Ezekiel 48:1–35 The Inheritance of the Saints

[Study Aired February 17, 2025]

Introduction

In today’s study, we are given directions of the distribution of the land to the twelve tribes of Israel. Seven tribes’ allotment was to the north of the sanctuary and five had their allotment to the south. The study also focuses on the allotment of land for the sanctuary, the priests, the Levites, the city and the prince. The chapter concludes with the city, its gates, and the new name given to it which concludes the vision that the Lord gave to Ezekiel.

Eze 40:1  In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me to the city.
Eze 40:2  In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. (ESV)

Dividing the Land Among the Tribes

Eze 48:1  Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. 

In a positive sense, we are the twelve tribes of Israel. The dividing of the land among the tribes of Israel therefore represents the reward we shall receive from the Lord. The mention of the names of the cities serving as boundaries to the inheritance in verse 1 gives us insight into what the Lord has in store for us. Hethlon means a hiding place and Hamath signifies a fortress. What these names suggest is that those who are qualified to receive a reward from the Lord are those who have taken refuge in Christ as their fortress.

Psa 32:7  Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 

Psa 18:2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Hezarenan means village of fountains. This suggests that those who overcome to inherit the Lord’s promise are those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. In other words, the fountain of the Lord’s words is available to the overcomers. 

Psa 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. 

Damascus signifies the silence of the sackcloth weaver. It is the Lord who is the sackcloth weaver as He comes with His judgment in our lives. The Lord is our example of one who was oppressed and afflicted, and yet He did not open His mouth as He endured to the very end. As He is, so are we. Those who are to receive an inheritance are those who do not complain but endure to the very end the tribulation marked out for us.

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

Eze 48:2  And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. 
Eze 48:3  And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. 
Eze 48:4  And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. 
Eze 48:5  And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. 
Eze 48:6  And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. 
Eze 48:7  And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah. 

The tribes in this case represent the Lord’s elect scattered in the nations of the world. All the tribes, except that of Joseph, were to be given a portion of the land. This is telling us that we shall all receive the same reward as we can see from Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Here are some examples of the reward that every elect shall receive, if we overcome:

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

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

To be given to eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God means being given to know Christ fully as our Lord Jesus Christ is the tree of life. As Paul said, in this life, we know Him partially but when we see Him face to face, we shall know Him even as we are known.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 

Sitting on the throne with Christ means being given a kingship status together with judging the whole of the human race beginning from Adam. 

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. 

The reward that awaits us as we overcome is the same as the joy that was set before our Lord Jesus Christ, and as a result, he endured the cross. As He is, so are we. We are therefore to endure what we are going through in this life in order to overcome. 

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

It is worth noting that each of the tribes received a portion of the land except Joseph, who is a type of Christ. He was given a double portion. Joseph is represented by his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who received a portion each and therefore represent the double portion for Joseph or our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Eze 47:13  Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.  

It is our Lord Jesus Christ who has been given a double or two portions for being the firstborn of all creation.  

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 

It is also significant to note that for each of the tribes, their inheritance was given starting from the east side and ending in the west side. It shows us that those who are destined to receive an inheritance are those whom Christ, representing the sun, has risen in the lives (east) and has set in the west. Setting in the west implies being faithful to the very end of our lives. 

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

The allotment of land for the Sanctuary and the Priests

Eze 48:8  And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. 
Eze 48:9  The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. 
Eze 48:10  And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof. 

Apart from the land being our inheritance, the land also represents our bodies, which we must possess as an offering to the Lord. The dimensions of 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 cubits in width is significant. The number 25,000 is the same as 25 multiplied by three tens (25,000 = 25x10x10x10). Twenty-five symbolizes our reign over the flesh, and the number ten signifies the fullness of the flesh. The three tens denote the process of spiritual maturity through judgment. What we are therefore being told is that it is those who recognize the fullness of their flesh who are being judged by the Lord with the purpose of reigning over the flesh. It is these people who represent the Lord’s elect, who are offering their bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord as a prerequisite to obtaining an inheritance.

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

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

2Ki 18:2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

2Ki 23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

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

The number 10,000 is the same as ten multiplying itself four times (10,000 = 10x10x10x10). The 10,000 width of the land offered as a special gift to the Lord shows us that it is the whole of the Lord’s elect who are being judged because of the fullness of their flesh. It is through this judgment that they are able to offer their bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord.

Eze 48:11  It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. 

In verse 11, we are shown that it is only the priests, representing the Lord’s elect, who are sanctified by the Lord through His judgment, to keep charge of His business in this age. On the other hand, it is our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world, represented by the children of Israel who have gone astray from the Lord and who therefore cannot offer their bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord. 

The Allotment for the Levites

Eze 48:12  And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. 
Eze 48:13  And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. 

It will be the holiest part of land, next to the land belonging to the Levites. 

Verse 12 indicates that the portion of the land belonging to the priests shall be the most holy place, and it shall be next to the land belonging to the Levites. The most holy place is our hearts and minds where our Lord Jesus has His throne. It is from our hearts and minds that we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable to the Lord. The fact that the most holy place is adjacent to the Levites is to let us know that our hearts and minds are within this body of flesh (next to the flesh) which dominates our brothers and sisters in Babylon, symbolized as Levites.

Alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an allotment measuring 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 cubits in width or breadth. The negative application of the number 25 signifies those who are being slain or destroyed by false doctrines (sword). The Levites given a separate territory implies that our brothers and sisters in Babylon are not going to share our inheritance with us because they are spiritually dead through the false doctrines. As indicated earlier, the 10,000 (10,000 = 10x10x10x10) signify the whole of the Levites whose sins have reached the heavens as a result of false doctrines.

Jdg 20:35  And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

Jdg 20:46  So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

Eze 48:14  And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD.   

The Levites cannot sell or exchange the land because it is holy unto the Lord. Being holy means being set apart for the Lord. The Levites not being able to sell or exchange their portion means that it is the Lord that has set our brothers and sisters apart for His own purpose, and therefore it is impossible for them to change their status as sons in this life unless the Lord intervenes. We, the Lord’s elect, are the first fruits of the land and therefore our brothers and sisters cannot alienate us or isolate us, since it is through us that salvation shall come to them.

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.

The Allotment for the City

Eze 48:15  And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. 
Eze 48:16  And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. 

The remainder of 5,000 cubits by 25,000 cubits land is a profane place designated for the city of Jerusalem. The number 5 on a positive note means grace through faith. However, here in verse 15, we have a negative application of the number five as the area of land is declared a profane place. The negative application of the number 5 refers to the principalities that rule over the people of the world and war against the Lord’s people, as demonstrated in the verses below:

Jos 10:5  Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it. 

Jos 13:3  From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:  

These principalities serve the devil who is the god of this world. Thus, what we are being told of the 5,000 cubits length of land is that the people of this world are blinded by the devil to receive the gospel of Christ and therefore have profaned their inheritance. The negative application of the number 10,000 (10x10x10x10) signifies the whole of the people of the world whose sins have reached the heavens as a result of false doctrines perpetuated by the devil.

