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

Verse 26 explains why Benhadad, or anyone who is trying to fight spiritual warfare, will lose if they number the Syrians” (2Sa 24:1, 1Ch 21:1, Jas 1:13), representing our trust in our flesh and our own strength, which is what “Aphek^H663” means. It doesn’t say who numbered Israel, as opposed to declaring “that Benhadad numbered the Syrians“, the point being that the Lord is the one who determines our ranks and how many we need to win the battle (Jdg 7:7, Heb 11:32.

Jdg 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men [Rom 2:4] that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

This is all symbolic language telling us that we need to get out of the way and confess our transgressions (300 men – process of judgment) so that God can fight the battle for us through Christ (Gideon) and the body of Christ (Gideon’s army). Our victory comes about by hoping in those things which we don’t see which requires the faith of Christ that is in His body the church, represented by Gideon’s army (Joh 20:29).

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

More contrast is drawn for us in regard to the children of Israel who were numbered, and all present looking “like two little flocks of kids;” who were all present and pitched before the vastly larger Syrian army that “filled the country“. The contrast with “two little flocks of kids” and an army that “filled the country” reminds us that with Christ in us as His little flock who are “all present” as one body (Luk 12:32), we have nothing to fear regarding what any size army symbolizing our trials may come our way such as this one that “filled the country” (Rom 8:35-39, Mat 16:18).

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

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. 

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

H663‘ăphêq    ‘ăphı̂yq    af-ake’, af-eek’    From H662 (in the sense of strength); fortress; Aphek (or Aphik), the name of three places in Palestine: – Aphek, Aphik.  Total KJV occurrences: 9

1Ki 20:28  And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

This verse makes it very apparent how easy it is for the Lord to deliver us from our enemies, declared by the ‘man of God’ who comes and prophesies of things to come.

It is the prophets of old who came to Israel, expressed this way by the holy spirit “who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets”, and it is Christ who comes to us as the Comforter who will lead us into all Truth today through the church (Heb 1:1-3, Amo 3:7, 1Pe 1:12, 1Co 10:11, Joh 14:16-17, Eph 3:10).

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 
Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 
Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you [Col 1:27].

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

This is exactly what this man of God says for our sakes today: “Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.“

God is showing us through this event in history how He deals with any unbelief within Christ’s body, the church (Col 1:24). Notice it says, “And ye shall know that I am the LORD” — after the Syrians within me are destroyed who would have me believe that God is only God in certain parts of my earth [my life], when in fact He is the “God of the hills” as well as the “God of the valley“.

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: 

1Ki 20:29  And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
1Ki 20:30  But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.

Both sides pitching one over against the other for seven days is a physical representation of the flesh being against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh (Gal 5:17) and how there must be a complete readiness of mind before “the battle was joined“. Such a battle symbolizes Christ now entering into the holy of holies which no man, specifically our carnal self, can enter. The carnal, first man Adam, is destroyed in spiritual battle, typified by Syria being overcome in this physical battle (Rev 15:8). The number slain “in one day” was “an hundred thousand footmen” reminds us that this battle represents the destruction of our readied and completely prepared carnal hearts which are deceitful and desperately wicked. But for the grace through faith of Christ, the sin that lies at the doors of our heart would sift us via the destroyer Satan (Gen 4:7, Luk 22:31).

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

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. 

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him  [Eph 2:8].

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 

Notice the rest fled “to Aphek, into the city” to escape the battle “and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left“, telling us that our sins will find us out and there is no refuge or strength to be found when we go “to Aphek, into the city” which symbolizes our leaning to our own understanding (Num 32:23, Pro 3:3-6).

Num 32:23  But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

Pro 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 
Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

The good news for God’s elect is that He is working with us as His workmanship so our old man will be sought out and completely destroyed by Christ as He knocks down our walls within our weakly fortified cities within ourselves in order to destroy our carnal nature as He gives us a new heart (Eze 36:26).

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

This wall that kills 27,000 is a multiple of ten that represents flesh and blood which cannot inherit the kingdom of God and is prevented by the fiery sword which turns every way to keep the tree of life (Gen 3:24). It can also be likened to the shout of the armies of Israel that caused the walls of Jericho to fall, an act of faith typifying that when the body of Christ is of one mind, and all come in the unity of the faith being of one voice, our enemies are conquered (Jos 6:16, Jos 6:20-21, Heb 11:30).

Jos 6:16  And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

Jos 6:20  So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 
Jos 6:21  And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. 

Sin is persistent and will always be at the door of our hearts to be overcome, and it will desperately try to hide itself in the inner chamber of our hearts and minds: “And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.” However, the Lord will seek it out and destroy it all, at an appointed time. The appointed time is an ongoing dying-daily process for God’s elect who are being judged today [27,000 – the 2+7 (which adds to 9) (1Pe 4:17)], a judgment that will conclude at our last breath, bringing us unto perfection on the third day, if we are blessed of God to endure until the end (Mat 24:13).

Luk 13:32  And he said to them, Having gone, say to this fox, Behold, I cast out demons and finish cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I am fully perfected. 

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

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at the last section of chapter twenty in Kings. Here are the verses:

1Ki 20:31  And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.
1Ki 20:32  So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
1Ki 20:33  Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
1Ki 20:34 And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.
1Ki 20:35  And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
1Ki 20:36  Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
1Ki 20:37  Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
1Ki 20:38  So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
1Ki 20:39  And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
1Ki 20:40  And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.
1Ki 20:41  And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
1Ki 20:42  And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
1Ki 20:43  And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

Alleged Contradictions In Scripture – Part 5

Who Tempted King David? How Much Was Paid For Ornan’s Threshing Floor?

