Acts 21:9  Philip had Four Daughters Which did Prophesy, Part 2

[Study Aired August 13, 2023]

The goal of our study today is to understand the way in which Philip’s four daughters prophesied. Paul repeatedly forbids women teaching and preaching in the church:

1Co 14:31  For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
1Co 14:32  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
1Co 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
1Co 14:34  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

We ended our last study taking notice that the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the holy spirit, had forbidden women to teach or “usurp authority over the man” in the church.

We had also noted that he said that a woman can prophesy if she has her head covered.

Let’s go now to the Old Testament of which Paul told Timothy to “study to show thyself approved unto God,” and see if we can find out what all is included under the definition of this word ‘prophesy.’

It turns out that the Old Testament reveals that the word ‘prophesy’ includes…

1) Singing
2) Playing Musical Instruments
3) Prayer
4) Relating dreams
5) Edification, Exhortation and Comfort

Therefore, it is possible to prophesy without teaching, but you cannot teach without prophesying. ‘Prophesying’ is a very broad brush while teaching is a very focused part of prophesying.

That is right! When we investigate how this word is used in the Old Testament, we find that ‘prophecy’ is a word which is used to include much more than simply speaking as a teacher or a preacher. Let us read what the Holy Spirit inspired to be called ‘prophecy’. When we see how this word was used in the Old Testament, we will then have a much better understanding of how Paul used this word in the New Testament, and we can then understand that he was not contradicting himself at all when he tells us that a woman who ‘prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head’, and in the same breath tell us that “Let your women keep silence in the church for it is not permitted for a woman to speak” (1Co 14:34)

1) Prophesying Includes Singing

The seventy elders who were to help Moses judge the people were all prophets:

Num 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him [Moses], and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

Where were these leaders and elders when they were prophesying? Were they in the camp teaching the people? They could have been, but no, that is not where they were prophesying:

Num 11:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
Num 11:17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

Num 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

These seventy men were all standing with Moses at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. The only person in the group who prophesied of what was about to happen with these seventy men and who also prophesied of the imminent arrival of flocks of quail which would fall upon the camp of Israel three feet deep a day’s journey on either side of the camp, was Moses. So, what were these 70 men doing while ‘they prophesied and did not cease… standing with Moses at the tabernacle’?

Let’s read on and see what others did when they, too, ‘prophesied’ and maybe then we can get a feel for what was happening with these men at the tabernacle of the congregation:

2) Prophecy Includes Playing Musical Instruments:

Samuel was both a prophet and a judge. In that capacity, we will see that Samuel prophesied of future events while telling Saul, whom he had just anointed to be king, that Saul would ‘prophesy with a company of prophets… with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp’:

1Sa 10:5 After that thou [King Saul] shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
1Sa 10:6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

1Sa 10:9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
1Sa 10:10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
1Sa 10:11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, [with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them;] then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
1Sa 10:12 And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

How did King Saul prophesy with these prophets? The answer is: “With a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them… they [did] prophesy.”

King David appointed men to “prophesy with” musical instruments:

1Ch 25:1 Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:
1Ch 25:2 Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied [with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals] according to the order of the king.
1Ch 25:3 Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.

1Ch 25:6 All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king’s order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.

These men all “prophesied with harp… under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God.”

Of all these men, it is also stated that they “prophesied with a harp… for song… to give thanks and to praise the LORD.” That is what the seventy men were doing when they ‘prophesied without ceasing while standing with Moses at the tabernacle’ (Num 11:25).

Even an evil spirit prophesied through King Saul as David played upon his instrument:

1Sa 18:10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.
1Sa 18:11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

It is obvious that when King Saul “prophesied in the midst of the house” he was not “speaking unto men to edification, exhortation and comfort” (1Co 14:3). What wicked King Saul was doing was singing to David’s music just as He did at the very beginning of his reign when he ‘prophesied’ with the “company of prophets” with musical instruments. Let’s read it again:

1Sa 10:5 After that thou [King Saul] shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy.

1Sa 10:10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

Is this not the same thing that took place among the seventy elders at the tabernacle of the congregation?