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

In verse 16, the plot of land where the city (Jerusalem) shall be situated is a square measuring 4,500 cubits on each side. In the Bible, cities represent churches and in this case we are speaking of Babylon or Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. The number 4,500 (9x5x10x10) can be decomposed into  9, 5 and 2 tens. The number 9 signifies the Lord’s judgment. The number 5 is grace through faith, and the number 10 is the fullness of the flesh. We need to be reminded that grace also means chastening. Thus, what we are being told is that the deeds of the churches of this world bear witness to the fullness of the flesh of its worshippers. However, our brothers and sisters in Babylon shall be saved by grace through faith as they are judged by the Lord.

Eze 48:17  And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.
Eze 48:18  And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. 
Eze 48:19  And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel.  

In verse 17, the city shall have an open land of 250 cubits on the east, west, north and south. The measurement of 250 cubits on every side informs us of the nature of the city of Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. The number 250 in a negative context signifies the leaders of the churches of this world who are well-known in this world and bear rule over the Lord’s people.     

Num 16:2  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:

2Ch 8:10  And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people. 

These leaders are false apostles who transform themselves as angels of light.

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.  

Verse 18 shows us that the remainder of the length alongside the holy portion of the land shall be 10,000 cubits to the east and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. Its produce shall be food for the city. This land is part of the city or Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. The measurement of 10,000 (10,000 = 10x10x10x10) cubits is to show us that it is the whole of our brothers and sisters in Babylon whose lives depict the fullness of the flesh. The measurement also shows us that the food for the city comes from the flesh. That means the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition is what is served in Babylon as food for our brothers and sisters. 

Heb 13:9  Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 

In verse 19, the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it means that all over the world, the workers of the churches of this world are working so hard, but what comes out of their effort is the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition.

Eze 48:20  All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city. 

In verse 20, the total of the land set apart for the holy portion and the property of the city shall be 25,000 cubits square. As indicated earlier, what we are being told is that it is those who recognize the fullness of their flesh who are being judged by the Lord with the purpose of reigning over the flesh. The fact that the land here encompasses the holy portion and the property of the city is to let us know that in the fullness of time, the Lord’s elect shall reign over the people of the world represented by the city.

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

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

2Ki 18:2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

The Allotment for the Prince

Eze 48:21  And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. 
Eze 48:22  Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince’s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.  

What remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city shall belong to the prince. The prince here is our Lord Jesus Christ and what belongs to Him also belongs to us, His elect. The fact that the remainder of the land belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ and that this land is a square with sides measuring twenty-five thousand cubits is to let us know that Christ shall reign over the kingdoms of the world together with His elect. 

This land (the remainder) shall be separate from the property of the Levites and the property of the city, which are in the midst of that which belongs to the prince. The portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and the territory of Benjamin. The prince’s portion is the portion of His elect. This is to make us aware that the Levites, who represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon and the people of the world, shall not be part of our inheritance. The portion of the prince lying between Judah and Benjamin is to affirm the fact that the Levites and the people of the world shall not be part of our inheritance, since the tribes of Judah and Benjamin represent the Lord’s elect as shown in the following verses:

Gen 49:10  The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 

Gen 43:34  Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.   

The Allotment for the Remaining of the Tribes

Eze 48:23  As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. 
Eze 48:24  And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. 
Eze 48:25  And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. 
Eze 48:26  And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. 
Eze 48:27  And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. 
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. 
Eze 48:29  This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD. 

As we have indicated earlier, all the tribes represent the Lord’s elect from the nations of the world, except that of Joseph, and were to be given a portion of the land. This is telling us that we shall all receive the same reward. Joseph in this case, symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ who has a double portion for being the first born of creation.

The inheritance starting from the east side and ending in the west side is to show us that those who are destined to receive an inheritance are those whom Christ, representing the sun, has risen in their lives (east) and have set in the west. Setting in the west implies being faithful to the very end of our lives. 

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

The Gates of the City

Eze 48:30  And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures. 
Eze 48:31  And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. 
Eze 48:32  And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.
Eze 48:33  And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. 
Eze 48:34  At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. 
Eze 48:35  It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there. 

The exit from the city on the northern side is measured to be 4,500 cubits. We have already established that this city is Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children, that is, Babylon. As the Lord’s elect, we had spent our time in Babylon, thinking we were worshiping the Lord in truth and in spirit, but when Christ came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness, we realized that we have to leave Babylon. The measurement of 4,500 cubits shows us what it takes to exit Babylon to be part of the Lord’s elect.

The number 4,500 (9x5x10x10) can be decomposed into  9, 5 and 2 tens. The number 9 signifies the Lord’s judgement. The number 5 is grace through faith and the number 10 is the fullness of the flesh. Grace means chastening. Thus, what we are being told is that our deeds bear witness to the fullness of our  flesh. However, in His mercy, the Lord comes to take us out of Babylon to become His elect by grace through faith as we are judged by the Lord. 

The verses above show us that we cannot escape the Lord’s judgment if we are to become part of the assembly of the Lord’s firstborn since there are three gates on every side. The three gates on each side of the city are to show us that leaving Babylon means going through the process of spiritual maturity through judgment. The fact that each gate is named after each of the twelve tribes of Israel is to let us know that the Lord is calling His elect from the nations of the world to exit Babylon to become part of the assembly of the firstborn or Jerusalem, which is above.   

In the final verse (35) of chapter 48 of Ezekiel, the city here is cast in a positive sense by the statement that the name of the city is “the Lord is there.” This is affirmed by the circumference of the city which is eighteen thousand (18,000) cubits. On a positive note, the number 18,000 signifies those who have overcome the flesh. This city in a positive sense is therefore the Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all now.

2Sa 8:13  And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.  

1Ch 18:12  Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah slew of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand. 

When all human race are judged during the lake of fire age to learn righteousness by overcoming the flesh, then together, we shall all be the city where the Lord is there. The mention of “from that day” in verse 35 indicates the end of the lake of fire age when all humanity including the angels, the devil and his cohorts shall become part of this New Jerusalem. This city is the assembly of all God’s children which the Lord is showing us at the end of the Book of Revelation as follows:

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 
Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 
Rev 21:11  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 
Rev 21:12  And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 
Rev 21:13  On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 
Rev 21:14  And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

Praise be to our Lord, who is worthy of all praise, for His wonderful plan of salvation. Amen!!

Ezekiel 41:1–26 The Inner Temple

[Study Aired December 30, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

Today’s study continues with the vision of the temple and how we can access the temple and make our way to the inner court or temple to commune with the Lord. The past two studies focused mainly on the access to the outer court with glimpses of how we can enter the inner temple or court to worship the Lord. To the man who is not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, he only sees the measurement of the temple in cubits as he reads Ezekiel chapter 40. However, to us, His elect, the numbers of the measurement is what the Lord is spiritually revealing to us of how the Lord makes our temple, that is, our bodies, fit for Him to live in. It is therefore imperative that we understand the spiritual significance of numbers as we go through the study today.

To help our understanding of today’s study, we need to know that we start our walk with Christ still under the domain or influence of the devil. This is what the Lord means when he told those who believed in Him that their father is the devil.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Joh 8:44  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.

When we are still controlled by the devil through our flesh, we can only have access to the outer court of the temple. That is why the passageway to the outer court has measurements of mainly six, ten, thirteen and sixty cubits, which all speak of our sins or rebellion which had reached the heavens. These measurements reveal that we naturally rebel against our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our husband, as we come to serve Him as men with all our frailties.

