Exo 7:1-25 For the Magicians of Egypt Cast Down Their Every Man his Rod, and They Became Serpents

[Study Aired April 25, 2022]

Exo 7:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 
Exo 7:2  Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. 
Exo 7:3  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 
Exo 7:4  But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 
Exo 7:5  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 
Exo 7:6  And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 
Exo 7:7  And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. 
Exo 7:8  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
Exo 7:9  When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. 
Exo 7:10  And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 
Exo 7:11  Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 
Exo 7:12  For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 
Exo 7:13  And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. 
Exo 7:14  And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. 
Exo 7:15  Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. 
Exo 7:16  And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. 
Exo 7:17  Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 
Exo 7:18  And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. 
Exo 7:19  And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. 
Exo 7:20  And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 
Exo 7:21  And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 
Exo 7:22  And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. 
Exo 7:23  And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. 
Exo 7:24  And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 
Exo 7:25  And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

A key lesson that the Lord takes us through as we walk with Him is for us to learn to depend wholly on Him and not on ourselves. The Lord, therefore, brings us to this point of realizing that all our abilities count nothing in His presence and what counts is to have the faith of Jesus to depend on Him. When we come to this point, then we have found rest in Him.

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

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

The Lord’s encounter with Moses in the preceding chapters is to make Moses realize that he can do nothing concerning the Lord’s plan of salvation. Moses learned through his failures that indeed he did not have what it takes to bring the Lord’s people out of bondage. It was all the work of the Lord. Once Moses had learned this lesson, he was ready to confront Pharaoh for the release of the people of God. That is when we see the strong or mighty hand of the Lord in dealing with the beast or the old man signified by Pharoah.

Exo 3:19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
Exo 3:20  And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

This chapter deals with the strong hand of the Lord in dealing with Pharaoh who signifies the old man or the beast within.

Exo 7:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 

We are told here that Moses shall be a God to Aaron. What this means is that through us (Moses), salvation shall come to all our brothers and sisters in Babylon and all of humanity, including the Old Testament prophets signified by Aaron.

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

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

In another perspective, Moses represents our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God to us, and Aaron stands for the elect. We are the mouthpiece or prophet of our Lord.

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Exo 7:2  Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
Exo 7:3  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

We are reminded here to observe all that the Lord is telling us through His words. We may not see any significant progress regarding the death of the beast within, but we are assured that the Lord’s strong hand, signifying his signs and wonders, is putting the beast within or the old man to death while we walk in this world (land of Egypt). We sometimes get discouraged or frustrated when the old man rears its head in our lives, but here the Lord is telling us that He is the author of all that happens to the beast and its ultimate demise. The Lord is also telling us that the reason the old man’s death is not a one-time event is that it affords the Lord the occasion to confirm to us this great salvation of the Lord through the multiplication of His signs and wonders in our situation. This has the effect of strengthening our faith in Him.

Heb 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
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?

Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Exo 7:4  But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Exo 7:5  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

In verse 4, the Lord was talking to Moses about His strong hand of great judgments to bring forth His armies. This is to let us know that enlisting in the great armies of the Lord entails going through His strong hand of great judgment.

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

As we shall see later, Pharoah or the beast within could resist the Lord’s word, but he could not resist the Lord’s hand of judgment.

Exo 7:6  And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
Exo 7:7  And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

Our call is a call of obedience. If we profess that we love the Lord, then, we must express this love through obedience of His word for our own benefit.

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

In verse 7, we are told that Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was three years older, when they spoke to Pharaoh. According to the scriptures, being eighty years and over is regarded as an old age where one’s natural strength had failed. So, the mention of Moses and Aaron’s age is to let us know that they had realized that they cannot execute the Lord’s agenda in their “failed natural strength” and cannot discern between what is good and evil or taste what we eat or drink. This means that Moses and Aaron were basically blind and needed help. That is when they found rest in depending on the Lord to do what He had purposed. We all need to be “eighty or over” spiritually to find rest in the Lord.

2Sa 19:32  Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old [eighty]: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.

2Sa 19:35  I am this day fourscore years old [eighty]: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?

Jdg 3:30  So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Exo 7:9  When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
Exo 7:10  And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

As we have indicated, Pharaoh represents the old man or the flesh. One key characteristic of the flesh is that it puts more premium on signs and wonders or miracles than spiritual reality. It is therefore no wonder that Pharaoh would require a miracle from Moses and Aaron. Jesus, knowing the flesh, made the following statement about how we cherish signs and wonders when we are dominated by the flesh:

Mat 16:4  A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

Knowing this, the evil one always comes to deceive us with signs and wonders.

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

As we indicated in prior studies, the rod that Aaron held is Christ. To cast to the ground means to destroy as used in the following:

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

Thus, Aaron casting down the rod is the same as showing how the flesh of Christ was destroyed, resulting in a resurrected Christ who is able to save us. This is the fiery serpent who is able to save us.

Num 21:8  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
Num 21:9  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

This means that the serpent resulting from the rod being cast by Aaron is the resurrected Christ who is able to save us as we look up to Him. However, to those who are not given to know Christ in this life, this serpent, who is the resurrected Christ, rather darkens their understanding. As we shall see in verse 13, Pharaoh, representing the flesh, became hardened by the rod of Moses turning into a serpent.

Exo 7:11  Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Exo 7:12  For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
Exo 7:13  And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

The wise men and the sorcerers, collectively called the magicians of Egypt, represent the leaders in Babylon. They also represent what Paul calls the disputers of this world.

1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
1Co 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

The casting down of the rod of these magicians of Egypt and the turning of their rods into serpents before Moses and Aaron is to let us know that all that is in the world and in Babylon is under the spell of the devil who is represented here as a serpent.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Just as Christ stands for the word of God or truth, the devil or Satan or the serpent is synonymous with deception or lies (man’s wisdom). The rods of the magicians therefore represent lies. As indicated, the serpent from the rod of Aaron stands for Christ who is the truth. Aaron’s rod swallowing up the rods of the magicians of the Egyptians means that where the truth of the word of the Lord is, lies are expelled. Another way of saying this is that where there is light, darkness is expelled.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light [Truth] shineth in darkness [Lies]; and the darkness [Lies] comprehended it not.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in verse 13 is the same as saying that in the camp of the Egyptians or Babylon, the light of Christ is a cloud and darkness to them.

Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
Exo 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Exo 7:14  And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.

The Lord telling Moses that the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, resulting in his refusal to let the people of Israel go, is to let us know that the old man or the beast within (Pharaoh) is a formidable opposition who would not die without a fight. This old man or the beast within is the great mountain spoken off by the Lord to Zerubbabel that its removal is not by might nor power but by the spirit of the Lord (the word of Christ).

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you [The Lord who starts knows how to finish].

Zechariah chapter 4:7 shows us that it is through the chastening grace that this mountain (old man) becomes a plain (dies).

Exo 7:15  Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
Exo 7:16  And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

Pharaoh going out to the water in the morning is to let us know the water with which our old man or the beast within is familiar. This water is the water of Egypt or Babylon which is the lies or the deception of the devil, which seems like the truth but does not satisfy. As Jesus said, when we are hooked to this water, we continually will go for more lies to cover up initial lies. This is the water that our old man is acquainted with. The old man cannot accept the truth which destroys it. This is the water that we have imbibed in our lives until Christ came to us with His word of Truth.

Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

In verse 15, the Lord commands us to stand at the brink of the river with the rod in hand. As indicated, this rod is Christ. To stand at the brink is to overcome this river of lies with the truth. Thus, it is when Christ comes to us (having the rod in hand) we can overcome this river of lies. That is the time that we are able to withstand the resistance of the beast or the old man within (verse 16).