God inspired those who wrote the original manuscripts (2Ti 3:16), but He did not inspire the transcribers and scribes who copied and preserved the scriptures to the extent they would copy the originals perfectly, and there are copy errors which are easily detected by simply using the principle of ‘a multitude of counselors’, or in this case it is ‘the multitude of manuscripts’. Having said that, I am in no way negating scriptures which plainly tell us God is in charge of everything – including causing errors to creep into the scriptures (1Jn 3:20, 1Co 11:12, Eph 1:11, Rom 11:36) just so God can blind mankind according to His plan (Joh 9:39, Exo 4:11, Joh 12:40).

We must also be very careful to remember that the scriptures themselves tell us that no prophecy of scripture is of “its own interpretation” (2Pe 1:20).

The errors of the translators are easily detected by simply taking the time to seek a multitude of counselors. When we apply that principle of ‘a multitude of counselors’ and we discover what the majority of the manuscripts say, we will generally find out that when one verse appears to contradict another verse, in almost every case all we need do is to recognize that one writer is telling us one angle of the story while the other is telling us a completely different part of the same story.

The story of King David numbering the people has four apparent contradictions in it when we compare what is written in 2 Samuel 24 with 1 Chronicles 21.

1) Was it the Lord or was it Satan who moved David to number Israel?
2) Was King David given the choice of three years of famine, or was it seven years of Famine?
3) Did King David buy the threshing floor for 50 shekels of silver or 600 shekels of gold?
4) Did King David buy the threshing floor from Araunah or Ornan?

First alleged contradiction

The first apparent contradiction is that in 2 Samuel we are told:

2Sa 24:1  And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

Here in 2 Samuel 24 we are told “the Lord…moved David… to say, Go, number Israel and Judah”, while this same story in 1 Chronicles 21 relates to us:

1Ch 21:1  And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

Is this really a contradiction, or doesn’t this story simply confirm the revelation we are given in the book of Job that a sovereign God used the being whom He created to be an adversary to Himself to “provoke David to number Israel”?

It is in the book of Job that it is most clearly demonstrated that Satan cannot so much as scratch his head without the direction from God to do so. In the book of Job, Satan did exactly what God commissioned him to do. He did not go one inch beyond that commission, neither could he do one iota less than what evil He was sent by Christ, to accomplish:

Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

First Christ sent Satan to destroy “all that [Job] had”, but He was not permitted to put for [his] hand upon [Job] himself”. Then in the next chapter Satan is permitted to put forth his hand and touch Job’s body. The entire event is carried out “after the counsel of [Christ’s] own will”, which was: “And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.”

Job 2:4  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Job 2:5  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 2:6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
Job 2:7  So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
Job 2:8  And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Satan here refers to his own actions as “thine [Christ’s] hand”, and Christ confirms for us all that Satan is indeed Christ’s hand.

 Job 2:6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

So 1 Chronicles 21 is simply complementing the story of 2 Samuel 24.  2 Samuel gives us the story from the absolute point of view dwelling on God’s sovereignty, while 1 Chronicles 21 gives us the details of how God made King David to sin.

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.

The Truth is always to be found in “the sum of [God’s] Word”,  and that ‘sum of God’s Word’ tells us that the way God made King David to sin was by sending the adversary to suggest to King David that David number the people, just as He had previously sent an evil spirit to have Joseph’s brothers to sell him into Egypt (Gen 45:4-8), and just as He would later send a lying spirit to lie through all of King Ahab’s prophets (1Kg 22: 22-23).

Second alleged contradiction

The second alleged contradiction in this story concerns the number of years King David was asked to chose as one of the three punishments. Here is this part of the story from 2 Samuel 24:

2Sa 24:10  And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
2Sa 24:11  For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
2Sa 24:12  Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
2Sa 24:13  So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

1 Chronicles gives us a different number of years King David was to suffer famine in his land:

1Ch 21:11  So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee
1Ch 21:12  Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

When we apply the principle of a multitude of counselors to this situation, we learn that the vast majority of the manuscripts retain “seven years”, even if many of the translations have taken it upon themselves to change 2 Samuel to three years to make it agree with 1Chronicles 21. Here is a cut and paste from a web site called Another King James Bible Believer at this link:

http://brandplucked.webs.com/7or3yearsoffamine.htm.

This short article actually applies the principle of ‘the sum of thy word’ to show us that the account in 2 Samuel includes four previous years of famine.

Quoting from this link:

“Bible commentator Matthew Poole (1624-1679 English Annotations on the Holy Bible) rightly says: “Seven years of famine. Objection. In 1 Chron. xxi 12, it is only three years of famine. Some conceive that here was an error in the transcriber, and that the true reading is three years, as the LXX. read it in this place, being supposed to have found it so in their copies, and that otherwise they durst never have presumed to make so great a change in the text.  In Chron. he speaks exactly of those years of famine only which came for David’s sin; but here he speaks more comprehensively, including those three years of famine sent for Saul’s sin, chap. xxi.

2Sa 21:1  Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

“And this sin of David’s was committed in the year next after them, which was in a manner a year of famine; either because it was the sabbatical year, wherein they might not sow nor reap; or rather, because not being able to sow in the third year, because of the excessive drought, they were not capable of reaping this fourth year. And three years more being added to these four, make up the seven here mentioned. So the meaning of the words is this, As thou hast already had four years of famine, shall three years more come? And that it is said of these seven years, that they shall come, it is a synecdochical expression frequent in Scripture, because part of the years were yet to come; even as it is said of the Israelites, that they should wander in the wilderness forty years, Numb. xiv. 33, when part of that time was already spent.”