Gen 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

It is instructive to note that the woman’s “desire” in Genesis 3:16 in Hebrew is “el” which means “against”. The “shall be” in italics is not in the original manuscript but was added to make the statement understandable. As indicated, initially our desire is against our husband Christ before the Lord comes to us with His judgement to make us willing to obey Him. What we have just said summarizes the study about the temple where we come to the outer court full of sin until the set time that Christ comes to help cleanse our temple where our old man or beast lives, claiming to be God in the sense that we think we make our own decisions. It is in the outer court that we have the multitude who are not given to know the mind of Christ. This multitude represents many people who think they are worshipping the Lord but have not yet been given to know the truth.

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.

As stated in the previous study, the story of Zachariah shows us the clear distinction between the outer court worshippers and the inner court or temple worshippers who represent the Lord’s elect and are given to know Christ.

Luk 1:8  And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
Luk 1:9  According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Luk 1:10  And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
Luk 1:11  And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Luk 1:12  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

Today’s study shows us the way to the inner temple or court where we meet the Lord Jesus Christ. The measurements tell us what needs to be done to enter the inner court or temple to commune with the Lord.

The Measurement of the Passageway to the Inner Temple

Eze 41:1  Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. 

We established in the previous studies that the man who was doing the measurements of the temple is our Lord Jesus Christ. He was the one who brought Ezekiel to the holy place in the temple. In the last study, we indicated that the ‘posts’ means ‘pillars’. This is because, according to Strong’s Dictionary, the post means ‘strong support of the covered walkway’. In Ezekiel 40:49, we are told that there were pillars by the posts on each side. This is to let us know that the posts are the pillars which supports the walkway. The pillars, or posts supporting the walkway, represent the Lord’s elect as shown in the following:

Gal 2:9  When they saw the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who had the name of being pillars, gave to me and Barnabas their right hands as friends so that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision;

Our walk with Christ is supported by what every joint supplies. Without this support, we cannot get to the holy of holies to commune with the Lord. The measurement of the posts were six cubits wide on one side and six cubits wide on another side. This is to highlight the fact that it is mere men that the Lord is raising up to commune with in the holy place. Those privileged to be in the holy place are the priests of the Lord and they represent the Lord’s elect.

Eze 41:2  And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits. 

The entrance to the holy place was ten cubits wide and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. The number ten signifies the fulness of the flesh and the number five means grace through faith. What this implies is that those who are privileged to enter the holy place of the temple are those whose recognize that they were the worse sinners but by the grace of the Lord through faith, they have been made the priests of God. This grace involves the chastening or the judgement of our old man or flesh to make us learn righteousness as we are given the faith to endure to the end.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

The Lord measured the length of the holy place and it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. The number forty denotes trials in our lives as He gives us an evil experience to humble us. This evil experience is His judgement of our flesh to makes us learn obedience.

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

Ecc 1:13  And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all which is done under the heavens. It is a sad task (evil experience) God has given to the sons of men to be humbled by it. (MKJV)

The breadth of the holy place was measured as twenty cubits. The number twenty signifies our readiness to go to war against our flesh. The length and breadth of the holy place is therefore teaching us that through the judgement of the Lord, we are made ready to go to war against our flesh.

Num 1:3  From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

Num 1:20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Eze 41:3  Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits. 

As we have indicated, the post is the pillar and it refers to us, His elect. The measurement of two cubits implies our role as witnesses of Christ in this life. Remember that the number two means witness.

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

The entrance to the holy place was measured as six cubits in height and seven cubits wide. As we are aware, the number six is the number of man. It shows man as being incomplete as we were created on the sixth day. Being incomplete means we were marred in the hand of our Maker. The number seven signifies completeness. The fact that the width of the entrance was seven cubits suggests that it is as we enter the holy place to commune with the Lord that we are made complete. The ‘complete’ here means that we are being made into another vessel fit for the Lord’s purpose.

Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Eze 41:4  So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place. 

The room representing the most holy place had a length of twenty cubits and a breadth of twenty cubits. This implies that the room is a square. As indicated, the number twenty refers to those who are able to war against the flesh. They are the ones who have access to the most holy place. The fact that it is a square is to remind us that those who have access to the most holy place all have the same experience. That means we all started our walk with Christ with the devil as our father before Christ comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to makes us ready to war against our flesh. The spirit of His mouth refers to the fire of His words which is the judgement of the Lord, and His brightness is His illumination of His words so that we can understand the mysteries of the kingdom.

Num 1:3  From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

Num 1:20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

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.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Eze 41:5  After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side. 

The wall surrounding the room of the most holy place has six cubits in length and a width of four cubits. The number six refers to man as an incomplete being and the number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. In this case, we are talking about the fact that the whole of the Lord’s elect who have access to the most holy place are all men and women with all kinds of weaknesses. However through the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh, we are empowered to war against our flesh to become obedient to Christ. The significance of all this is that the Lord’s elect are those who are waging war against our bodies which represent the temple of the Lord, to bring them under subjection so that Christ will take residence in our hearts and mind.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Eze 41:6  And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house. 
Eze 41:7  And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.

A simpler rendition of these verses are as follows:

Eze 41:6  The rooms were arranged on three different stories. There were 30 rooms on each story. These rooms had supports all the way around the temple wall, but these supports were not fastened to the temple wall.
Eze 41:7  The side rooms grew wider all the way around as they went up, story after story. The surrounding structure went from story to story all around the temple. The structure grew wider as it went higher. A stairway went from the first story through the second story to the third story.  (GW)

The rooms or chambers represent us, His elect. This is because the Lord has told us that in His Father’s house are many mansions, signifying the Lord’s elect.

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

The fact that the rooms are arranged in three stories or levels is to show us that we grow in spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgement. We are also told in verse 6 that there were 30 rooms on each floor. The number thirty signifies those who have started to rule over their flesh. Later, in another age, we shall rule the kingdoms of this world.

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.

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

The three floors with thirty rooms on each level is therefore to make us aware that it is only the Lord’s elect who constitute the temple of the Lord and that as we are being judged, we grow in spiritual maturity from one level to another, and that we are perfected on the third day, or floor. Verse 6 also indicates that we are supported all the way in the building of our temple by the Lord. However, the fact that we are not fastened to the temple wall is to let us know that our support is through Christ alone.

The fact that the side rooms grow wider as they went up from story to story in verse 7 is to remind us of the growth in spiritual maturity as we progress from one level or floor to another. There is a stairway that went from the lowest floor through the middle floor to the third floor. This stairway is Christ and is the same as the ladder that Jacob saw in a dream when he ran away from his brother Esau.

Gen 28:12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Eze 41:8  I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits.
Eze 41:9  The thickness of the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was five cubits: and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within.
Eze 41:10  And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side.
Eze 41:11  And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about.

In verse 8, there was a raised base all around the temple and this base was the foundation for the side rooms. The length of this foundation was a full reed of six cubits. The number six is the number of man and in this case it is the Lord Jesus, who in His life here on earth as man, laid the foundation for the building of our temple and is the one measuring our temple.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits in thickness. This means that it is by grace through faith that we become the temple of the Lord. There was an open space between the side rooms connected to the temple and the other rooms. This open space is about twenty cubits in width. As indicated, the number twenty shows us that it is those who are ready to war against the flesh who serve as a conduit to the making of our hearts and minds as temple of the Lord.