Exo 7:17  Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 
Exo 7:18  And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. 
Exo 7:19  And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.

As indicated, this river of the world and Babylon represents the false doctrines in our heavens. The river turning into blood is to show us the true nature of the doctrines we receive in Babylon. It is when the rod is used to smite the waters that it turns into blood. This is another way of saying that it is when Christ comes to us with His words (brightness) that we see that we are all murderers of the Lord and His elect, thinking we are doing God a service.  This does not mean that we physically killed anybody. However, resisting the words of the Lord and that of His elect or hating the Lord and His elect all amount to killing them.

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

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

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

We are first vessels of wood and hay before we become vessels of precious stones. This means that verse 19 saying that blood must be found in both vessels of wood and stone is to confirm the fact that we are guilty of the death of Christ and His elect.

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

Exo 7:20  And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
Exo 7:21  And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

The effect of drinking from this water of blood is that we die, just like fish die in polluted water. Dying, spiritually, means that we are alienated from the life of Christ. Fish symbolize humanity.

Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Another way of saying that we die from this water of Egypt is that we become worse off than when we even started our walk with Christ.

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

Exo 7:22  And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
Exo 7:23  And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.

The magicians of Egypt turning their water into blood by their own enchantment is what hardened Pharaoh’s heart such that he refused to let the people of Israel go. Another way of saying that the magicians of Egypt did the same thing is by saying that the beast does great wonders and deceives them that dwell on the earth by means of miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.

Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Exo 7:24  And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
Exo 7:25  And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

The digging around for water is what has created several religious bodies with each digging their own water.

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

The fact that it took seven days after the Lord had smitten the river is to let us know that it takes a complete period of time in our walk with Christ to realize our guilt for the death of our Lord Jesus Christ and His prophets.

Exo 4:18 –31 Surely, a Bloody Huband art Thou to Me

[Study Aired April 4, 2022]

Exo 4:18  And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 
Exo 4:19  And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 
Exo 4:20  And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 
Exo 4:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. 
Exo 4:22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 
Exo 4:23  And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. 
Exo 4:24  And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 
Exo 4:25  Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 
Exo 4:26  So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. 
Exo 4:27  And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. 
Exo 4:28  And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. 
Exo 4:29  And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: 
Exo 4:30  And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 
Exo 4:31  And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. 

All things come alike to us all. In other words, we all go through the same experience as the Lord’s elect, but the details are different from each other.

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. 
Ecc 9:3  This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 

What this means is that what happened to Moses and all the prophets is our experience also. Thus, the story of Moses and the Israelites and their exodus from Egypt relate to our experience of our walk with Christ. With that in mind, it becomes easier to understand the details of the Lord’s encounter with Moses in the desert.

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. 

Today’s study is based on Moses’ journey back to Egypt to start the process of delivering the Lord’s people from their bondage in Egypt. Let’s now look at what happened to Moses after his encounter with the Lord as follows:

Exo 4:18  And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

We must understand that the return of Moses to Egypt does not mean that as the Lord’s elect, we will return to the world. Not even the apostate church in the wilderness (the Israelites) returned to Egypt. What it means for Moses to return to Egypt is that after we encounter Christ, we must face the world with the devil as the prince of the power of the air. Our encounter with the Lord is to prepare us to face the world with all its tribulations.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Moses going to Jethro, his father-in-law, to request to go back to Egypt is not the result of Moses’ own volition. It was the result of his encounter with the Lord in the desert and his adherence to the command of the Lord to go back to Egypt to deliver the Lord’s people. There is a popular adage in the world that “where there is a will, there is a way”. However, my failures in life, even though I had the will, has taught me that it is only where there is the Lord’s will, that there is a way. It is not about him that runs, or wills or desires. It is about the Lord showing mercy!!

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Moses’ own effort to deliver the people of Israel from bondage had failed woefully. He is now ready to depend on the Lord to do the work. The first challenge we face when the Lord visits us with His brightness (His words) is the call to leave Babylon to fulfill our destiny. This was what happened to Moses. He had to disengage with his father-in-law, Jethro, to pursue the Lord’s agenda. Jethro here negatively represents Babylon (the physical churches of this world), which we are admonished to leave.

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

When the Lord visited Abraham, he was also told to leave his family behind and pursue the Lord’s agenda. Although the family Abraham left signifies that to do the Lord’s will, we must leave behind the flesh, it can also mean leaving Babylon. So, Abraham also had to leave Babylon. As indicated in the introductory part of this study, we all have the same experience.

Jethro’s willingness to let Moses go is to let us know that in any situation we come across, as long as it is in the perfect will of God, the Lord will make a way for us. He indeed creates rivers in the desert for us.

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

Nobody leaves Babylon with a sending-off party. It usually comes with tribulation, but in the end, the Lord gives us the willingness and the capacity to respond to His call to leave.

Exo 4:19  And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 

The men who were seeking the life of Moses represent the beast or the old man within us. When Christ comes to us with His brightness, which is His words, the death of the beast within has begun in earnest. So, here we are being reminded that we need not fear whether we are going to be overcome by the beast within as the Lord has initiated the death process for the beast or the old man.

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

Exo 4:20  And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 

Moses coming to Egypt to the Lord’s people sitting on an ass is a foreshadow of Christ coming to us (Jerusalem) to bring deliverance to the daughters of Zion (the elect).

Mat 21:5  Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The choice of a donkey is, itself, an important symbol. Horses are the ideal animals for war, so victorious warriors would present themselves atop a horse as they paraded. Our Messiah using an ass is to let us know that our deliverance by Him from our bondage in Egypt is not by might nor by power, but by the spirit and that His kingdom is not of this world. It also shows our Lord’s humility. Moses coming back to Egypt on an ass means that those the Lord is calling as His sons come to us in humility. They do not glory in His presence because they recognize that it was just by the mercies of the Lord that they had been chosen.

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Joh 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 

This verse also demonstrates the victory the Lord has given us over the flesh.  Moses here represents the Lord whose wife is the New Jerusalem. The sons are the elect who are the product of the union between Christ and His wife, the New Jerusalem or the church of the first born.  As verse 20 indicates, Moses set them upon an ass on his return to Egypt. This means that after we have had an encounter with the Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us the power to overcome the beast within which is symbolized by Moses’ family riding on top of an ass (beast).

1Jn 2:14  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

Verse 20 also shows us how to overcome the beast within. It is when Moses took the rod of God in his hands that victory is assured. As indicated in the previous session, the rod here represents Christ who is from the root of Jesse. It is when Christ comes to us to do His work of putting to death the sinful deeds of the flesh or the beast that we become victorious.

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

The Lord reminded Moses to do before Pharoah all the wonders that the Lord had shown him during his encounter with Him. In the previous study, we talked about the signs and their spiritual significance. Let’s revisit last week’s study to remind ourselves of the signs Moses is required to perform before Pharaoh.

The first sign

Exo 4:2  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 
Exo 4:3  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 
Exo 4:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 

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

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

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

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

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

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

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

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 

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

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

Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

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

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

The Second Sign

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During the Lord’s encounter with Moses, He told him that if they do not believe him after the first sign, then they will believe in him by the second sign. These two signs are what marks us out as the elect and makes those called and chosen who are in bondage believe in us. Without these two signs, we cannot impact anybody’s life.

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

By telling Moses that he will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will not let go, the Lord is reminding us that dealing with the beast within is a lifelong process.