Num 11:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
Num 11:17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

Num 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

Is this not why Miriam, Moses’ sister, is called a prophetess? Did not God speak through Miriam as she led the women in song in celebrating the destruction of the Egyptian army in the depths of the Red Sea?

Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exo 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

3) Prophecy Includes Prayers:

1Ki 18:27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them [the prophets of Baal], and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
1Ki 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
1Ki 18:29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

The prophets of Baal were praying and begging their God to come down and burn up their offering. We are also told “they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice…”

It should be very clear that prophesying has a much broader application than simply teaching in a congregation and speaking unto men to edification, exhortation and comfort (1Co 14:3). It should by now be clear that Paul was referring to this much broader application when he made the statement that women could indeed prophesy with their heads covered and yet they are not permitted to teach “as also saith the law.”

What Is Love?

Of course, there always have been and there always will be false prophets. The last thing in the world these false prophets want you to do is to expose them and their false doctrines. Consequently, such prophets will aways, of necessity, be accusing God’s true prophets of being less than loving when God’s true prophets “try the spirits” and find them to be false spirits. It is considered ‘unloving’ to apply God’s Words concerning the function of women in the church. We then end up right back in the same position as those who teach the false, cancerous and deadly doctrine of “agreement in the essentials and tolerance in the non-essentials, but love in all things.” It is the very same doctrine which has produced the 40,000 plus Christian denominations, all claiming to be serving the same God while teaching conflicting and opposing doctrines and “saying peace, peace, when there is no peace.” Here are a few of the scriptures which are considered ‘unloving’ by the heretics of “historical orthodox Christianity.”

“A man that is an heretick, after the first and second admonition reject,” becomes words of hatred proffered by that same hateful apostle whom we are told in Babylon that he “hated women”:

Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Tit 3:11  Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Are these the doctrines of Christ or are these false doctrines from false apostles? Are these spiritual Truths or are these words merely ink on paper? Are those who take these words seriously just modern-day Pharisees who know their Bibles but don’t know and recognize Christ? The difference is the difference between life and death. Here again is Paul’s answer to that question:

1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Here, too, is the verse just before John’s admonition to keep any other doctrine out of your spiritual house:

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Are you “abiding in the doctrine of Christ, or have you “progressed” beyond that doctrine? Has it now become unloving to apply these strict warnings against allowing heretics and heresy into your spiritual house? Has it now become a loving thing to just allow a spiritual fornicator to remain in your spiritual house and “leaven the whole lump?”

Here is a verse for the consideration of all those who believe that the written word holds us back from ‘progressing in the things of the spirit:’

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. (ACV)

All who are teaching that you are receiving revelation completely independently of God’s written words, look closely at verse 6. Now leave out the words which have been added to the text. They are bracketed to let us know that these words were added by the translators. Here is how verse six reads without the added words:

1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Not one of God’s apostles ever thought “above that which was written.” None of them were “puffed up one against the other.” Those who “think above that which is written” are the very ones who are “puffed up for one against another.” All who go beyond “what is written” have gone ‘beyond’ any possible hope of “trying the spirits to see whether they be of God.” They have not “learned… not to think above that which is written.” They are adrift in a sea of heresy without the rudder of “that which is written” against which to try those “idols of the heart” which have them in their grip. Paul poses this question to all such “prophets who think themselves spiritual:”

1Co 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive [it], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?

After receiving so much from “that which is written,” these “prophets who think themselves spiritual” refuse to “acknowledge that the things [which Paul writes] are the commandments of the Lord.”

1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

What are we again told to do with such heretics? Here is the very next verse. It accords with all the other verses which deal with heresy and heretics:

1Co 14:38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

When we go back to a mindset of fear that others will perceive us as dictators who are just looking for an excuse to cast others out of our synagogues, then the sad truth is that we were never really in the synagogue of Christ. Those who “abide in the doctrine of Christ” are uncompromising when it comes to “abiding in Him.”

1Jn 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Eze 13:22 Because with lies ye [false prophets] have made the heart of the righteous [who try the spirits] sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked [with all their heresies], that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life [‘let’s all just love each other’]:

Again, what is Truth?