In verse 11, we are told that the doors of the side chambers opened on the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. The width of this free space was five cubits all around. This free space represent our liberty in Christ. Thus, it is by grace through faith that we have this glorious liberty as the children of God.

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.

Eze 41:12  Now the building that was before the separate place at the end toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits. 
Eze 41:13  So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long; 
Eze 41:14  Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits. 
Eze 41:15  And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court; 

At the far end of the open area, on the west side of the temple, was a building seventy cubits wide. The number seventy (70=7×10) shows the completeness of the fulness of the flesh. The wall of this building has five cubits in thickness with the length being ninety cubits. As explained earlier, five cubits means that it is grace through faith. The number ninety (90=9×10) is the number of the Lord’s judgement as our sins have reached its fulness. All that these measurements mean is that becoming the dwelling place of the Lord or our father’s mansion involves coming to the place where we realized that we are the worse sinners as our sins had become complete or reached its fulness and that this calls for us to be judged by the Lord. This judgement is the grace that we receive through faith.

In verse 13, our Lord Jesus measured the temple to be a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long. Verse 14 tells us that the eastern side of the temple, including the open area, was also a hundred cubits in width. Again, the Lord also measured the length of the building facing the courtyard on the west side along with its corridors on both sides as indicated in verse 15, and had the same measurement of hundred cubits.

The fact that all these measurements were 100 (100 = 10×10) cubits is affirming that it is those whose sins have reached the heavens and are privileged to obtain the mercy of the Lord, who are the candidates for the building of the temple within them. In verses 13 and 14, the hundred cubits in both length and width means that the temple was a square. That indicates that whatever our background is, we all share the same experience in our relationship with Christ in the building of the temple within us.

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

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

The Images of Cherubims and Palm Trees

Eze 41:16  The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, cieled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows were covered;
Eze 41:17  To that above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure. 
Eze 41:18  And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces; 
Eze 41:19  So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about. 
Eze 41:20  From the ground unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple. 

Verse 16 shows us that the doorposts, the small windows and the corridors of all three stories were paneled with wood. The walls, from the floor up to the windows, were also paneled with wood. The wood being used for paneling in the temple implies that we must all go through the judgement of the Lord to bring out the beauty of the Lord in us as He comes to reside in our temple or hearts and minds.

Psa 83:14  As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

Pro 26:20  Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

In verse 17 to 20, we see that in the space above the door to the most holy place and on the walls all around it, there were pictures of cherubims and palm trees. Palm trees were positioned between each of the cherubims, and each cherubim had two faces: the face of a man, which was turned toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a lion, which was turned toward a palm tree on the other side. These images were carved all around the temple. Images of cherubims and palm trees were also carved on the walls from the floor to the space above the door. Both the cherubims and the palm trees represent the Lord’s elect. This is to show us that it is the Lord’s elect who are privileged in this age to become the temple of the Lord.

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 fact that each cherubim had two faces means that we serve as the Lord’s witnesses. This also implies that we are the two witnesses in Revelation 11, whom the Lord has given us power to speak His words. Being clothed in sackcloth signifies that we are mourning as we go through the Lord’s judgement.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

It is also significant to note that here in verse 19, we see the cherubims having the face of a man and that of a lion. In the beginning of the Book of Ezekiel, we also observe that each of the cherubims or the four living creatures which represent the whole of the Lord’s elect, had four faces, of a lion, ox, man and an eagle.

Eze 1:10  As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Later in the Book of Revelation, each of the four living creatures has a specific face of either a lion, calf, man, or an eagle.

Rev 4:7  And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

What we need to note is that Ezekiel was shown these cherubims to know the end result of the Lord’s judgement of our old man. In other words, the result of the Lord’s judgement is for us, His elect, to become like Christ. The four faces of the cherubims show us who the Lord was when He was here on earth and is now working in us to become like Him. In the spirit, it does not matter whether each of the cherubims had four faces or one, as we must all bear the four faces of Christ in the final analysis.

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

The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion and therefore the four faces show us the whole of Christ while He was here on earth. However, the fact that we are shown only two faces of Christ here in Ezekiel 41:19 is to emphasize our role as witnesses of Christ in the building of the Lord’s temple within us. The face of a lion shows us the Lord as the lion of the tribe of Judah. The Gospel of Matthew describes the Lord as a lion of the tribe of Judah. Like a lion, the Lord did not turn back from all the trials and tribulations that He encountered in this life. He will not rest until He makes our enemies (our flesh) a footstool, that is, defeat our enemies. What He starts, He is able to bring to completion!!

Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Pro 30:30  the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any;

The Gospel according to Luke shows us Jesus as a man. That is why at the beginning of the Book of Luke, Luke traced the genealogy of Christ to Adam, the son of God. The Lord Jesus was a man in every way. That is why He represents us as our High Priest since He went through all that we are going through. As a result, we are able to come boldly before Him to receive mercy and grace at our point of need.

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

The Holy and the Most Holy Place

Eze 41:21  The posts of the temple were squared, and the face of the sanctuary; the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other. 
Eze 41:22  The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD. 

As stated earlier, the square nature of the doorposts of the temple signifies that we all have the same experience as the Lord prepares our bodies or temple for His habitation. In front of the holy place was something resembling an altar of wood, having three cubits high and two cubits in length. This altar of wood represents our hearts and minds. As indicated earlier, the altar being made of wood implies that we must all go through the judgement of the Lord to bring out the beauty of the Lord in us as He comes to reside in our temple or hearts and minds. We are also the table before the Lord.

Psa 83:14  As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

Pro 26:20  Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

Eze 41:23  And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. 
Eze 41:24  And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door. 
Eze 41:25  And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without. 
Eze 41:26  And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.

The holy place and the most holy place had two doors and each of the doors were double doors that swung open. Again, here we are being reminded that our entry into the presence of the Lord to commune with Him is for the purpose of making us His witnesses.

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.

Images of cherubims and palm trees were carved on the doors of the holy place as well as on the walls. There was a wooden roof hanging over the outer entrance hall. There were small windows and palm trees on both sides of the entrance hall, on the side rooms of the temple, and on the roofs. The cherubims and the palm trees being carved on the doors of the holy place is to signify that it is through the Lord’s elect that we have access to Christ as we are all building our temple upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus as the chief corner stone. Later, in an age to come, we shall also be the gateway for all humanity to be in the presence of the Lord.

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

May the Lord’s name be praised for counting us worthy of being a habitation of God through His Spirit. Amen!!

[Study Aired November 6, 2022]

Jer 52:1  Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
Jer 52:2  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
Jer 52:3  For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Jer 52:4  And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.
Jer 52:5  So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
Jer 52:6  And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Jer 52:7  Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
Jer 52:8  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
Jer 52:9  Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.
Jer 52:10  And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
Jer 52:11  Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
Jer 52:12  Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
Jer 52:13  And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:
Jer 52:14  And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Jer 52:15  Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
Jer 52:16  But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
Jer 52:17  Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

This last chapter is a recounting of the fall of Jerusalem and the judgment of Zedekiah, his family, the high priests and all the people around the king, and all the administrators of the state, at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Then it tells us that Nebuchadnezzar had Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, burn the temple and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem. Then he tore down the walls of Jerusalem. Then it reviews the three different times Nebuchadnezzar carried the Jews away as captives to Babylon. This whole story of the judgment of Zedekiah typifies the judgment of Mystery Babylon the Great. It’s ‘Mystery Babylon’ because it is God’s own people who are being judged. The book of Revelation makes this very clear as it says ‘Babylon is the great city in which our Lord was crucified’ (Rev 11:8, Isa 1:21).