Exo 4:22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 

The Lord describing Israel as His firstborn is to let us know about the election of Israel. The first-born son was the one who normally received a double inheritance and was the one who would inherit his father’s role as head of the family. As we are aware, Jesus is the first born among many brethren and is also the first born of every creature.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

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

God sometimes reversed this order as he did with Jacob and Esau and as Jacob later did with Ephraim and Manasseh. Reuben was also the first born of Jacob, but his rights as the first born were taken away because of his sin.

Gen 35:22  And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 
Gen 35:23  The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: 

Gen 49:3  Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 
Gen 49:4  Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. 

The term “firstborn” spiritually refers to our election before the foundations of the world. So, the Lord telling Moses to tell Pharaoh that Israel is His first-born is to let us know about Israel’s election which is a foreshadow of our election.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Exo 4:23  And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. 

Pharaoh here is a symbol of the old man or the beast within who resists us from being free to worship the Lord. The Lord saying that He will slay the firstborn of Pharaoh is to let us know that the Lord will destroy the basis of the strength of the beast within as firstborns represent the basis of our strength as used in the following:

Gen 49:3  Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 

This means that the destruction of the beast, or the old man within us, is a process. As the story unfolds, we shall see that it takes time for the firstborn of Pharaoh to die. It is not accomplished in one day!! That is what Paul meant when he said that he dies daily.

1Co 15:31  I protest by that glorying in you, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Exo 4:24  And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 

The Lord seeking to kill Moses means that the Lord has commenced the process to put to death the old man or the beast within Moses.

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

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

Zipporah, Moses’ wife, represents the elect. Stone on a positive note in the word of the Lord stands for the elect. What this means is that it is through what every joint supplies in the New Jerusalem or the church of the firstborn that we are able to take away the flesh of our foreskin, that is, destroy the flesh or the old man. As Paul stated, we the elect are the spiritual Jews who are circumcised spiritually.

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

Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 
Col 2:11  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 

Zipporah referred to Moses as a bloody husband. As we have indicated, Moses also represents the Lord and Zipporah the bride of Christ. Blood in the word of the Lord signifies life. So, calling our husband Christ, a bloody husband on a positive note is another way of saying that He has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

Lev 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

Exo 4:27  And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. 
Exo 4:28  And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. 

As we showed in the previous session, the Lord brought Aaron to assist Moses to carry out the Lord’s work. This is what we said about Aaron in the previous study:

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

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

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

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

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

Exo 4:29  And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: 
Exo 4:30  And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 
Exo 4:31  And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. 

As indicated by the Lord Jesus, those called and chosen will respond to our call to be liberated from bondage when we show them the two signs.

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

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

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

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

Verse 31 is to assure us that in the fullness of time, when all humanity has seen us demonstrate these two signs, they will come to believe. It is when humanity comes to see the lies of the evil, and their eyes are unveiled to the plan of God regarding the salvation of the world, that they will all bow down their heads and worship the Lord. At that time, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord!!

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

Exodus 1:1-22 Now There Arose up a New King Over Egypt, Who did not Know Joseph

[Study Aired March 7, 2022]

Exo 1:1  Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. 
Exo 1:2  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 
Exo 1:3  Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 
Exo 1:4  Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 
Exo 1:5  And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
Exo 1:6  And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 
Exo 1:7  And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. 
Exo 1:8  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 
Exo 1:9  And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 
Exo 1:10  Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 
Exo 1:11  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 
Exo 1:12  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 
Exo 1:13  And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 
Exo 1:14  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. 
Exo 1:15  And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 
Exo 1:16  And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 
Exo 1:17  But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 
Exo 1:18  And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 
Exo 1:19  And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 
Exo 1:20  Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 
Exo 1:21  And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. 
Exo 1:22  And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. 

The Book of Exodus traces the history of the Israelites while in Egypt and their exit from Egypt into the wilderness where they stayed at Mount Sinai where Moses received the ten commandments of the Lord and instruction about the building of the tabernacle. Spiritually, Exodus focuses on the elect’s journey in the world, our deliverance from the world and our encounter with the Lord in the worldly churches of this world called Babylon.  During Apostle John’s encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ on the island of Patmos, he heard a voice behind him, and as he turned in the direction of the voice, it was unveiled to him who Christ is, was and will be. In the same vein, as we turn to look at our journey from Egypt and our sojourn in the wilderness, our heavens will be opened to understand our Lord’s superintending love and provision, His ways and acts, to guide us in our present walk with Him. We must also bear in mind that all that happened to the Israelites were written for our admonition of whom the ends of the world are come.

Rev 1:9  I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Rev 1:12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

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.

Exo 1:1  Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
Exo 1:2  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Exo 1:3  Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Exo 1:4  Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Egypt represents the world and all that is of the world. The Israelites mentioned here represent the elect of every generation. We all start our walk with Christ in this life being dominated by the flesh and living our lives according to the rudiments of the world. In other words, we start our lives being sinful and being alienated from the commonwealth of the elect and strangers from the covenant of promise. This is what David alluded to as follows:

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

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

Col 2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Before the Israelites came to Egypt, the Lord had already told Abraham that the children of Israel will come into Egypt for a period of four hundred years, and after that He will deliver them from Egypt. The number four hundred is the product of 4 and 100 (400 = 4x10x10). So, four hundred years means the whole of our fleshly lives in this world before we hear the Lord’s call to come and serve Him.

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Gen 15:15  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

These verses are to let us know of our predestination. Before we came into this world, our lives had been written or ordered in our Lord’s Book and our presence here on earth is to fulfill that which is written. As we know, as our Lord is, so are we. His life here on earth was also written accordingly.

Psa 139:15  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

This must encourage us that in whatever situation we find ourselves, our Lord is with us, which means He will surely deliver us, and that which He starts, He is able to bring to completion!! Let us therefore come boldly before Him, to find grace in times of our needs for He is able to do exceedingly beyond what we can even think or ask!!

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.

According to Genesis chapter 15:3 mentioned above, we are strangers in this world. This means that although we are in this world, we are not of this world.

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

The scriptures describe our time in the world as the time of ignorance where we were under the oppressive rule of the flesh or old man or the beast.

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Exo 1:5  And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

This verse is to let us know that it is all the sons of Jacob and their descendants that ended up in Egypt as signified by the number 70 (7×10) which means the complete number of the Lord’s elect of every generation who are called and chosen before the world began, all started their walk here on earth dominated by the flesh, represented by Egypt. The statement “for Joseph was in Egypt already” is to let us know that our Lord, represented by Joseph, was sent ahead of us to this world by the Father to save us by a great deliverance.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Gen 45:5  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Jesus went ahead of us into this world to save our lives by a great deliverance through His death on the cross. In His life here on earth, our Jesus Christ went through every temptation yet without sin which makes Him a High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses while we are in this world, and as a result, we are able to obtain mercy and grace in time of need.

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.

Exo 1:6  And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
Exo 1:7  And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

The death of our Lord Jesus Christ, symbolized by the death of Joseph and the death of the old man of the elect, the Lord’s brethren, is what makes the elect (children of Israel) fruitful and mighty. This death of the old man in the elect of every generation results in the birth of a new man who is fruitful, mighty and fills the whole temple of the Lord within us.

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

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

Exo 1:8  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 

This new king who arose over Egypt represents the old man or the beast within who opposes or ignores Christ, who is signified by Joseph. During our time in the world, this beast dominates us and sits in the throne of our hearts claiming he is God.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
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.

Exo 1:9  And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Exo 1:10  Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

The old man or the beast within powered by the devil knows that he will eventually be overthrown by the new man in the elect of every generation. Spiritually, the new king in Egypt, or the devil and his cohorts, are afraid the elect (Israelites) will join with Christ and His words to fight against them. It is when Christ comes into our lives with His brightness which is His words that our worldliness symbolized by the Egyptians are driven from the land which is our bodies.