“In 2 Samuel 24: 13 the prophet Gad comes to David and says: “Shall SEVEN years of famine come unto thee in thy land?”

“SEVEN years is the reading of the Hebrew text here as the NIV, RSV, NRSV, ESV and the Catholic New Jerusalem bible footnotes tell us. The reading of THREE YEARS comes from the Greek Septuagint version, but not the Hebrew.

“The false reading in 2 Samuel 24:13 of THREE years is found in the NIV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NEB, Bible in Basic English, the New Living Translation, the Holman Standard 2003, Common English Bible 2011 and the Message of 2002.

“The Catholic Versions are continually changing and are in disagreement with each other. The older Douay-Rheims and the Douay of 1950 both follow the Hebrew reading in 2 Samuel 24:13 and say “SEVEN years”, but then the Jerusalem bible 1969, St. Joseph NAB of 1970 and the New Jerusalem bible 1985 went with “THREE years”, and then tell us in a footnote that the Hebrew reads “seven years”.  But they are not done yet. Now in 2009 the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible has come out and it goes BACK to the Hebrew reading of “SEVEN years” saying: “Either SEVEN years of famine will come to you in your land; or you will flee for three months from your adversaries”.

So the principles of ‘the sum of thy word’ working with the principle of ‘the multitude of counselors’ once again helps us to understand that what appears to the casual reader to be a contradiction, is proven to be easily understood by anyone willing to give scripture the same credit they would readily allow for secular writings. 2 Samuel is simply far more comprehensive than 1 Chronicles in telling us how long Israel suffered famine in the land.

Third alleged contradiction

The third alleged contradiction in this story is the name of the man who sold the threshing floor to King David. In 2 Samuel 24 we are told his name was “Araunah the Jebusite”.

2Sa 24:18  And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2Sa 24:19  And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
2Sa 24:20  And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
2Sa 24:21  And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

But in 1 Chronicles the name of this man is Ornan:

1Ch 21:18  Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 
1Ch 21:19  And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD.
1Ch 21:20  And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
1Ch 21:21  And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
1Ch 21:22  Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.

The simple solution to this alleged contradiction is to acknowledge the most obvious fact that many people in the Old Testament and in the New Testament were given, and were known by, more than one name. A few examples will make this point:

1) Abraham, for most of his life was called Abram:

Gen 17:3  And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:4  As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:5  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

2) Joseph was also named and known as Zaphnathpaaneah to the Egyptians, and this man, Ornan/Araunah, while an Israelite, was also a Jebusite.

Gen 41:45  And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

3) Gideon was also called Jerubbaal:

Jdg 7:1  Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

4) Christ changed the name of “Simon, the son of Jonas” to Peter, and the names are used interchangeably:

Mat 10:2  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

Joh 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Attempting to turn these two names into a contradiction is to accuse Christ of contradicting Himself every time He refers to “Simon Barjona”, as Peter, or vice-versa. Only an atheist, with a secular humanist agenda, would fail to see that in this story King David bought the threshing floor, to paraphrase Matthew 10:2, from “[Araunah], who is called [Ornan]”.

Fourth alleged contradiction

The fourth alleged contradiction concerns the price paid for the threshing floor. Here is what 2 Samuel tells us:

2Sa 24:17  And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.
2Sa 24:18  And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2Sa 24:19  And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
2Sa 24:20  And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
2Sa 24:21  And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2Sa 24:22  And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
2Sa 24:23  All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
2Sa 24:24  And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Here is this same story in 1 Chronicles 21:

1Ch 21:18  Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
1Ch 21:19  And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD.
1Ch 21:20  And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
1Ch 21:21  And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
1Ch 21:22  Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
1Ch 21:23  And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.
1Ch 21:24  And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
1Ch 21:25  So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

Fifty shekels of silver versus six hundred shekels of  gold is one huge difference. But in this case 1 Chronicles is the more comprehensive of the two accounts, because in 2 Samuel we are told King David at first simply bought the threshing floor and the oxen. That is not the narrow focus of 1 Chronicles where we are told that King David bought “the place… for… six hundred shekels of gold by weight”.

Here is how ‘maqom‘, pronounced ‘maw-kome’, the Hebrew word for “the place”, is used in the Old Testament:

Gen 1:9  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place [maqom], and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
Gen 1:10  And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Gen 12:6  And Abram passed through the land unto the place [maqom] of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

Mic 1:3  For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place [maqom], and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

When the scriptures use the word ‘maqom‘, it can obviously include much more than a mere threshing floor. 1 Chronicles is a far more comprehensive account of the acquisition of the entire temple mount. This account is telling us that King David later came back and purchased the entire area of the temple mount from “[Araunah], who is called [Ornan]”.

The atheists and the secular humanists are giddy with delight in attempting to show these two stories with their differences in focus as obvious contradictions in scripture. They will no doubt have great success with those who have been given little or no interest in seeking the Truth. Our heavenly Father, right before our eyes, is giving our rulers over to an anti-Christian atmosphere. Both the hypocrisy of, and the false doctrines of, the great whore are being used against her at this time. The ten horns of the beast are having great success in bringing the entire Word of God into great disrepute with the powers that be.

This is what is taking place this very moment:

Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

You and I must know beyond any doubt that the Word of God is the Word of God, and we must not be tossed to and fro by the foolish arguments that are now becoming louder and louder against the only revelation of The Truth which is the scriptures.

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

God’s Word will sanctify no one who has any doubts as to what constitutes that Truth, as Pilate’s words so graphically demonstrate:

Joh 18:37  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Joh 18:38  Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

The claim that the scriptures are full of contradictions is a very powerful part of the all-out attack on the Word of God we are just beginning to witness. We all must be confronted with whether we will obey God or men, and our resolve must be that of Christ and His apostles:

Act 5:27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council [Greek: Sanhedrin, church counsel]: and the high priest asked them,
Act 5:28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

That is is one circumstance under which we are not to “be subject unto the powers that be”.