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

When we ‘progress’ beyond God’s Word, we are not sanctified but rather defiled in the very same way the false prophets of old were defiled:

1Ki 22:10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
1Ki 22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
1Ki 22:12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king’s hand.

When God decides to deceive us, we are deceived by our own prophecies. Prophesying in a manner faithful to the word of God will cause all the prophets who are not faithful to God’s Word to hate you and want you dead:

Jer 2:8 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Jer 11:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. [Independent of God’s Word]

Jer 26:11 Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city [“Spiritual Sodom, where our lord was crucified”], as ye have heard with your ears.

Eze 13:2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
Eze 13:3 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
Eze 13:4 O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
Eze 13:5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
Eze 13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

So true prophecy must be in accord with God’s “that which is written” word and not “our own spirit.” “The LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.”

Jer 19:14 Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD’S house; and said to all the people,
Jer 19:15 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.

4) Prophecy includes relating dreams.

Jer 23:25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
Jer 23:26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

Even our dreams must be tried “to see whether they be of God.” Any prophet who has progressed outside of God’s Word is a false prophet indeed. There are many thousands of such prophets.

5) Prophesy Includes “Edification, Exhortation, and Comfort”

1Co 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

While there is no argument at all that many women are very capable public speakers and teachers, the Word of God is still our standard:

1Co 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak [as a teacher] in the church.

1Ti 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach [in the church], nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Women can and should be teaching their children and younger women. There are so very many ways to help in the church which are crying out to be filled by women who, like Miriam, wanted to be a Moses instead of a Miriam.

Both Joel and Peter tell us, “Your sons and daughters shall prophesy.”

Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joe 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

We have seen how Miriam prophesied.

Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exo 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Deborah was both a prophetess and a judge. Here is how she is introduced to us:

Jdg 4:4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
Jdg 4:5 And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

Now look at the very next verse in this story of Deborah:

Jdg 4:6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
Jdg 4:7 And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.

What is the response from this great male leader of the armies of Israel, the people of God?

Jdg 4:8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

How does God react to such a spineless man who must have a woman with him before he will go to war, who cannot follow the spirit of God’s Word but must be able to see the flesh of a woman taking the lead, the soul leading the spirit?

Jdg 4:9 And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

So, the whole story of Deborah’s judging of Israel is not one which is meant to inspire young girls to political leadership. It is rather a story which emphasizes the shameful condition which has always been the case in Israel:

Isa 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee [women rulers, “that woman Jezebel”] cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths [false doctrines “destroy” any Truth they encounter].

This is not a positive statement, and the story of Deborah is not one of the highlights of Israel’s sad and rebellious history. God had already decided to have a woman take Barak’s honor because God is relating this whole story of Deborah’s time of judging Israel to show us just how far from Him the spineless men of Israel were:

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.

Barak is a perfect spiritual example of the men in the churches who call themselves by God’s name today. They would never in a thousand years quote Paul’s words to the Corinthians, to Timothy or to Titus concerning the function of women in their churches. Like Barak, they are afraid of what might happen if a woman is not leading them in their service to God. As Maud Amy Humbard told one of the TV news magazines many years ago, “Rex (her husband Rex Humbard, whose TV program was the largest religious program on TV at that time) “Rex might be the head of the house, but I am the neck, and the neck turns the head.” It was well known by all that Maud Amy was the head of the Humbard household, and that she ruled Rex Humbard. Rex Humbard, Joyce Myers, Kenneth Copeland, and all of the other ministers of our day, demonstrate by their actions that they despise the words of God respecting the function of men and the function of women in the body of Christ.

1Ti3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Those are the Biblical qualifications of a ‘bishop.’ What are the qualifications of a deacon?

1Ti 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
1Ti 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
1Ti 3:11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
1Ti 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
1Ti 3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Now if God’s Word said that a bishop must be the ‘wife of one husband,’ then that is what I would also say. But instead, we are told that both a bishop and a deacon “must be the husband of one wife ruling their children and their own houses well” or else they are not qualified to be bishops or deacons.