This chapter ends with Jehoiachin, the predecessor of Zedekiah, being brought up out of prison by Evilmerodach, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, and making Jehoiachin more prominent than any of the kings that were with him in Babylon.

All of this is far more than a mere historical account of how the Lord judged His apostate people. All of this happened to them, and it is written for our admonition, and there are many spiritual lessons for us in all these things that happened to them:

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.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Let’s see what admonitions there are for us in all the details of the Lord’s judgment upon Zedekiah the king of apostate Judah and Jerusalem:

Jer 52:1  Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

Hamutal was one of the wives of righteous King Josiah who reigned for 31 years:

2Ch 34:1  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
2Ch 34:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

Jeremiah’s prophecy began in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign, and we are told “Jeremiah lamented for Josiah” when King Josiah died at the hand of Pharaohnecho:

2Ch 35:25  And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

Jer 1:1  The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Jer 1:2  To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Josiah reigned 31 years, and Jeremiah’s prophecy began “in the thirteenth year of [Josiah’s] reign”. So, Jeremiah prophesied for 18 years under the rule of righteous King Josiah.

Josiah’s wife, Hamutal, was the mother of both Kings Jehoahaz and then later King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. Jehoahaz was the first of Josiah’s sons to take the throne following the death of his father at the hands of Pharaohnecho, at Megiddo. Josiah had been a righteous king, but he had ignored the Lord’s word to him from Pharaohnecho, who did not want to fight with Josiah. Josiah insisted and paid with his life. The reign of Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz lasted a mere three months before he was dethroned by Pharaohnecho and replaced by another son of Josiah, who was a half-brother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah:

2Ch 35:20  After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
2Ch 35:21  But he [Pharaoh] sent ambassadors to him [King Josiah], saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
2Ch 35:22  Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
2Ch 35:23  And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
2Ch 35:24  His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
2Ch 35:25  And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

2Ki 23:31  Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2Ki 23:32  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

The name of the son of Josiah, whom Pharaohnecho chose to replace Jehoahaz, was Eliakim, whose name Pharaohnecho changed to Jehoiakim:

2Ch 36:1  Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:2  Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:3  And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
2Ch 36:4  And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
2Ch 36:5  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

The mother of Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, was Hamutal, but Jehoiakim’s mother was another wife of King Josiah:

2Ki 23:36  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

These different mothers signify the different spiritual mothers of the churches of Mystery Babylon.

It was in the days of Jehoiakim, whose mother was Zebudah, that King Nebuchadnezzar came up against Judah and conquered Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar for three years, and then he rebelled against Him:

2Ki 24:1  In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.

So Jehoiakim had a different mother than Jehoahaz and Zedekiah, whose mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. Jehoiakim’s mother was another wife of King Josiah whose name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. Jehoiakim was also an evil king whose reign was eleven years; the same number of years as his half-brother, Zedekiah, later reigned. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah. It was during the reign of Jehoiakim that Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jehoiakim and carried him away captive into Babylon, just as Jeremiah had prophesied and had warned King Jehoiakim would happen if Jehoiakim refused to submit to the king of Babylon. Typical of me and you, Jehoiakim refused the counsel of the Lord’s prophet, and he paid the price for doing so:

2Ch 36:6  Against him [Jehoiakim] came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
2Ch 36:7  Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
2Ch 36:8  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

Jehoiachin had learned nothing from his father Jehoiakim’s rebellious ways inasmuch as he, too, “did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

2Ki 24:8  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
2Ki 24:9  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

Having witnessed what had happened to his father for ignoring Jeremiah’s admonition to “go out unto the princes of the king of Babylon” Jehoiachin was given the wisdom to follow Jeremiah’s words from the Lord, and thereby save his own life and spare the city:

2Ki 24:10  At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
2Ki 24:11  And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.
2Ki 24:12  And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] reign.
2Ki 24:13  And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
2Ki 24:14  And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
2Ki 24:15  And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2Ki 24:16  And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
2Ki 24:17  And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Jeremiah’s prophecies spanned 18 years of King Josiah’s thirty-one-year reign (2Kgs 22:1), the three-month reign of Jehoahaz, the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim, the three-month reign of Jehoiachin, and the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah. We are not told when Jeremiah died, but we do know that he and Baruch were both taken into Egypt by Johanan after the assassination of Gedaliah whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor to replace King Zedekiah. The eighteen years of prophesying under King Josiah, the three months under Jehoahaz, the eleven years under Jehoiakim, the three months under Jehoiachin, and the eleven years under Zedekiah add up to 40 1/2 years, besides the unspecified time spent with Gedaliah and Johanan.

Jehoiachin’s reign was the same length as that of his uncle, Jehoahaz.  Jehoahaz was the first son of righteous King Josiah to assume the throne of his father. Both Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin reigned for a mere three months. Jehoiachin’s father, who replaced Jehoahaz, was Jehoiakim whose reign lasted eleven years before he was carried away captive to Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jehoiachin with Jehoiachin’s uncle, his father’s half-brother, Mattaniah, whose name Nebuchadnezzar changed to Zedekiah.

The new king, Zedekiah, had heard all of Jeremiah’s prophecies concerning his brothers, Jehoahaz, and Jehoiakim and Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin. Zedekiah knew that Jeremiah had prophesied that the captivity would last seventy years. Therefore Zedekiah knew that Jeremiah had accurately prophesied the fate of each of his three predecessors, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin. Zedekiah also knew that Jeremiah has accurately prophesied the death of the false prophet, Hananiah. Hananiah had taken the yoke the Lord had told Jeremiah to wear off Jeremiah’s neck and had broken the yoke and contradicted what Jeremiah had been telling the people. The false prophet, Hananiah, was giving the people a false hope. The whole affair had been a very public event, and Zedekiah knew it all very well:

Jer 28:1  And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
Jer 28:2  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jer 28:3  Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:
Jer 28:4  And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jer 28:5  Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD,
Jer 28:6  Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.
Jer 28:7  Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;
Jer 28:8  The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.
Jer 28:9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.

Zedekiah “did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord”, yet he had no excuse for not listening to the words of the Lord through His proven prophet, Jeremiah.

This is what very publicly transpired in the fourth year of Zedekiah, and he knew exactly what had happened:

Jer 28:10  Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it.
Jer 28:11  And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Hananiah knew his false prophecy of a two-year captivity would be more far more popular than Jeremiah’s seventy-year captivity prophecy. However, Hananiah’s presumptuousness failed to change the Lord’s mind, and He sent Jeremiah back to make another very public prophecy:

Jer 28:12  Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 28:13  Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.
Jer 28:14  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.
Jer 28:15  Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
Jer 28:16  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.
Jer 28:17  So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Zedekiah knew exactly how the Lord felt about anyone who “made this people to trust in a lie”, and he knew that Jeremiah was not about to tell a lie in the name of the Lord, and yet…

Jer 52:2  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
Jer 52:3  For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Let’s reword that verse without adding anything to it or taking anything from it:

Jer 52:3 It came to pass through the anger of the Lord that Jerusalem and Judah, and her kings Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, all rebelled against the king of Babylon until the Lord had cast them out from his presence.