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

That confrontation is called “the trial of your faith”, and if we have any doubt about whether scripture is the Word of God, the adversary will leverage that doubt and take us right out of the body of Christ. It has already happened over and over again, so I am compelled to share with you what I have seen as the beginning of that process of doubting and falling away from the Word of God which was once considered to be the foundation of all Truth by those very brothers and sisters who have been taken out of our midst. This is spiritual warfare, and it is a life and death struggle. Christ has given us this solemn warning:

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

But if we are given to know our Lord, we will also given His mind, and this is that mind:

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.

Mike,

Here is an excerpt from one of your letters on judgment:

“Man is the beast,

Rev 13:18 says Here is wisdom …, let him that hath wisdom count the number of the beast for it is the number of mankind …

There’s no article there. The ‘a’ is not there; it is not the number of ‘a’ man; it is the number of mankind. What is mankind? He’s a beast! This is his number 666. So the beast is in the lake of fire along with the false prophet, and what you’re essentially being told is that all of mankind who were not in the first resurrection are being brought up right here for judgment.”

I looked it up in my Strong’s concordance, and the definite article is definitely present.

Please explain how you are coming up with the conclusion that ‘a’ is not in the original Greek.

Thanks,

J____

Hi J____,

Thank you for your question asking why I say there in no article in Rev 13:18. I make no claim or pretense at being a Greek or Hebrew scholar, but I do claim to diligently follow Biblical principles in making such statements.

One such principle is “the sum of thy word is Truth”, another is “in the multitude of counselors there is safety”, and another is “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Psa 119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.
Pro 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

So I am careful to seek the counsel of a multitude of so- called scholars and compare their offerings with these Biblical principles before I make a statement like ‘there is no article in Rev 13:18’.

I am well aware that most of the translations have the article there in verse 18, but most translations ignore the Biblical principles mentioned above.

Far too many so called ‘Bible Scholars’ depend upon the oldest manuscripts which have been preserved by the apostate church, instead of depending upon what appears in the majority of the thousands of manuscripts [“multitude of counselors”] which are in our possession.

But even some of the scholars who depend upon the oldest manuscripts acknowledge that there is no article in Rev 13:18. For example the Concordant scholars claim to make their decisions about such questions based upon the three oldest manuscripts, and here is the Concordant Version of that verse:

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has a mind calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is the number of mankind, and its number is six hundred sixty- six.

The Complete Word Study New Testament by Zodhiates while quoting the King James with the article, also declares in their overhead symbols that there is no article in Rev 13:18. According to BibleStudyTools. com, which insists that the article belongs in an English translation, the article is not in verse 18. Here is the URL on that verse:

http:// www. biblestudytools. com/ commentaries/ revelation/Rev-13/Rev-13-18. html

And here is what they say is really in that verse:

the number of a manριθμςνθρπου [ Arithmos anthr pou] , simply number of man. The definite article (“the”) is not found in the Greek text. Wallace sees the missing article as an indication that the number is not of a man, but the number of humankind.1 While this may account for the grammar, it fails to account for the previous verse wherein the article appears before both number and man: τνριθμντονματοςατο [ ton arithmon tou onomatos autou] , the number of the name of him (cf. Rev. Rev. 14:11+). Thus, the number seems inextricably tied to the individual. Some explain of a man as designating a number as men count.2

Going back to the principle of “the sum of thy word” “the number of the name” is no problem at all when we know that that name is ‘adam’ in the Hebrew, and ‘anthropos’ in the Greek, both meaning mankind. So we do not have to depend solely on the opinions of disagreeing so- called Biblical scholars. The Pharisees knew both Greek and Hebrew, and yet were as spiritually blind as most so- called Biblical scholars and ‘great men of God’ today. Here is just a little taste of who the scriptures reveal to us is the beast of Rev 13:

Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves [ mankind] are beasts.

Now if mankind is a beast, having been created on the sixth day along with all beasts, it follows that his Biblical number would be 6, the number which is used throughout scripture as the figure of that which is not yet spiritually finished or completed, and is therefore the image of mankind in the form of “the first man Adam”.

Gen 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Gen 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Dan 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits [60 cubits high], and the breadth thereof six cubit s: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul [ not the completed product]; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual [ complete] , but that which is natural [ incomplete]; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Six is the Biblical number of “that which is natural” and devoid of spiritual eyes, ears or spiritual understanding. Those who are given eyes that see and ears that hear “the things of the spirit” see clearly that this “beast” of Rev 13 who demands the worship of all men, is the same as the “man of sin” who “sits in the temple of God” claiming to be God”.

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
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.
Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

The one person we all just naturally worship and adore most is the beast we see in the mirror. It is our natural man who is just naturally a man of sin:

Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

If that is not worship and adoration, then what is it? Where is this ‘man of sin’ who is worshiped?

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [ the day of the Lord, verse 2] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Where is this “temple of God”, and what were the things Paul had told these Thessalonians when he was yet with them? He told them the same things he told the Corinthians and all those to whom he was sent. Paul knew exactly where the temple of God was, and he knew exactly who this “man of sin” was. He had already written Rom 7, and he had already written these words also:

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.

The one place we are clearly told God does not dwell is in temples made with man’s hands, and the one place we know He does dwell is within His people.