Can a woman somehow fulfill those qualifications? No, a woman cannot be “the husband of one wife.” If Joyce Myers rules her house and has her children in subjection, is she thereby qualified to rule the house of God? No, if Joyce Myers rules her husband, she is not even qualified to be a proper mother because she is not setting a proper Biblical example for her children, much less being a proper ruler over the house of God.

What are women to do in God’s church? Are we given any specific instructions for women?

Mar 15:40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
Mar 15:41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

“Many… women… came up with Christ unto Jerusalem… followed Him and ministered unto Him.” How did these women “minister to Christ? They “ministered to Him” then just as they should be ministering to Him to this day. They helped in every way they could. Martha prepared meals, Peter’s mother-in-law “ministered” to Christ immediately after he healed her of her fever. Mary ministered to Christ by sitting quietly at His feet as He taught and by washing His feet with her tears and wiping them with her long hair. Mary was content with whatever she was given to do for Christ.

Mat 26:13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Look at what a humiliating ‘memorial’ is told of Mary:

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.
Luk 7:48  And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

Mary’s humility and obedience is the example which Christ holds forth to us showing what ‘the woman’ is to do in His service. Such an attitude will be richly rewarded while all of today’s women preachers and teachers “in the churches” will be having this “idol of the heart” burned out of them.

Other women “ministered” to Christ financially:

Luk 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
Luk 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
Luk 8:3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

What are the specific instructions given in the New Testament as regards women?

1Ti 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
1Ti 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
1Ti 2:10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
1Ti 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
1Ti 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Why should “not a woman… teach nor usurp authority over the man?”

1Ti 2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
1Ti 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1Ti 2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
Tit 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
Tit 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Tit 2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

There it is! That is what women should be doing “in the churches.” What a witness are such women! These women do not “despise governments and dominions” ordained by God for the good of his own ‘body.’ “Be teachers of good things… teach the young women to be sober, love their husbands instead of naturally being against them, love and teach their children, be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” There is what God would have women to do in His “church which is His body.”

Is all this still true today? If it ever was true, then it is still true for today because Truth is not something which changes with time. Jesus Christ is the Truth. Truth Is, Was and Will Be Truth. Truth never changes.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

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.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

All who are willing to twist and distort God’s Word to make “of note among the apostles” into ‘are notable apostles’ are accomplishing nothing less than demonstrating their unwillingness to relinquish this idol of their heart.

Rom 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Andronicus and Junia were “kinsmen, fellowprisoners, of note among the apostles and in Christ before Paul.” Is there one word in that verse that intimates that these two women were “the husband of one wife” and somehow qualified to be apostles and were somehow exempt from the “commandments of the Lord” concerning the function of women “in the church?”

Conclusion

It should now be obvious that:

1) Christ is “the beginning of the creation of God,” and when all is said and done and the eons have run their course, that the power of the throne will still reside in the Father and Christ will still “be subject unto Him.” This is the lesson we are to learn from the fact that “He made them male and female.”

2) When Paul spoke of a woman “prophesying with her head covered” he was not contradicting his own multiple admonitions against allowing women to be bishops and teachers. It should be obvious that the prophesying he was referring to was either 1) singing 2) playing a musical instrument, or 3) praying. It would never have entered Paul’s mind to allow a woman to be a bishop or a teacher. So, it is doubtful that she would be either leading a prayer or relating her dreams to give direction to those “in the church.” That being said, there is nothing wrong with the ladies in our fellowship from offering scriptures, asking questions or making comments during our solicited nightly discussions.

3) As long as we are male and female we are not yet received “the promised possession.” It should also be clear that just because there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage in the resurrection, this does not exclude a godly order in the spirit realm.

4) Adam’s condition before Eve’s creation from Adam’s rib was a condition of not being complete, and it was through Eve and not separated from Eve, that Adam would become complete. Just as “the church [is] the fulness of Him [Christ] that fills All in all:”

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

5) That “come out of her my people” is a call to come out of the bondwoman with her bond servant son into the freewoman and her “son of the freewoman.” It should be clear that both are “In Me… In Christ,” and both are the “seed of Abraham” even though one is carnal and rejected. It should now be clear that going from the first Adam to the last Adam is an inevitable progression that all mankind will experience “each in his own order.”