However one arranges the phrases of this verse, there is no denying that what the Lord is telling us is that it all took place “through the anger of the Lord”. For that to be true it would all have had to have been predestined, and that is exactly what the holy spirit wants us to know.

Isa 45:5  I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6  That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isaiah prophesied seventy years before Jeremiah, but the Lord had not and has not lost His sovereign power. Here is another much earlier verse in which He reminds us that “[He] hath made all things for Himself, yes, even the wicked” [kings of Judah] “for [their] day of evil”…  after the counsel of His own will”:

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

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:

Our will and our actions, good or evil, are His work in us, and the Lord wants us to be always aware of that wonderful Truth.

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 [G1063: gar, “assigning a reason”, ‘because’] it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Heb 2:4  God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will

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.

The Lord has always worked all things “both to will and to do of His good pleasure”. He did so with all the kings of Israel and Judah, and He made all these things happen to them, and He had it all written for our admonition (1Co 10:11). It all happened to reveal just how stubbornly rebellious against the words of our Lord our old man is.

Jer 52:4  And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

We are given all these details of the timing of Nebuchadnezzar’s campaign against Jerusalem for a reason. Look at where else we see this phrase “in the ninth year” in scripture, and notice that it was in “the ninth year’ of the king of Israel that “the king of Assyria took Samaria. The number ‘nine’ is always associated with judgment upon those being discussed:

2Ki 17:6  In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

It is the 99 sheep who thought they needed no repentance who will be judged for their self-righteousness:

Luk 15:7  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

There were also nine lepers who had no gratitude for what the Lord had done for them:

Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

King Zedekiah, his two earlier brothers, and Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin, who preceded King Zedekiah were all of the same mind of the “ninety and nine just persons who [thought they] need[ed] no repentance”.

Here is a study on the spiritual significance of the number nine.

It was on “the ninth day of the month that the city of Jerusalem was broken up and taken by the princes of the Babylonians:

Jer 52:5  So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

The reigns of both evil kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah were eleven years. This is also very instructive because the spiritual significance of the number eleven is the destruction and dissolution of all flesh. Here is the study on the number eleven.

Jer 52:6  And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Jer 52:7  Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
Jer 52:8  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

This is neither the way nor the reason we are commanded to “Come out of her My people” (Rev 18:4). The reason is that Babylon is still in the heart and mind of King Zedekiah and all his great men just as Sodom was still in the heart of Lot’s wife when she became a pillar of salt:

Jer 52:9  Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.

We have already established that apostate Jerusalem signifies the “great harlot… Mystery Babylon the Great” (Isa 1:21), which brings this verse of scripture to mind as we are being given this story about the judgment of King Zedekiah, the king of apostate Judah and Jerusalem:

Jer 51:53  Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

That is exactly what Nebuchadnezzar did to Zedekiah and his apostate kingdom. Indeed, it is a very gory story, and it typifies the same thing which the story of the judgment of Jerusalem and its king typify. Both typify the destruction of “the great whore… Mystery Babylon the Great”.

As gruesome as it is, the Lord wants us all to know just how disgusted He is with those who cause His people to trust in a lie:

Jer 52:10  And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
Jer 52:11  Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

We all, like Samson and King Zedekiah, and the apostle Paul, must first come to realize just how spiritually blind we are before we can begin to be used by the Lord and given to see the things of the spirit.

Jer 52:12  Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
Jer 52:13  And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:

It was in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month that the house of the Lord and the king’s house were burned up with “unquenchable fire”:

Jer 7:20  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

While this is a fiery, miserable, and painful experience of evil, it works a work of grace through faith which is the spiritual significance of this all taking place in the fifth month.  Here is the link to the study on the number five.

The number ten signifies the very best of the flesh, which is what the physical temple and houses of the king and all the great men of the Lord’s apostate people also signify. Here is the link to the study on the number ten.

Jer 52:14  And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Jer 52:15  Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
Jer 52:16  But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

This is the verse that comes to mind when reading of all the apostate rich and established being replaced by the poor of the land:

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

There is little or no difference between the poor in spirit and the meek, and both are promised the earth and the kingdom of heaven.

Jer 52:17  Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

‘Brass’ (which was really copper) is the best of the base metals and is the metal which was handled by the Levites who assisted the priests in ministering to the people. All the implements of the brazen altar, the brazen sea and all the water basins and even the socket at the door of the tabernacle were all made of copper and were essential to the ministry of the priests who ministered to the people in their worship of the Lord. It was all carried away to Babylon signifying how even Mystery Babylon is an instrument in the hand of the Lord to “bring us unto Christ”:

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Mystery Babylon has taken all the Lord’s gold, silver and precious stones and is using them to cover all her idols, and false doctrines. Every false doctrine is a perversion of the Lord’s golden and silver words.

2Ki 24:13  And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

As with “all things”, the Lord is working this judgment of His apostate people after the counsel of His own will. This entire event took place “through the anger of the Lord”, with no input from anyone. Every character was nothing more or less than an instrument in the Lord’s hands like clay in the hands of a Potter, and that is exactly what the Lord Himself tells us of His people:

Jer 18:1  The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 18:2  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Jer 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

The Lord was using Nebuchadnezzar, whom He calls “My servant”, to judge His apostate people:

Jer 27:6  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

As we consider the gruesome judgment the Lord pours out on Mystery Babylon, let’s remember that even that great harlot is a work of His hands out of whom we must all come:

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.

I pray we are all encouraged to know that even our sins and iniquities being the work of God tells us clearly that we are His workmanship, and that it is He who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure:

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 [our own] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

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.

What a comforting Truth to know!

Hi Mike,

30+20=50

God blesses us to have our witness (20) to be understood as something that is only part of the equation that leads to our Jubilee (50). Grace and faith (5X10) is a process of judgment (3X10) upon our flesh which requires Christ (2X10), the one true witness, to be in the midst of this process that leads to our Jubilee (50).

The Jubilee falls on the day of Atonement this year, and, God willing, the outward fulfillment of this day will see us seeing our Lord face to face in the first resurrection. Only God knows the day and the time, and we are saved by hope; hope of His return, hope that God is helping us see Christ in all these numbers and holy days that point to our hope of glory within Jesus Christ.

Mat 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver(G694) to the chief priests and elders,

Gen 37:28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver(H3701): and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Lev 27:16 And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver(H3701).

Deu 22:29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver(H3701), and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

Jubilee=50

Lev 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
Lev 25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Lev 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
Lev 25:11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
Lev 25:12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
Lev 25:13 In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.

The liberty that we have because of Christ’s spirit is demonstrated with the number 50 mentioned in Lev 27:15 as well where it is written that “an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver”. The barley seed represents Christ, as you know, and in this case the liberty that the elect receive for being purchased with the 20+30 pieces of silver that belong to God. The whole process is in His glorious hands (Hag 2:8), and it is also interesting to note that the bible uses the word ‘seed’ not ‘seeds’ in accordance with (Gal 3:16).

Yours in Christ,

T____

Thank you for bringing all of this together at this time.