Act 7:48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

So while the whole world is looking outward toward the middle east, Rome, Europe, in the past or in the future, the Truth of God’s Word is that the man of sin has been sitting securely on the throne of our hearts and minds all along chuckling at every new speculative guess that is made as to who he is and when and where He will appear, based upon every vain imagination of man’s deceived and wicked heart.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

“That… deceitful… heart” of mankind will receive any and every speculation but the scriptural truth that mankind himself is the Biblical beast who is sitting in the Biblical “temple of God” in every generation of mankind since Adam, and this entire struggle is taking place within “the heavens” of the hearts and minds of God’s people in “the kingdom of God” which Christ plainly tells us is within us all in whom He dwells in every generation since His death and resurrection:

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

So when we come to see that we are both that temple and that beast, where the man of sin sits and demands our worship, we now know from “the sum of [ God’s] Word” that there is no article in Rev 13:18, because 666 is the number of mankind, not ‘a’ or any particular man. It is mankind who is this “man of sin” who ‘opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God’, and who is being destroyed at the brightness of the coming of these truths when Christ begins to come into our temple and dethrone that beastly man of sin.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth [ these spiritual words of Truth, Joh 6:63], and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words [ like the words ‘beast’ and ‘temple’ and all the rest of God’s Words] that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
1Co 2:14 But the natural [ minded] 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.

I hope all these verses of scripture dealing with who and what is the beast, along with all the Biblical principles we are given to know how to handle the Word of God, will give you a better understanding of why I say “the article is not in Rev 13:18, and why I can say with the authority of “the sum of thy Word” behind me that “the man of sin is sitting” on the throne of God in “the temple of God which temple ye are” and is no particular man needing the article in that verse.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike>

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Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
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 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.

Introduction

Keeping in mind that according to verse three of chapter one, we will all “keep the things written” in this book, we have seen that the three beasts of this 13th chapter of Revelation are actually nothing more than the three natural progressions of the one beast which we all are by virtue of being created on the sixth day right along with all the other beasts of the earth.

Gen 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

It was by God’s own design that the beast made in God’s image, which was destined to eventually rule over all the other beasts, would first be designated by the number six. God created Adam on the sixth day to reveal to mankind that he was first nothing more than a mere beast, created on the sixth day, right along with all the other beasts of the earth, having by nature “no preeminence above a beast”.

Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

We have seen that the earthly flesh we all naturally are is symbolized by “the sea” (Rev 13:1, Rev 17:15)

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

So our first beast in this chapter comes up out of the sea. The second beast in our progression receives “a deadly wound” and gets religion. While we are not at first told what causes this “deadly wound” we are told that this deadly wound is healed, causing all that is in us to worship this inward beast, to the extent that this second beast within us becomes a God unto himself.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

So our religious beast is symbolized as “coming up out of the earth, with two horns like a lamb.” We are not really converted in the least at this second stage of our progression. The wound that did momentarily inflict a deadly wound quickly heals, and we find that, in reality, we still hate the doctrines of the True Lamb of God. At this stage of our progression, we are told that “he speaks as a dragon” because we are, as the sons of the great red dragon, given the power to perform miracles which deceive our inward beast. We watch as our prayers are answered right there in Babylon. We are miraculously and physically blessed after we start tithing to that harlot Babylonian system. This inward deception is completely irresistible, to the extent that we are granted the power to “overcome and kill the saints.”

No one who “has two horns like a lamb” thinks of himself as a beast who “speaks as a dragon,” so we are blinded to our true state by being “given power to make fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men”.

Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

A miracle is a miracle, but a miracle is not a synonym for Truth. The biblical truth is that God actually uses miracles to deceive those to whom He does not impart a love of the Truth.

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

The fruit of these miracles and wonders performed by the religious beast within us, before our beast who comes up out of the sea, is “strong delusion”, which causes all the earth with us, and them that dwell therein, within us, to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. How does God describe these miracles, which our second beast is given the power to do in the presence of our first beast? Here in this same chapter of 2 Thessalonians is how God describes these miracles which He gives our beast the power to perform:

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

So what is it that distinguishes our beast, with the power to perform miracles, from our new man who “dies daily” to the “power and signs and lying wonders” of our religious beast who “shows himself that he is God” and who causes us to worship our first beast? What distinguishes these two parts of our progression is that our new man is not swayed by the miracles performed by our religious beast, and our new man has been given a “love of the truth”. Our second earthly beast is impervious, and he is completely unaffected by Truth. Our old man, our beast with two horns like a lamb but who speaks as a dragon, puts church doctrine before a love of the Truth, and seeks to destroy the True Lamb of God and the knowledge of His doctrines.

It is the doctrines of our inward beast which imparts to us “the image of the beast”, and it is our love of the Truth of the doctrines of Christ which imparts to us the image of our Creator.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

There it is! It is our “love of the true… knowledge of Christ and His Father”, which changes our old “image” from the image of “our father the devil” into the “new man… the image of Him that created us.” As we come to “see” and “know God and Jesus Christ” we are “transformed into that same image, from glory to glory”.

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

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.

Since Christ tells us “the Words I speak to you are spirit…”, it is His Words and His doctrines which “change us into the same image.” In the same way, the “image of the beast” is given to us via our faith in him and our worship of his doctrines:

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.

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.

Notice that “the mark of his name” and “the number of his name” are both “of his name”. In the same way, his name and his image are both the same thing. The name, number, mark and the image of the beast, are all simply the love of, and the faith in, His lies as opposed to “the love of the Truth” and faith in the Words of God.

Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

This is speaking of the second part of our progression, or the second beast in our progression toward the maturing of the wild beast within us. It is only now in this verse, that we are told what caused the deadly wound which was inflicted on the beast of the first part of our progression. That deadly wound was inflicted by the only thing that “can make war with the beast.” It was inflicted “by a sword”, and that “sword [is] of the spirit, which is the Word of God.”