This saying by the new king of Egypt is a prophecy of the defeat of the beast or the old man by the elect, represented here by Israel. It is to assure us of the imminent defeat of the flesh. Let us therefore not give up thinking that God is not able to finish what He’s started. In the fullness of time, we shall see the total destruction of the old man in our lives. There are times in our lives that we doubt whether our old man will be destroyed. However, those ahead of us also had their doubts, but they overcame. This was what happened to Gideon, who represents the elect, when he doubted whether he and his army would be able to defeat the Midianites. The Lord assured him through a dream of the enemies he was going to fight that victory would surely be his. The Egyptians’ confession that the children of Israel are more and mightier than they is to give us the confidence that we shall surely overcome!! These things were written for our admonition!!

Jdg 7:10  But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
Jdg 7:11  And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.
Jdg 7:12  And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
Jdg 7:13  And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
Jdg 7:14  And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
Jdg 7:15  And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Exo 1:11  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

This verse shows us our lives without Christ while in the world. We labor in vain during this period of our lives. Solomon said it this way:

Ecc 2:18  Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Ecc 2:19  And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. 
Ecc 2:20  Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
Ecc 2:21  For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. 
Ecc 2:22  For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
Ecc 2:23  For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

Our labor when we are dominated by the old man is like the Israelites building Pharaoh’s treasure cities. We labor for nothing!! In summary, this is what happened to us:

Ecc 2:26  For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

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

In the negative context, the more we are afflicted under the burden of sin, the more we grow worse. Paul mentioned this when he said:

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Isa 1:4  Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. 
Isa 1:5  Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 
Isa 1:6  From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil. (ESV)

On a positive note, the more we are afflicted as a result of the Lord’s judgment, the more we grow stronger and stronger in the strength of the Lord to be obedient. The affliction the children of Israel were going through was all for the purpose of bringing them to Christ.

Psa 119:67  Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

Psa 119:71  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Exo 1:13  And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 
Exo 1:14  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Under the burden of the beast within, our energies are directed toward the love of this world which are spelled out as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

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

Our lives without Christ in this world (Egypt) makes us serve with rigor the cares of the world with no end in sight making our lives bitter with hard bondage. However, as Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria, these cares of the world never satisfy. It is only the water of the word that is able to quench our thirst.

Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 
Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Exo 1:15  And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 
Exo 1:16  And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

These Hebrew midwives represent the church of the firstborn or the elect. As midwives, our role as a church is to assist in the birth of Christ in each of us through what every joint supplies. There is always this temptation by the devil (king of Egypt) through the beast within to subtly cause us to abort this role of assisting in the birth of Christ in the body of Christ, in a bid to destroy us. For example, the devil comes to us telling us that what we are doing for the body is insignificant and that nobody even appreciates it. Why then trouble yourself being so committed to the church? However, as Paul said, we are not unaware of his devices.

2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The devil also came to our Lord Jesus Christ and told Him to bow down to him so that the kingdoms of this world would become His. If Jesus had heeded to the devil and decided not to go to the cross, He would have aborted the birth of the church just as the Hebrew women would have aborted the birth of sons who represent the elect.

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9  and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 
Mat 4:11  Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

The name Shiphrah means ‘beautiful’, and Puah means ‘to glitter’. All these adjectives relate to the New Jerusalem or the church of the elect.

Psa 50:2  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth. (ASV)

The Hebrew midwives were told to kill the sons born and to leave the daughters alive. The sons represent the elect, and the daughters signify the physical churches of this world called Babylon. The devil’s (king of Egypt) motive here on earth is to destroy the sons as he continues to firm his grip over Babylon. This is affirmed in Revelation chapter 12 where the devil wanted to kill the son to be born by the woman. As we can see, the devil was not interested in killing the woman but the son to be born. When he saw that it was impossible to do so, then he turned his attention to the woman to strengthen his dominance over her.

Rev 12:1  And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars;
Rev 12:2  and she was with child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered.
Rev 12:3  And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.
Rev 12:4  And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child.
Rev 12:5  And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne.
Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Exo 1:17  But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 
Exo 1:18  And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 
Exo 1:19  And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 

As indicated, the Hebrew midwives represent the new Jerusalem or the elect who fear the Lord and will only listen to the true shepherd who is our Lord Jesus Christ. They will not heed other voices of the devil (king of Egypt) because they are not familiar with such voices.

Joh 10:4  When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Here in verse 19, a distinction is being made between the Hebrew women and the Egyptian women. The Hebrew women represent the elect, and the Egyptian women signify the religions of this world. The distinction between these two women is that the Hebrew women are more vigorous and are able to give birth before midwives come to them while the Egyptian women need midwives. This is to let us know of the dependence on the Lord alone by the elect to birth Christ in us while the religions of this world, including Christianity, depend on their self-will or effort (midwives) to reach out to God.  In other words, for us as the elect, our help only comes from the Lord who made Heaven and earth. We do not contribute anything to the birth of Christ in us!!

Psa 121:1  A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 
Psa 121:2  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

We therefore glory in our weaknesses as His grace is sufficient for us!! It is not our effort or anything that we do!!

2Co 12:9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
2Co 12:10  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Exo 1:20  Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

As we continue to be faithful to our Lord, He will deal well with us here on earth and in the world to come.

Psa 115:11  Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. 
Psa 115:12  The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. 
Psa 115:13  He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. 
Psa 115:14  The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Psa 115:15  Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. 

Mar 10:29  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
Mar 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Exo 1:21  And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

A better rendition of this verse is as follows:

Exo 1:21  And because the women who took care of the Hebrew mothers had the fear of God, he gave them families. (BBE)

Presently, the Lord has given us the church as our family. We are united together with one purpose – that is, knowing Christ. As we are aware, there is a friend (the elect) that sticks closer than a brother (a physical family).

Pro 18:24  A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. 

In the fullness of time, like the Hebrew midwives, we shall be given the families of the whole of humanity. In our present situation, we are barren, but let us shout for joy because the barren shall have more children than she who has a husband!!

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

Exo 1:22  And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. 

As indicated earlier, a son represents the elect and a daughter signifies the church – the physical churches of this world or Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all. Pharaoh here denotes the devil or the beast within, and Pharaoh’s people here are the false apostles and deceitful workers.

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

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

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

Saving every daughter alive is another way of saying that the physical churches of this world were given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent.

Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Rev 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

May the Lord help us to depend on Him entirely as He works out our salvation for us. He is indeed able!! That reminds me of a song by Maranatha Singers that we sang a lot while in Babylon but did not understand the spiritual reality of that song!!

He is Able By Maranatha Singers

He is able more than able

To accomplish what concerns me today

He is able more than able

To handle anything that comes my way

He is able more than able

To do much more than I could ever dream

He is able more than able

To make me what He wants me to be

[Study Aired February 15, 2021]

Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

In the sense that the secular humanist beast who will turn on the great whore of religion and “eat her flesh and burn her with fire…”, and in the sense that the beast will be totally incapable of distinguishing the Lord’s elect from the religions of the great whore, the point is well taken that “no flesh would be saved alive” certainly includes us as the Lord’s elect.

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

The ‘eating her flesh and burning her with fire’ has been taking place within the Lord’s elect for the past two thousand years (Rev 1:3), and it is taking place dispensationally and outwardly at this very moment as secular humanism turns against all the religions of this world.