Redemption and liberty have a lot in common, and all of these numbers 20, 30, and 50, bring repentance, liberty, withess, grace, faith, and the process of being judged, all together to bring in our jubilee so we can proclaim jubilee and liberty to all the rest of mankind.

Lord hasten the day!

Your grateful brother,

Mike

Audio Links

The Spiritual Significance of The Number Eleven
Get the audio

Updated January 29, 2014 to fit TOA

We have established that each number in scripture has its significance in relation to the numbers before and after each number. So then one (1) tells us that all is of God, through God and back to God. Two (2) bears witness to one and three (3) reveals the three steps to spiritual maturity to which four (4), the whole of mankind must come. Five (5) is the chastening grace through faith which the whole (four) of mankind (six) must endure. So then just as six is the number of rebellious mankind and is the disintegration of five, which is the number of grace through faith so too, is seven the number which destroys six by revealing six as not being complete.

However, a complete Adam must see himself as a seven-headed beast who is nothing more than the offspring of a seven-headed dragon and in dire need of going into perdition as the eighth beast which is of the seven. This eighth (8th) beast is the new man and he finds his life only by losing it (going into perdition) through judgment (nine). Judgment (9) must begin at the house of God. Of course ten reveals that the house of God “has kept all of these ten commandment from its youth up and is blameless according to the righteousness which is in the law. So then it is only after we see our need for dying to what we thought was life, the (blameless life of keeping the 10, perfection of the flesh, commandments. And that brings us to the number before us today. It is the number eleven.

Eleven is one more then ten and is therefore the ruin and disintegration of ten. As eleven reveals the ruin and disintegration of ten, it also heralds the need for the strong and lasting spiritual foundation that is twelve. But eleven is one short of twelve and is that which is not quite able and in fact works against bringing mankind to that spiritual foundation.which twelve signifies. So then eleven with one is a good foundation. But twelve without one, eleven, is simply the ruin and disintegration of the perfection of the flesh.

OLD TESTAMENT

Gen 32:22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

This is while Jacob is leaving Babylon. It is all very instructive for us. This is while Joseph is very young and just before Benjamin, who typifies God’s elect, has been born. Jacob is right here acutely aware of all of his past sins. Even though he has been promised lordship over Esau he still feels hopelessly at Esau’s mercy and several time calls him “my lord Esau.” Jacob knew he had to return to His Father, but he also knew he had to face Esau. It was a time of great confusion and turmoil. It was also a time of great purging.

Gen 27:37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him (Jacob) thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants [the seed of the serpent (John 8:44)]; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

Gen 32:4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

Gen 32:18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.

Gen 33:15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he [Jacob] said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.

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.

Eleven signifies that time when we have just met Christ, and we are just now becoming aware of our total blindness. The time of our judgment still lies ahead of us.

Gen 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

This is Joseph being given the promise of rulership over the flesh, the same promise his father Jacob had been given.

Gen 27:37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him [Jacob] thy lord, and all his [eleven] brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

Both go from the promise of rulership into judgment and servitude to the flesh. This is just before Joseph is sold into Egyptian slavery by his ten brothers. All eleven will bow before him, but it is the ten who so persecute and want to kill him.

Jer 2:18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
Jer 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that [it is] an evil [thing] and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear [is] not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

There is a temporary tabernacle which precedes a more permanent temple. Do not think that even the temple is not to be vigilantly purged and purified.

Exo 26:7 And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.

Eleven curtains covered the temporary tabernacle. This tabernacle first received the tables of the first covenant “for the lawless” (1Ti 1:9). It endured the trials of the wilderness and the lawless days of the judges. It was covered with eleven curtains.

Deu 1:2 There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)

Twelve days would have taken Israel right into the promised land. Eleven is one day short of twelve, and therefore Israel at this point is not well founded. Korah and his 250 famous men of renown have yet to raise their ugly heads. Here is what happens at the end of “eleven days journey:”

Num 14:36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
Num 14:37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
Num 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, [which were] of the men that went to search the land, lived [still].
Num 14:39 And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
Num 14:40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we [be here], and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.
Num 14:41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
Num 14:42 Go not up, for the LORD [is] not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
Num 14:43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites [are] there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
Num 14:44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
Num 14:45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, [even] unto Hormah.

Silver is often a symbol for redemption, but when it appears in multiples of eleven it is not for the redemption but for the enslaving of God’s people

Jdg 16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength [lieth], and by what [means] we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.

Jdg 17:2 And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed [be thou] of the LORD, my son.
Jdg 17:3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

The last two kings of Israel “did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.” They both reigned eleven years:

2Ki 23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

2Ch 36:5 Jehoiakim [was] twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

2Ki 24:18 Zedekiah [was] twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2Ch 36:11 Zedekiah [was] one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:12 And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD his God, [and] humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet [speaking] from the mouth of the LORD.
2Ch 36:13 (a) And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar…

As long as there is a need for a temple, man’s incomplete state will be reflected in that temple:

Eze 40:49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.

There will not always be any need for a temple with a porch whose width is eleven cubits”

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

“No temple.. for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple.” Just another one of those statements which to the natural man are a wonder.

NEW TESTAMENT

When there were just eleven apostles, the apostles were not well founded and were unbelieving, confused and afraid:

Luk 24:9 And [the women who had communed with the angels at the sepulcher] returned from the sepulcher, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Luk 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary [the mother] of James, and other [women that were] with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
Luk 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

Luk 24:30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them [the two men on the road to Emmaus], he took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them.
Luk 24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
Luk 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luk 24:33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
Luk 24:34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
Luk 24:35 And they told what things [were done] in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
Luk 24:36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.
Luk 24:37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

Mat 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

Mar 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

This is the condition associated with this number. The last two kings of Israel rebelled against their own oath, and Christ’s apostles were upbraided for their unbelief and hardness of heart. But this all changed when Mathias was added to their number just before the day of Pentecost.

Act 1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

This is another one of the shadows of the New Testament. It foreshadows the solid foundation on which God’s elect are built when the one is added to the eleven. When that is done this is the difference in our lives:

Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

Eleven plus one is a solid foundation for those who are God’s spiritual temple. Twelve minus one is a rebellious, very confusing, unbelieving state.

This is the spiritual, hidden significance of this number in the word of God which is all a parable meaning not so much what it says as what it means.

Audio Links

The Spiritual Significance of Numbers in the Scriptures:

Three Denotes The Completion of The Process of Judgment

[This FAQ has further elucidation on the number three: Click here]

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.

Joh 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Gen 15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Gen 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
Gen 18:5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
Gen 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth.

Lev 14:10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.

Gen 40:10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:

Gen 40:13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

Negative Application of Process of Completion

Gen 40:18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
Gen 40:19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

Exo 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

Exo 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

Num 22:28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

Process of redemption

Gen 45:22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

Process of Separation From Our Old Man

Exo 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

God’s Completed Plan

Exo 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.

Fruit Trees Must Be Three Years Old Before Fruit Is Edible

Lev 19:23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

Lev 25:21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.

Num 15:9 Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil

Num 28:12 And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram;

Deu 14:28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

Process of Revelation

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

Act 10:11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
Act 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Act 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
Act 10:15 And the voice [spake] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Act 10:16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Process of Putting Off The Flesh

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.

Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Process of Judgment

Rev 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Rev 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Process of Apostasy

Jud 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Process of Revelation of Christ

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Rev 1:18 I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Process of Understanding

The word, the meaning behind the word and the sum of thy word.

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.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

Psa 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting (ASV, ESV, etc.).

 

The Spiritual Significance Of “Numbers In Scriptures” Series

One = Unity; Two = Witness (part 1)

One = Unity; Two = Witness (part 2)

Three = The Process Of Spiritual Completion

Four = The Whole

Five = Grace through Faith

Six = The Number of Man

Seven = Completion, Especially Of Judgment

Eight = Being Circumcised, New Beginnings, The New Man

Nine = The Number Of God’s Judgment

Ten = Completeness Of The Flesh

Eleven = The Ruin And Disintegration Of The Perfection Of The Flesh

Twelve = The Number of Christ

Thirteen = Rebellion

Fourteen = Spiritual Progress and Spiritual Progression

Forty = The Number Of Trials (audio file only / no study notes)

Fifty = Liberty (audio file only / no study notes)

Multiples Of Numbers (audio file only / no study notes)

Print this page

Hi Mike,

Pondering on the centurion’s words to Jesus: “I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. I am a man under authority…” What is the importance of this story?

Thanks,
M____

Hello M____,

Thanks for your question. This man’s story reveals that a physical presence is not necessary for those who know that the power of God does not depend upon physical things, like baptisms, prayer cloths, laying on of hands, etc. (Heb 6:1-2) Christ was so impressed with this man’s understanding that He made this statement:

Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Here is that story. It is all written for our admonition:

Mat 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Mat 8:6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Mat 8:7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
Mat 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
Mat 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Hope this helps your understanding,
Mike

Hello Mike and the Is Was and Will Be Team,

I would like first of all to thank you for all your hard work to convey the truth of scriptures to the rest of Christ’s Body. Your work (through Christ) has played a key role in setting my foundation in the truth of God’s Word. I have been listening and watching your messages for about two years now and have recently began the series on Numbers in Scripture.

2Cr 5:17 Therefore if any man [ be] in Christ, [ he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

It is this hope in Christ that should keep this body moving as old things are passing away and ALL things are becoming NEW. I read a lot of the e- mails that you post on the site, and the pain of the different members is felt in all the body, as says also the scripture.
Just to add one more thing Mike, you pointed out a place that I believe is oft- read and oft- missed by the body of 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].

That is in, our hearts! This is a true doctrine of the scripture and worthy of all acceptation.

Mar 7:14-16 … Hearken unto me every one [ of you], and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

And last of all I’d like to add a few verses for a close.

Ecc 11:2  Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
Mic 5:5 AND THIS [ man] SHALL BE THE PEACE, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
Rev 17:10-11 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [ and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

God Bless You and the Is Was and Will Be Team!
L____

Hi L____,

Thank you for your uplifting and encouraging words.
Like all the other words of scripture, numbers have a meaning which has nothing in common with their primary, outward meaning.
For example the number seven in the verses you quote, means complete, and the number eight means the new man, or new beginnings. So the “seven shepherds” denotes the completed Christ within us, and the “eight principle men” denote the new man within us. They have nothing at all to do with seven literal shepherds or eight literal “principle men.” The message supersedes the words used to convey the message. God’s Word is a parable which means what it means, not what it says. If this is not true, then Christ would be a literal lamb, and His entire church would be a literal woman.
The seven kings of Rev 17 are the principalities and powers within us who are subdued by the eighth man, Christ, within us. The “five are fallen” is the point in our walk at which grace and faith, the spiritual meaning of the number five begins to do its work on that seven- headed beast that we are. Christ comes out of that beast who is also called “the first Adam.” So Christ is that “eighth man who is of the seven and goes into perdition”. That is right. It is only after Christ enters into our flesh that He begins to destroy our flesh. Our salvation is in our perdition of this flesh. That is why we are told this of Christ:

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Hey Mike,

I’ve been struggling with the flesh. Overcoming the beast that I am has proven to be a very difficult thing. I pray that God will get me through it. I just read, “what is the spiritual significance of tithing”  My thought was to ask “why was tithing a tenth?” So I went back and read the meaning of numbers.  In that article you wrote that 10 was the completeness of the flesh. Therefore tithing would be completely giving ourself to God which is I suppose an obvious statement. Would it be correct to state tithing in this way? Thank you for continuing the work you are doing as it is much needed and appreciated.

May God bless you and your family,
P____

Hi P____,
Yes, you have hit the nail on the head.

So often we are told by those who have come to see the abuse of God’s Word in the orthodox churches that tithing is not a New Testament doctrine, and indeed it is not a New Testament doctrine. But as with all of the Old Testament ordinances, tithing foreshadows a much greater truth, and that greater Truth is that “You are not your own, you are bought with a price,” and now God, through Christ’s offering of Himself, has a claim to your whole life.
In the book of Genesis, this truth is foreshadowed by the doubling of the tithe, after Joseph had first taken in all the money in Egypt and all the money in Canaan, then he took all the cattle and all the bodies and all the land of all the people of Egypt.

Gen 47:13  And [ there was] no bread in all the land; for the famine [ was] very sore, so that the land of Egypt and [ all] the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
Gen 47:14  And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
Gen 47:15  And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
Gen 47:16  And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
Gen 47:17  And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread [ in exchange] for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
Gen 47:18  When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
Gen 47:19  Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give [ us] seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
Gen 47:20  And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.
Gen 47:21  And as for the people, he removed them to cities from [ one] end of the borders of Egypt even to the [ other] end thereof.
Gen 47:22  Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion [ assigned them] of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
Gen 47:23  Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, [ here is] seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
Gen 47:24  And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth [ part] unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
Gen 47:25  And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.
Gen 47:26  And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, [ which] became not Pharaoh’s.

This “fifth part” serves to demonstrate the work of grace in our lives, and the work of grace teaches us that just as “Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh,” so too, has Christ bought “us and all of our land,” meaning all we are or have. “We are not our own, but we are bought with a price.” So what does this mean for us today? Here is what it means:

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [ which is] in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Col 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Col 3:23  And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Col 3:24  Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

That is it right there. We are not free from tithing so we can do what we want with our own money and our own time and our own possessions. We are free from tithing so we can now “glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God’s.”
Ten is the number denoting perfection of the flesh, and that is the righteousness which is of the law. But five is the work of grace and faith in our lives. The fact that “the fifth part” was to go to Pharaoh because Joseph had saved all of Egypt from the famine, tells us that the tithe, which was at one time a symbol of God’s claim on His people just as the law of Moses once served that purpose, is no longer sufficient to fulfill God’s claim on our lives. God now has a double claim on us and all we own, because we and our lands are “bought with a price, and therefore [ we should] glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits, which are God’s.
“Wholeheartedness” is a prerequisite of the “overcomer.”

Psa 119:2  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
Jer 24:7  And I will give them an heart to know me, that I [ am] the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

God will not settle for a “lukewarm” or halfhearted son or daughter. Blessed are they that… seek Him with a whole heart” is just another way of saying ‘Cursed are they that are neither hot nor cold but are lukewarm.’

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.

I hope that helps you to see just how right you were when you said:

Therefore tithing would be completely giving ourself to God, which is I suppose an obvious  statement.

All I can say to that is, Amen!
Your brother in Christ,
Mike