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The “fire”, which is the word of God, inflicts upon us a “deadly wound”, but “the fiery darts of the wicked” cause that deadly wound to be healed, and we are once more a healthy and rebellious beast. “The sword of the spirit… is the word of God.” The Word of God alone can inflict a deadly wound upon our first beast which comes up out of the sea of our flesh. It was the Word of God which first brought us to desire to die to our own flesh, but our religious beast caused that wound to be healed before we could be “twice killed”, and the deadly wound be once more inflicted, and our names are reinstated in God’s book of life.

We must “live by every word”, and that includes these words:

Jdg 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

“David slew Goliath… with sling and with a stone”, but he also killed Goliath with a sword, and it is only “with the sword” that our second beast will eventually be slain. That will only happen after He gives life to the image of our first beast whose deadly wound he causes to be healed, thus keeping us from entering into the kingdom of God “within us.”

1Sa 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but [there was] no sword in the hand of David.
1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

The fact that David slew Goliath, with “his [own] sword”, is a type and a shadow of each of us being judged “out of our own mouths.” Those very words are all right there in the Word of God, and they are “all ours” to be lived and kept.

Luk 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

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

Notice the function of the New Testament symbol of our second beast in our progression toward the judgment of our old beastly man. Here is how our deadly wound with a sword is caused to be healed by our second beast within. This is the function of the beast that “comes up out of the earth.”

Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Mat 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

It is you and I who have been these scribes and Pharisees. It is each of us, in the image of our father the devil, who “in times past” have blasphemed the name of God by speaking the lies and false doctrines of our father the devil and being conformed to his image.

Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

It is the second beast of our progression which “gives life to the image of the first beast.” It is our second beast with “two horns like a Lamb, but who speaks as a dragon, who causes us to worship the image of our first beast. Let’s not fail to notice that it is “the image of the beast” that speaks, and causes us to worship the image of the beast, because, as we said earlier, our ‘image’ is determined by our faith in our doctrines. It is the doctrines we speak and for which we stand, which show all men in whose ‘image’ we really are. The father of our beast looks exactly like his son. They both have “seven heads and ten horns”, and it is the doctrines of our father, the doctrines of this dragon, which are spoken by us when we are in his image as this “image of the beast.”

Joh 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

… and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

What does this mean? How does the beast which “comes up out of the earth” and causes us to worship the image of the beast, also cause us to be killed when we refuse to continue to worship the image of the beast?

If we have learned anything about this book of revelation it is that this book has been “signified unto us” (Rev 1:1), and the “killing” of those who overcome the image, mark, name and number of the beast is no exception to that rule. So what does “as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” really mean?

Before we answer that question, let us establish and remember that there is not one person on the face of the earth who is not first “overcome of the beast.” “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him.” There is not one person who will not first “receive his name, number and mark.”

Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
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.
Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear.

“If any man have an ear, let him hear” is God’s way of telling us that very few will understand these words, because very “few… are given eyes that see and ears that hear… these mysteries of the kingdom of God” (Mat 13:10-15). Not one person in a thousand will understand that everyone’s name is first blotted out of God’s book of life, before it is replaced by receiving a second and permanent deadly wound to our old man, “the beast.”

Exo 32:33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Who is “blotted out of God’s book of life”? It is only those “whosoever have sinned against God”. So, who is that?

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.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

That explains how the spirit can say that “all that dwell upon the face of the earth shall worship the image of the beast.” All are first blotted out of the book of life, because “all have sinned” against God. This also explains how the beast is “given power to make war with and overcome the saints and all that dwell on the earth.” So when we are told that there are some who “would not worship the beast”, what we are really being told is that there are some few who will repent of worshiping the beast, and who will “overcome the beast and his mark and his image and his number and his name.”

Is that really what happens to God’s faithful? Is it true that we are all, at first, overcome and killed by the beast, before we overcome him? What do the scriptures teach?

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.

So even God’s elect must “get the victory over the beast, his image, mark and the number of his name.” Truly “all that dwell on the earth” will worship this beast in their own appointed time, and then a few will be granted to “get the victory over the beast, his image, his mark and the number of his name.”

How is this religious beast, with two horns like a lamb who speaks as a dragon, given to “kill the saints?” Here is how that is accomplished. This part of our progression is accomplished by the beast within in the exact reverse of how “Christ in us” kills and destroys the man of sin within us.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Here is what the symbolism of “killing the saints” means:

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour [smell] of his knowledge by [Greek: ‘dia‘, through] us in every place.
2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved [Greek: being saved], and in them that perish [Greek: perishing]:
2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

Here is Rotherham’s rendition of verse 15:

2Co 2:15 That, of Christ, a grateful odour, are we, unto God,- in them who are being saved, and in them who are being lost:

It is the saints who “receive a deadly wound” that is healed, and it is the healing of that deadly wound which is the death, or the killing, of God’s elect. “All things are ours” (1Co 3:21-22).

1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

There is not a man or woman alive who has not, at some time, hated his brother. So it is easy to see how the beast within us causes us to kill those who do not worship his image.

Christ also tells us how we go about killing those who will not worship the image of the beast:

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

“He that finds his life” is us when our deadly wound is healed, and “he that loseth his life” is us when the beast with two horns like a lamb, who speaks as a dragon, “kills us” and we become the smell of death to him and to his. It is only through dying daily and being crucified with Christ that we “find our life.”

“As many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” is no more literal than any other of the signified words of the book of this prophecy. Our death at the hands of our own religious beast is accomplished when we refuse to do what our self-righteous, religious beast wants us to do, and instead we seek what is commendable to God. We are killed by that beast when we deny the desires of our beast and seek only to please our heavenly Father, instead of pleasing ourselves, pleasing our families and pleasing our friends.