I hope in this study to demonstrate just how true the premise is that the ‘no flesh saved’ includes His elect, and at the same time demonstrate how true it is that God will provide “a way to escape that [we] might be able to bear” our trials as we “read and hear… the words of this prophecy and keep the things which are written” in this “revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:3).

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

There are three stories in scripture which reveal that the Lord’s elect would indeed be destroyed along with all flesh, if the days of their trials were not shortened.

Those three stories are 1) the story of Joseph, 2) the story of Daniel and His fellows, and 3) the story of Mordecai and Esther.

The kings who rule the world of their time in these three stories are all troubled to the point of losing sleep, and each of these three stories the Lord uses His elect to save both themselves and the kingdoms of this world.

This ‘troubling’ is how the Lord deals with all of us. His ‘troubling’ of world leaders, as the scriptures demonstrate, is the Lord’s method of operation. We have three such events recorded for us in scripture.

The first was Pharaoh:

Gen 41:1  And it came to pass at the end of two full years [after Joseph had correctly interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh’s butler and baker], that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
Gen 41:2  And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
Gen 41:3  And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
Gen 41:4  And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
Gen 41:5  And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
Gen 41:6  And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
Gen 41:7  And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

God’s elect “who first trusted in Christ” are always the target of the great red dragon and all His children, but what they simply are not given to understand is that their every move to entrap the Lord’s elect is nothing more than a pit and a trap into which they themselves will fall. Their every move is a spider’s net into which they are being entangled by the Lord Himself, as is demonstrated for us all in the story of Joseph and His brothers who sold Him into Egyptian slavery. This is the first story of how the Lord has and will orchestrate the affairs of this world to threaten the destruction of His own people, and then use those very same circumstances to deliver His people. In the story of Joseph, the Lord used Joseph, as a type of ‘His anointed… His Christ’, to save himself and Egypt and all of Canaan from a deadly seven-year drought. It was the Lord Himself who, through this drought, made Joseph’s brothers to bow down to and do obeisance to him thus fulfilling the very dreams of Joseph for which they had so hated him.

Joseph was given to know that he was to judge his brothers severely and mercilessly before revealing himself to them:

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

Joseph did not deny that his brothers had chosen to sell him into Egyptian slavery. He twice said, “You sold… me… into Egypt.” Then he reveals that our will is not really our will at all when he tells his brothers, “So now it was not you that sent me here, but God.” The old man within each of us is proof positive that we are nothing more than self-centered pawns in the Lord’s chess game, and it is a rigged game in which our old man, and the father of our old man, cannot hope to win, and our heavenly Father and His son, our new man, cannot possibly lose.

Nebuchadnezzar is the second of these three troubled kings:

Dan 4:4  I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
Dan 4:5  I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

Notice that in the story of Daniel being given to tell Nebuchadnezzar what he had dreamed as well as the interpretation of his dream, Nebuchadnezzar “was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” Because he had forgotten his troubling dream and because none of his wise men and religious leaders were able to tell him his dream and also correctly interpret the dream he had forgotten, he had every intention of destroying all the wise men of Babylon including “Daniel and his fellows” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar in this story typifies our old man, the beast within us who rules our whole world:

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him [Gen 41:8 and Est 6:1 – All three kings were troubled and could not sleep].
Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Dan 2:4  Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
Dan 2:5  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Dan 2:6  But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Dan 2:7  They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Dan 2:8  The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Dan 2:9  But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
Dan 2:10  The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Dan 2:11  And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. [True at that time]
Dan 2:12  For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Dan 2:13  And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

So, yes, indeed, the Lord’s elect are always being “hated by all men… for this cause”, meaning the natural man insists that religious people have no proof of their God being real. Nebuchadnezzar’s god was Nebuchadnezzar himself all the way until the Lord, in type and shadow, judged Nebuchadnezzar and made him eat grass and live out in the field like an ox for seven years.

This judgment was also preceded by giving him troubling dreams:

Dan 4:4  I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
Dan 4:5  I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

Again, the Lord Himself strikes fear in the heart of the ruler of the world before He deals with him.

Dan 4:28  All this [mentally deranged curse] came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
Dan 4:29  At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
Dan 4:30  The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
Dan 4:31  While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
Dan 4:32  And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will [Gen 33:3; Lev 26:18,21, 24 and 28].
Dan 4:33  The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar, as a type of us, worshipped himself until he, as a type of us, ‘fell seven times’ before the Lord made a change in him:

Pro 24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

The restoration to Nebuchadnezzar of his kingdom after spending seven years as a maniac in the field with the cattle, makes him a type of the Lord’s elect who all “fall… seven times”.

However, before that day comes, he is under the influence of the same secular humanist spirit which is taking over the entire western world, and it is affecting all of modern mankind, “all the kings of the earth”, who have for so long been subdued by the great whore:

Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Religion is ‘the great whore’, and religion is falling into disrepute with all flesh, and this is what the flesh, symbolized by the number ten, is doing to the religions of this world at this very moment (Meaning of the Number Ten):

Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast [secular humanism], until the words of God shall be fulfilled. [Until the Lord has used secular humanism to judge the great whore of religion]
Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

It is most instructive for us to notice that as much as Nebuchadnezzar worshipped himself, at the same time the Lord made him to have great regard for Daniel’s connection to our Lord. Notice that the Lord’s words to him through Daniel are as a last resort when the Lord troubles him:

Dan 4:7  Then [first] came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
Dan 4:8  But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,
Dan 4:9  O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

The powers that be will be flourishing as they are today before the Lord begins to “trouble” them.

Dan 4:4  I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
Dan 4:5  I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

The third Biblical example of how the Lord troubles the powers that be before He judges them is King Ahasuerus:

Est 6:1  On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
Est 6:2  And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.

“That night” refers to the very night Haman was constructing some gallows on which to hang Mordecai. Here is what happened that very day:

Est 5:9  Then went Haman forth [from Queen Esther’s first banquet] that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.
Est 5:10  Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.
Est 5:11  And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.
Est 5:12  Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king.
Est 5:13  Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.
Est 5:14  Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

In the story of Mordecai and Esther, Haman typifies the great red dragon who is seeking to destroy the Lord’s elect, the ‘man child’, who is born of the woman and is destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron:

Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Haman, in type, is the son “of [his] father the devil” (Joh 8:44), that old serpent, the great red dragon (Rev 12:9 and 20:2). He is intent upon destroying the Lord’s typical elect, but he is totally unaware that even his hatred of the Lord and His doctrines and His people is all a part of a plan put in place by the Lord Himself before Haman was ever born, as the scriptures reveal:

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

How long before we are born did God have “the days that were ordained for [us… written in His book”? Here is the scriptural answer to that question:

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

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

If indeed the Lord has had “all… [of our] days… written in [His] book… before there were any of them”, then it follows that He would also have to have pre-planned all the days of all the lives of all the associates of His elect. In other words, He would have to be working “all things after the counsel of His own will” including the lives of Haman, his wife Zeresh, all his sons and everyone else who has ever been born.

Is that a scriptural doctrine? Yes, of coursem that is exactly what the scriptures teach from Genesis to Revelation:

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

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Even as Haman was basking in the apparently certain prospect of fulfilling the king’s proclamation to destroy all the Jews in his kingdom, the Lord, through Estherm was causing Haman to set himself up for the ultimate humiliation and for his own death and destruction. Just look at how the Lord has provided for the success of our new man at the expense of our old man, and look at how the Lord protects His children from their enemies. Before Haman had begun to construct the 75-foot high gallows from which he intended to hang the Lord’s typical elect, the Lord, through Queen Esther, had already begun to entreat the king to answer her petition to come to her first banquet, to which she had also invited Haman. Totally unaware of the Lord’s all-knowing sovereign hand at work on behalf of His elect few, Haman left that first banquet to go home and brag to his family and all his friends that he alone had been invited to be with Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus, on the first night of Queen Esther’s banquet, and that Queen Esther had invited him alone to be with her and the king the next night.