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

That is how our beast “causes us to be killed”.

Here are many more of the details concerning how our self-righteous, religious, two-horned beast goes about killing God’s elect within us.

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

The word ‘all’ is qualified with six other words, “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond“. There is not one person who is excluded from those six categories. All men who have ever lived are either small or great, rich or poor, free or bond. There is not as much as one exception. The fact that this mark is in the right hand and in the forehead explains clearly what is being said concerning “all men” to those who are granted to “compare spiritual things with spiritual” (1Co 2:13-14). We have already discussed how it is that we all “blaspheme the name of God among the Gentiles” by the way we live our lives in rebellion against the words of the very Lord whose name we claim as ours. It is by the very life we live and the things we think in our hearts and minds, symbolized by “our foreheads”; these are the things which lead us to what we do with our “right hand.” The holy spirit reveals this to us in the shadows we are given in the Old Testament concerning the “mark” of God.

What is the “mark” of God? First we are told that the mark of God is obedience to His laws. Where does God tell us He places His mark upon us? Here is where God places His mark of our obedience to His laws:

Exo 13:9  And it [obedience] shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.

Exo 13:16  And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.

God’s mark is symbolized as being upon our hand because “with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt… for by strength of hand the Lord brings us forth out of ” our sins. But which hand of God symbolizes such strength, in the types and shadows of the Old Testament?

Exo 15:6  Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy [our beast, the “man of sin” within us].

Where does God tells us he has placed His mark upon us? If it is the “strength of hand” that He himself has, then that would be “His right hand.”

“All men both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, receiving a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads” is the symbol of the total commitment of our hearts to the thoughts and doctrines of our father the devil, which demonstrates for all to see who is it that we worship and serve.

What happens to those who overcome that image, mark, number and name of the beast? Here is what happens to such a person.

Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

The mark, name, number and image, of our beast are one and all associated with our knowledge of, and faith in, the doctrines of the great red dragon who is the father of the beast within us. We are even told that when we worship the beast, we are actually worshiping the dragon.

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

So we have all or none at all, and the name, number, mark and image are all one package. Notice how that is demonstrated in these two verses:

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.

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.

So the “mark of the beast” and the “number of the beast” are both demonstrations of “his name.” The name of the beast has no more to do with whether it is Lucifer or Beelzebub than the blaspheming of God’s name has to do with how His name is pronounced. The ‘name’ of the beast, like the name of God, has only to do with what others see in us, while we all claim to be of Christ. That is what Christ meant when He made this statement:

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

That is what Paul meant when he said this:

Rom 2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Rom 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

So the word ‘name’ in scripture has nothing at all to do with whether God’s name is pronounced with a Y or a J, or whether it is pronounced at all. God wants His “good name” to be respected by how we live our lives in obedience to the “things He says”. That is the meaning of “a good name”.

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

Ecc 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

The image, number, mark and name of the beast, like the name of God, is recognized as being upon us by the life we are living. When we tremble at God’s Word, we will never blaspheme His name, and we will always do the things He says to do. When we fail to do that, then we automatically blaspheme God and those that dwell in heaven, and we demonstrate that we have the image, name, number and mark of the beast.

The “two horns like a lamb” of the beast that comes up out of the earth, tell us that this part of our self-centered beastly progression is cloaked in a religious experience. Another symbol of this part of the “things that are all ours” is the great harlot of Revelation 17-18.

Rev 18:1  And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

“The merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies… Come out of her my people…” It is by coming out of Babylon that God’s people are considered to be “the smell of death” to those who are in Babylon, and it is by coming out of Babylon that we can no longer “buy or sell” her merchandise. While we are in Babylon, our beast with two horns causes us to prosper in the sales of her goods. When we leave “that great city”, we have gotten the victory over the image, name, number and mark of the beast. When we “come out of Babylon”, we deny that we have a will that is free from the will of God, and in doing that we are destroying “the beast with two horns like a lamb, who speaks as a dragon”, who is the same as the “man of sin, the son of perdition” who sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God”.

Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

The “worship of the image of the beast” of Revelation 13:15, and the worship of one’s self “sitting in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God”, is the one and same spiritual fornication and adultery in which we all indulge, at that time and place in our progression.

Put another way, our beast with two horns like a lamb, speaking as a dragon, is one and the same as our man of sin, who sits in the temple which we are, and demands our unwavering self- serving worship, of doing what we want to do and seeking just what is permissible to please ourselves, instead of seeking what is commendable to please the incoming king who destroys our two horned lamb and our man of sin within us in “the day of Christ”.

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

The gold, silver and precious stones of God are His doctrines, His thoughts and His mind.

Rev 3:13  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
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 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.

Verse 17 describes the true worth of the merchandise of Babylon, while verse 18 contrasts Babylon’s merchandise with the true wealth of the “keeping of every word of God” (Mat 4:4), and the wealth of obeying His commandment to “keep the things written in this book” (Rev 1:3).

Revelation 3:14-18, explains it all. That which imparts to us the image of the beast is that which we value and which we so eagerly “buy and sell.” Just as our new man is “renewed in knowledge after the image of Christ”, so is our old man renewed in knowledge after the image of his father the devil. It is the doctrines, the thoughts and the mind of both God and the Adversary, which are also their gold, silver and precious stones, and it is the loss of all that “merchandise” which causes the death of both. We all choose the merchandise of Babylon and the worship of our own “man of sin”, first. However, when Christ does come into our hearts and minds, all the delicacies of Babylon suddenly are seen for their true worthlessness, and our “man of sin”, whom we have served for so long, begins to be destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ into our hearts and minds to claim His rightful place on the throne of our hearts.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Rev 18:12  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble [2Th 2:8, Rev 18:10-12, and Rev 3:17-18, are all one and the same, event].