It was that very night, the same night the king could not sleep and the night he had read of Mordecai saving his life, that at the suggestion of his wife and all his friends Haman began preparing the “fifty cubits” (75 foot high) gallows on which he intended to hang Mordecai. But the Lord was “working all things [in this story] after the counsel of His own will” and this is what He worked to deliver His typical elect the very next night, the same night Haman intended to petition the king for the hanging of Mordecai:

Est 6:1  On that night [the night of Queen Esther’s first banquet] could not the king sleep [Gen 41:8 and Dan 2:1] , and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
Est 6:2  And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
Est 6:3  And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.
Est 6:4  And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
Est 6:5  And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
Est 6:6  So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
Est 6:7  And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,
Est 6:8  Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:
Est 6:9  And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
Est 6:10  Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
Est 6:11  Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
Est 6:12  And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
Est 6:13  And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
Est 6:14  And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

This was all a work of the Lord himself. The king had no idea who would be in the court. He had no intention at this point of humiliating his most trusted assistant, Haman. He actually thought he was honoring Haman also by having “one of the king’s most noble princes”, to use Haman’s own words, to deck Mordecai out in the king’s royal apparel, set him on the king’s horse and lead the man the king delighted to honor through the streets of the city declaring that this is the man the king delights to honor. Nevertheless, by the words of “[his] own mouth (Luk 19:22), Haman was humiliated, and the worst was yet to come when that very night Queen Esther explains to the king in Haman’s presence that it is her people Haman is seeking to destroy.

In the end, the Lord protects His people and destroys their enemy. Haman is hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and his wife and children are put to death. Mordecai and Queen Esther inherit all Haman’s wealth and are used by the Lord to save all their people. Mordecai, like Joseph, was made “next to the king” in the kingdom of Persia.

All three examples here are mere types of the fulfillment of this promise to us if we are granted to endure the hatred of this world to the end:

Rev 2:25  Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come.
Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations:
Rev 2:27  and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father:
Rev 2:28  and I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. (ASV)

Isa 48:12-22 The Lord Has Loved Him...He Will do His Pleasure on Babylon...Tell This, Utter it Even to the End of the Earth - Discussion

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Isa 48-12-22- The Lord Has Loved Him… He Will Do His Pleasure on Babylon… Tell This, Utter It Even to The End of The Earth

Isa 48:12  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
Isa 48:13  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
Isa 48:14  All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
Isa 48:15  I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
Isa 48:16  Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
Isa 48:17  Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Isa 48:18  O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
Isa 48:19  Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Isa 48:20  Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
Isa 48:21  And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
Isa 48:22  There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Once in Colossians and twice in the book of Hebrews we are told that the things of the Old Testament are “shadows of things to come”:

Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

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

Our verses for this study are a prophecy of the destruction of Babylon at the hands of Cyrus. However, the physical destruction of Babylon at the hands of Cyrus, according to Colossians 2:17 and Hebrews 8:5 and 10:1 is “a shadow of good things to come”, and this prophecy typifies the climactic anti-type of the destruction of all the false religions of this world, referred to as “Babylon the great the mother of harlots and of abominations of the world” in Revelation 17 and 18. The great harlot system must be destroyed first within us, and later, this prophecy here in Isaiah 48, is also a shadow of the climactic destruction of the religions of this world at the hands of Christ and His Christ. This “end of the age… last time” event is at this very moment taking place inwardly in all the Lord’s elect, symbolized in these verses by the work the Lord is prophesying 200 years in advance that He would do to Babylon through Cyrus

1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

There will also eventually be an outward end of this dispensation and an end of this age with an outward destruction of spiritual Babylon which will, at the appointed time, be replaced by “the kingdom of God”, the Lord and His elect:

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.

This seemingly impossible event is prophesied in greater detail a few chapters later:

Rev 15:5  And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
Rev 15:6  And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

We will see in a few minutes that these “seven angels” are the anti-type of Cyrus, who literally destroys the physical city of Babylon. What the Lord did through Cyrus is a type and a shadow of what He is first doing within us in this age, and it is also a type and shadow of what He will use us to do to spiritual Babylon outwardly after the first resurrection:

Isa 45:1  Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Isa 45:2  I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
Isa 45:3  And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

Here is the very same prophecy in the book of Revelation:

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 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 
Rev 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Let’s take note that it is the seven angels who are the Lord’s instrument of Babylon’s destruction, as well as being made the rulers of “the kingdoms of this world” (Rev 11:15):

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

It is to the “seven angels”, typified and foreshadowed by Cyrus, whom the Lord is using and whom He will use to destroy Babylon and rule the nations of this world to which the Lord addresses these words:

Isa 48:12  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. 
Isa 48:13  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. 
Isa 48:14  All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. 
Isa 48:15  I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

“Which among them hath declared these things” while referring to Cyrus in its literal typical sense, it is the Lord’s elect, His “seven angels”, who “ha[ve] declared these things”. It is the Lord Himself who “makes [the work of the seven angels] prosperous”. The work of the seven angels is really the work of Christ, first in our lives, and His work in our lives in no way depends upon us, though it seems otherwise to our flesh:

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

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

The Lord knew Cyrus “by name” hundreds of years before he was born (Isa 44:28), and He wants us to know and acknowledge that everything He did through Cyrus was just as  much a work of His hands, as was the work He did to Pharaoh through His “two witnesses”, Moses and Aaron. He wants us to know that the work of the seven angels to destroy Babylon within us and after the first resurrection is also the work of His hands:

Isa 44:28  That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

The seventh angel pours out his vial into the air precipitating the greatest ‘earthquake’ in the history of the ‘earth’. This great earthquake causes the great city of Babylon to be divided into three parts, indicating the process of judgment which has come upon the anti-type of ‘Babylon’ within, which must also come upon outward ‘Babylon” soon after the “blessed and holy first resurrection” (Rev 20:4-6).

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

An integral part of this judgment is a plague of 70-pound hailstones  (”the weight of a talent”) which symbolically comes upon Babylon which brings men (us) to their wits’ end causing them (us) to “blaspheme God” instead of repenting of their (our) sins.

Rev 16:21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

In the third verse of the first chapter of the book of Revelation we are clearly told that it is the reader who must “read, hear, and keep the things written in [this book]”:

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

So, we the readers are given to see and hear the things of the spirit. We are the first to be judged by the fiery words of God and the first to “read… hear… and keep the words of this prophecy” (Rev 1:3):

Deu 33:2  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

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

Before the Lord’s words can be fire in our mouths, it must first do its fiery work within us, and we must first see ourselves as the unfaithful whore, Babylon the Great. After being judged we will then become the seven angels who, through death and resurrection from the dead (Rom 6:1-4), come out of the temple in heaven to judge and destroy Babylon.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

This destruction of Babylon is also typified and foreshadowed as being accomplished through the hail which symbolizes the Truth of the Word of God which “shall sweep away the refuge of lies” which ‘lies’ are themselves symbolized by Babylon itself, “the great city… where also our Lord was crucified”:

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

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

In our last study the Lord was declaring that He is not shackled by the false, lying, Babylonian idols of our heart. There were false prophets in ancient Israel prophesying peace and prosperity for Israel, even as the nation continued its descent into the pagan worship of the nations around them. The ‘gods’ of that time were literal idols which were either carved of wood or cast of molten metal into the form of the supposed ‘gods’ of that time. The Philistine god, Dagon (1Sa 5:1-6), was supposedly half man and half fish. The “idols of [our] hearts” today are our false doctrines (Eze 14:1-9). But God is no more beholden to our false doctrines than He was to the inanimate idols of the ancient pagans.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

When the Lord speaks of the heavens and the earth, He is speaking of us, to our earth and to our heavens, which must be purified of all ‘the idols of [our] hearts’:

Isa 48:13  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

The physical heavens and earth are but types and shadows of the “new heavens and new earth” to which we are being conformed, and the book of Hebrews makes clear to those with eyes that see the things of the spirit:

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves [that would be us] with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself [That is us, Joh14:18], now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Christ had earlier made it clear that He would enter into us:

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to [“enter into”] you.

Notice how often the Old Testament refers to us as ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’:

Lev 26:19  And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

Deu 4:26  I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

Deu 11:21  That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

Psa 113:6  Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 

Isa 37:16  O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

Isa 40:10  Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
Isa 40:11  He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Isa 40:12  Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Isa 44:24  Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Isa 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

All these statements are addressed to the Lord’s people, symbolized by the phrase, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth”. Are ‘the Lord’s people’ only the righteous of this world? No “Hear heavens, and give ear O earth” is not addressed to us as the righteous of the world. It is more aptly addressed to us as “the chief of sinners":

Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Isa 1:6  From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Isa 1:7  Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

Mar 2:17  When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Being humbled and coming to see just how all flesh is wicked is essential to being prepared to be a priest of God who can “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities”, and we are as He is in the world (1Jo 4:17):

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.

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.

Our Head was “made sin” (2Co 5:21), but was not given to commit a single trespass, but “His body” knows all about trespasses, and through ‘His body’ He is not only a sin offering, but through us Christ also fulfills the trespass offering as the scapegoat and the second bird of the offering for the incurable leper as given us in Lev 16 and 14 respectively. As such we are as much an offering for the sins of the world as is the Lord Himself because “as He is so are we, [and we must] fill up in [our] body that which is behind [lacking] of the afflictions of the Christ in [our] bodies for His body’s sake which is the church”:

Lev 16:7  And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

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

Our sufferings are right here in Colossians 1:24 declared to be “for you… the church” just as much as were the sufferings of Christ Himself. “As He is so are we in this world”, and that being true we, too, are “a living sacrifice… for a scapegoat… filling up what is behind [lacking] of the afflictions of Christ in [our] flesh for His body’s sake which is the church… to make an atonement with Him (Lev 16:10)”.

It was Christ Himself who told us clearly:

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

As His Father sent Him, “even so” Christ is sending us. Which begs the question, “Exactly what did His Father send Him to accomplish?” That question is answered very clearly for us in this same gospel:

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

It is Christ Himself who considers us, “His body” to be Himself, as is repeated over and over in scripture:

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

It seems counter-intuitive that “the chief of sinners” can also be called the Lord’s people, whose lives will be offered as a living sacrifice with the Lord’s sacrifice, as the saviors of this world, but that is exactly what we are told must happen. The Lord’s people who love Him most are those who see themselves as those who have sinned most, as the Lord tells us when we are first a self-righteous Pharisee:

Luk 7:36  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
Luk 7:37  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
Luk 7:38  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Luk 7:39  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
Luk 7:40  And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
Luk 7:41  There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
Luk 7:42  And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Luk 7:43  Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 
Luk 7:44  And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Luk 7:45  Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
Luk 7:46  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Luk 7:47  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

Now we should begin to understand that every word about how evil and rebellious Israel was and how her sins exceeded the sins of the nations around her is addressed first to us as His bride in the New Testament, and what “Live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4) means.

We should also be able to see and understand that even these words are addressed to the Lord’s people who see themselves as “the chief of sinners”:

Isa 48:16  Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
Isa 48:17  Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. [“…but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”]
Isa 48:18  O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
Isa 48:19  Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Isa 48:20  Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob. 
Isa 48:21  And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
Isa 48:22  There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

“Go forth of Babylon” is the inspiration for the same commandment give us in:

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

It is the water flowing out of the Rock which sustains us even while we are wandering around in the wilderness and desert, which is Babylon. Where did that water originate? In the New Testament body of Christ, we are still drinking of that same “Rock”:

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

The incredible stubbornness displayed by Israel in the wilderness and the death in the wilderness of all those over 20 years of age, are all types and shadows of our own carnal-minded, stubborn and rebellious old man who cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50).

Let’s become familiar with who we first are as the Lord’s people. If we do not see ourselves as Cain who killed his own brother, as Pharaoh who oppressed the Lord’s people, and now as Babylon continuing to oppress the Lord’s people, then the scriptures will profit us nothing, and we will be nothing more than self-righteous Job.

Notice to whom Jeremiah 22 is addressed:

Jer 22:2  And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

And what symbol does the Lord use as a type of His people, the “the king of Judah… and [his] servants”?

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

The Lord also mentions ‘the heavens and… the earth’ when speaking to His people in Zechariah:

Zec 12:1  The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

The burden of the Word of the Lord is “for Israel”. The Word of the Lord is only for the Lord’s elect who are healed of their spiritually blind and spiritually deaf “marred” condition and composition.

Look again at how our study began today:

Isa 48:12  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. 
Isa 48:13  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

In Isaiah 1:3, in Jeremiah 22:2 and 29 and now here in Isaiah 48:12-13 are all accounts of the Lord speaking to His own people, and He refers to them as “the heavens and the earth”.

I have been emphasizing how “the dream is one” principle is carried throughout the scriptures:

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Following that principle, the Lord has seen fit to say most everything He says twice but using different words to do so. Such is the case when He tells us “the Lord… stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth”. The point He is making is that it is He who “formed the spirit of man” within him as “the heavens” within us, and for the moment the heavens within us are bound up in a vessel of clay, which He calls “the earth”. It is these “earthen… vessels of clay”, which He also calls “corruptible… flesh and blood”.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The Lord reveals to His elect that it is He who has created both our heavens and our earth, and He wants His elect to know that the heavens and the earth, our minds and our bodies and all that takes place in both, are the work of His hands, and the script was written for every man before he was ever born. So of course, “when [He] calls unto them, they stand up together”:

Isa 48:12  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
Isa 48:13  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

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

There was no way anyone in Isaiah’s day could possibly have known that the Medo-Persian empire would one day conquer the mighty Assyrian-Babylonian empire of King Nebuchadnezzar, much less name the Persian king who would conquer Babylon. Yet that is exactly what the Lord did through His servant Isaiah 200 years before it happened, foretelling that event and even giving us the name of the Persian King who would carry out the Lord’s will concerning the rebuilding of His temple:

Isa 44:24  Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; 
Isa 44:25  That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
Isa 44:26  That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
Isa 44:27  That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:
Isa 44:28  That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

This again is a prophecy of the work of the Lord’s elect whom He is using to build His temple today.

Isa 44:26  That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: 

The Lord “confirms the word of His servant and performs the counsel of His messengers” because His messengers do not think above what is written, and they tremble at His words.

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.

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

That is our study for today. Here are the verses for next study:

Isa 49:1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
Isa 49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
Isa 49:3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
Isa 49:4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.
Isa 49:5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
Isa 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
Isa 49:7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

The Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven – Part 10 –

The Dream is One

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

Introduction

This dream of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is actually a prophesy of what the Lord is about to do in the land of Egypt and “in all lands”.