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

Here again is that “one event”.

Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.

“He that has wisdom” is not distracted by the symbolism of the parables of Christ. The man who has wisdom, has Christ, and Christ knows by the scriptures themselves what each symbol signifies. This number is three sixes because the spiritual significance of the number six, is all mankind. Therefore:

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has a mind calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is the number of mankind, and its number is six hundred sixty-six. (CLV)

The fact that there are three sixes simply signifies the process of judgment being experienced by our beast within. Here is a link to the Biblical significance of the number three:

When our judgment is mature through keeping the things which are written in this book (Psa 139:16, ASV, Rev 1:3) our number is 666. It is only through our judgment that we can look behind us to see what God has wrought in us:

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Rev 1:12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

This book is our judgment of the beast we all are, and it is all His work of bringing us to see the insidiousness of our self-centered ways and our unwillingness to part with all the things of our life in this world. He that has wisdom is not looking for an outward stamp on his physical right hand or on his physical forehead. Instead he is searching his own heart and asking what is commendable to better serve and glorify the new king of his new man’s heart. The number ‘six’ in all of its multiples is the number of mankind, and that is what this verse actually says:

This is the number that has been attached to Adam since the sixth day of the creation of God, when all the beasts of the earth were created, and “the son of man” was created just “a little lower than the angels”.

Gen 1:25  And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.
Gen 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Gen 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Psa 8:4  What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psa 8:5  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

As Ecclesiastes 3:18 tells us, mankind is a beast, and the number six, in any of its multiples, is the number which will forever be attached to mankind in the mind of “him that hath wisdom.”

As an interesting aside, sixty-six is the number which signifies our going down into Egypt, separated from the family of Joseph, the symbol of Christ:

Gen 46:26  All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six; [66]

It takes Joseph and his family to bring us up to “three score and ten”.

Gen 46:27  And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten. [70]

Summary

Rev 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

We saw in this verse that miracles are not the same as truth, and that miracles are actually used by God to deceive us when we are not yet given to appreciate the value of Christ who is the Truth. We saw that it is that Truth, the Word of God, that was used to inflict the temporary “deadly wound” upon our first beast, who was then healed of that wound, and returned to the state of being a healthy wild beast who opposes and withstands the truths of the Word of God.

We also learned in our study of this verse, that it is our coming to the knowledge of and our faith in the Truth of God’s word which causes us to take on the image of His Son.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

We saw that it is our “love of the true… knowledge of Christ and His Father”, which changes our old “image” from the image of “our father the devil” into the “new man… the image of Him that created us”. As we come to “see” and “know God and Jesus Christ” we are “transformed into that same image, from glory to glory”.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

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.

Rev 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

In this verse we saw that our second beast, who is described earlier in our studies as a beast with “two horns like a lamb, but speaking as a dragon”, is the symbol of the time we spend in the sphere of the influence of the great harlot called Babylon the great. It is while we are in this “great city”, also portrayed as our beast with “two horns like a lamb”, that we are actually brought to worship and to take upon ourselves the “image of the beast” who was healed of his deadly wound.

We saw in this verse that just as our knowledge of and faith in the truths of the doctrine of Christ causes us to “be transformed into His image”, in the exact same manner, it is the knowledge of and our faith in the doctrines of our inward beast who literally “buys” into the doctrines of the great red dragon, which imparts to us “the image of the beast”.

In this verse we also saw that it is at this point, while having bought into the doctrines of the dragon, that we come to hate those who have overcome the image, name, number and mark of the beast and are now faithful to the Truth of Christ’s Words. It is our hatred of those truths, and our hatred of those out of whose mouths those truths are coming, that causes us to “kill” those who are no longer worshiping “the image of the beast”.

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

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:

We saw that this verse six times qualifies the meaning of the word ‘all’, and we saw that there is not one exception to this rule. While Christ never sinned and always resisted the temptations of His flesh, He was still in flesh which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and even He had to struggle against what was in His “forehead” when confronted with the specter of imminent death.

Luk 22:41  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will [of my flesh], but thine, be done.
Luk 22:43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Luk 22:44  And being in an agony [struggling against His flesh] he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Christ was truly “the son of man” and as such was struggling against the flesh of the first Adam, just as we do.

Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Luk 13:31  The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Christ does not lie. He knew He was made of a woman, made under the law, and He knew what that meant, even if we do not. In the gospels He calls Himself “the Son of Man” 16 times more often, than He tells us that He is “the Son of God”. He is, of course both, but the overwhelming emphasis is upon His humanity, and His ability to identify with our pain and our struggles.

Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

In this verse we learned that the merchandise of both Christ and the dragon, are their different doctrines. We learned that we all buy into the doctrines of demons before we by into the doctrine of Christ. We also learned that the mark, name, number and image of the beast are all speaking of the doctrines of the dragon, who is the spiritual father of the beast.

Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.

We saw that the number of mankind is six because mankind, right along with all the “beasts of the earth”, was created on the sixth day, and we learned that all the multiples of six serve only to magnify and demonstrate the fact that man without Christ is nothing more than a beast and has no preeminence above a beast.

Next week, Lord willing, we will be reminded that those who first keep the things written in this book, are those who first have their heavenly Father’s name written in their foreheads. The reason they have their heavenly Father’s name is because they have come to know Him and have begun to think as He thinks and to see that mankind must “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” and must therefore “keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book”.

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 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 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

[Updated May 22, 2023]