Gen 41:56  And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:57  And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

The Lord would soon bring a great famine upon “all lands”, and that famine would last seven long agonizing years. However, before the famine would come, there would be seven years of great plenty in which Egypt could store up grain to be able to endure the famine.

In this story we are given a vital key to the kingdom of heaven. That key is the revelation Joseph gives the Pharaoh that both his dreams have one message. The ultimate lesson for us in this key to the kingdom of heaven is that all scripture has but one message, as Christ Himself explained to the two men on the road to Emmaus:

Luk 24:27  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

We are dragged to Christ through a troubled spirit

As we are coming to understand, the keys to the kingdom of heaven are the principles we are given to help us to understand how God Himself thinks, how He expresses His thoughts and how He carries out those thoughts. In this particular case, we are being made to understand that the way God communicates with those whom He gives to see the mysteries of His Kingdom is by giving the same one message in more than one way. “The dream is one” principle reveals that Christ is working with all men in the same way.  Solomon confirms this principle with these words:

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.

It was Christ Himself who caused the Pharaoh to dream two separate dreams. The first was a dream of seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean cows. The disturbing part of the dream was that after devouring the seven fat cows, the seven lean cows looked none the better for having devoured the seven fat cows. The holy spirit caused the devouring of those seven fat cows by the seven lean cows, which were then none the better, to so disturb Pharaoh that he woke up in terror, and yet he did not know why he had been given this dream or what the dream meant. He went back to sleep only to repeat the entire experience, except this time the dream was about seven ears on one stalk full and good, again being devoured by seven ears on another stalk “withered, thin and blasted with the east wind”. The holy spirit caused both of these dreams to terrify the Pharaoh and to rob him of his peace.

Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

This entire story is repeated in the book of Daniel. In that case it is King Nebuchadnezzar who is terrified by dreams which the Lord gave him. In that instance, while retaining the terror of what he had dreamed, the Lord took the memory of the dream away from King Nebuchadnezzar.

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Dan 2:4  Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

The king then decided that his Chaldean magicians, astrologer and sorcerers, if they were capable of giving him a reliable interpretation, should also be capable of telling him what the dream was he had forgotten. In this case King Nebuchadnezzar was determined to destroy all the wise men of Babylon, including Daniel and Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, if they could not tell him his dream along with the interpretation of that dream.

Dan 2:5  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Dan 2:6  But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Dan 2:7  They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Dan 2:8  The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Dan 2:9  But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. 
Dan 2:10  The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Dan 2:11  And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
Dan 2:12  For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Dan 2:13  And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Dan 2:14  Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
Dan 2:15  He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Dan 2:16  Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
Dan 2:17  Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Dan 2:18  That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 
Dan 2:19  Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Daniel was blessed by God with the knowledge of what the king had dreamed, and like Joseph, he was also blessed to know what the dream meant. Notice the parallels between these two events which are one more example of the principle of “the dream is one” key to the kingdom of heaven:

Gen 41:17  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
Gen 41:18  And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
Gen 41:19  And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
Gen 41:20  And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
Gen 41:21  And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
Gen 41:22  And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
Gen 41:23  And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
Gen 41:24  And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

The only difference between these two events is that Pharaoh was given faith in Joseph’s interpretation without having to tell Pharaoh what his dream was as well as the interpretation. The fact is that if Joseph’s interpretations of the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker had not already come to pass exactly as the Lord had revealed their interpretation to Joseph, the Pharaoh would never have called Joseph before himself.

The point being made is that God establishes those upon whom He places His spirit, and no one can deny who they are. This same principle was played out a third time in the events surrounding Mordecai and Esther. If we recognize that prison in Egypt is a type of death, then we can say, without contradiction, that God Himself placed the lives of His elect on the line in all three of these historical events.

Do the scriptures symbolize death as being in a pit?

Job 3:18  There the prisoners rest together [in the grave]; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

Psa 88:4  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
Psa 88:5  Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

Isa 24:21  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
Isa 24:22  And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Isa 24:23  Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Isa 42:7  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

We are all born into the “darkness… of the prison house”, and Christ Himself makes clear the meaning of this symbol of this situation out of which He is bringing us:

Luk 9:59  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

If we know the mind of God, then we will know that from His perspective, these “very good… vessels of clay” are really nothing more than “very good prison houses [of] darkness… [and] of the dead”.

I will not take the time here to relate the story of Mordecai and Esther, except to point out that the death of God’s elect was again on the line, and it was again turned by God into victory against those who would have God’s elect destroyed, as was also the case with Joseph and with Daniel:

Est 9:1  Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)

So this key to the kingdom of heaven is not applicable to just the dreams of Pharaoh. Rather, this principle of “the dream is one” is applicable to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, as Christ revealed to us through what I call His ‘Prophecy 101’ course which He delivered to the two men on the road to Emmaus. With this ‘the dream is one’ key to the kingdom of heaven, it is as if we were right there with those two men to whom He revealed this principle in these words:

Luk 24:25  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Luk 24:27  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Those who are given eyes that see and ears that hear that “the dream is one” will know just how Christ-centric is the entirety of “all that the prophets have spoken… in all the scriptures… concerning Himself”.

This is just how Christ-centric “all that the prophets have spoken” are:

Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

2Co 4:14  Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes [Christ and His Christ], that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 
Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 
Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

If indeed “all things were created by Him and for Him”, then it follows that every detail of all things are by Him and for him, and that “all the scriptures [are in some sense] concerning Himself”.

With this dream is one key to the kingdom of heaven, we are made to understand that it is each of us who have been given to reign over all our own land of Egypt, and that God has preordained that it is only by taking away from us the peace and prosperity in our own worldly kingdom and replacing that peace with feelings of fear and anxiety (Job 1-2, Act 9:1-9) that He will gain our undivided attention. Whether it is the story of Joseph, Daniel, or Mordecai and Esther, “the dream is one”. Whether is it the story of Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, or Jacob and Esau, “the dream is one”, and the message in every case is the same. That one message is that our old man”, our “first man Adam”, must die, and that through the death of that “first man Adam… [our] new man, the last Adam” is being born into “the kingdom of God… within [each of us]” (Act 17:20-21). Spiritually speaking we are to count ourselves as having died to our old man and having already been resurrected in our new man, all in “earnest” down-payment form, yet in spiritual reality:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

It is only by bringing us “to [our] wits’ end” that we are then in a humbled position where we will listen to “some man”, our own personal “Ananias”, a member of the body of Christ, our own personal Philip, “some man to guide [us]” and to give to us the keys to the kingdom of heaven. When we recognize that “the dream is one”, we will see that all the scriptures are concerned with Christ and His Christ, and how, through Christ and His Christ, God is bringing and will bring “all in Adam… each in his own order” to be in “the last Adam… Christ” (1Co 15:22-28).

Psa 107:25  For he [Christ, the Word] commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

Christ condenses the message of Psalms 107 into this short statement:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

The apostle Paul reiterates this same message with these words:

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 
Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The adversary has a forked tongue which contradicts himself and the Words of God. The Truth is that the gospel of the kingdom of heaven is the good news that all men will, “each in his own order”, be saved through Christ and His Christ (1Co 15:22-28). This message is the same from Genesis to Revelation.

Conclusion

Whether it is King David in the Psalms, Christ in the gospels, or in the epistles of Paul, “the dream is one”, and that principle is one of the keys to the kingdom of heaven which is within each of us who have come to know and to appreciate the one mind of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ. This key to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven reveals that the message of “all the prophets have written” is one message, and that message concerns Christ and how all will one day be in Him, and will know the joy and the glory of being in Christ. That message concerns Christ and how, through the death of the old man, all will one day be in Him.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

[Part eleven can be found here.]