6) That anyone who thinks himself a prophet or spiritual needs to acknowledge that the things written are the commandments of the Lord, and that anyone who supposedly has “progressed” beyond those “commandments of the Lord” has ‘progressed’ right along with Judas, from apostleship into apostasy.

7) That we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” and will be fighting a spiritual war with the “powers and principalities and rulers of darkness of this world” as long as we are in this “sinful flesh.”

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The Prophecy of Isaiah

Our next series of studies will be the books of two of the so-called ‘major prophets’. We will first ask the Lord to open up to us these words He gave to the prophet Isaiah. If we are granted to finish that book, then we will make the same petition concerning the book of Jeremiah. Both of these prophets have much to say about Christ and His Christ and their kingdom, but they are also full of the judgments which are prophesied to be poured out upon our old man and his kingdom. Both are spiritual words which have never passed away, so both have words which are, were and will be relevant to every generation.

All scripture is prophecy in type and shadow

It may at first sound ridiculous to some to say that all scriptures is prophecy, but if all scripture is to be considered the Word of God, then scripture also expresses the mind of Christ, who is the Word (Joh 1:1). Christ tells us His Words are spirit (Joh 6:63), and then we are told this:

Rev 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

It is no one less than Christ Himself who also tells us about who it is that has the testimony of Jesus:

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

What part of the scriptures testify of Christ? Again Christ Himself answers our question:

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

“Beginning at Moses… all the scriptures… concern Him…”

In the first five books of the Bible we have allusions to Christ as the firstfruits, as the seed of the woman and as the seed of Abraham.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning [Hebrew: reshiyth – firstfruit, in Christ – Rom 11:36 and Col 1:16-17) God created the heaven and the earth.

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Gen 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

There are also many allusions to and types of the kingdom of God. For those who can see it, the physical nation of Israel is just a type and shadow of the true kingdom of God.

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

All of this is to be found in the first five books of the Bible, and it is worth noting that God called Abraham “a prophet”:

Gen 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

It is not adding to the Word of God to call Noah a prophet who prophesied for 120 years of an impending flood, and before Noah Enoch is also called a prophet:

Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

So when we speak of the prophets, we are not excluding those prophets who prophesied before the judges and the kings. Nevertheless, Christ Himself used the phrase “the prophets” in referring to a certain part of the writings of the Old Testament which was written after the Torah and after the judges and after the Psalms:

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

Luke 24:44 demonstrates just how Christ-centric are all the scriptures. The law of Moses is really all about the “good things to come” through Christ.

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.

The prophets and the Psalms are also all about Christ. But what is referred to as “the prophets” is spoken of as a part of the scriptures which is separate from the law of Moses, separate from the psalms or the books of the judges, the books of Samuel and the books of the kings and the chronicles of the kings. The prophets are the last section of the books of the Old Testament.

Mat 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Beyond the Torah, the name given the first five books of the Bible, we have Joshua, Judges and Ruth, which bring us up to the times of the kings of Israel and Judah. Every judge of Israel was a savior, a deliverer and a type of Christ.

Neh 9:26 Nevertheless they [Israel under the judges] were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
Neh 9:27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

As “saviors” even the judges prophesy of Christ. But the prophets are given a commission which is more explicit and more far reaching than anything given to any of the judges.

Christian scholars have divided the prophets of the Old Testament into two sections of scripture called the ‘major prophets’ and the minor prophets. In this series of studies we will first examine the first two major prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Note what is said of both of these two prophets:

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.

Those who have no understanding of the principles of “the dream is one” (Gen 41:25) or “the sum of thy word is truth” (Psa 119:165) or line upon line and precept upon precept (Isa 28:9-13), and who cling to the idea that since the phrase “Thou are my servant, O Israel” is found here believe that therefore these verses have no relevance to Isaiah, himself. Here is what Henry’s Commentary has to say about Isa 49:3 and the surrounding verses:

The great author and publisher of the redemption produces his authority from heaven for the work he had undertaken. 1. God had appointed him and set him apart for it: The Lord has called me from the womb to this office and made mention of my name, nominated me to be the Saviour. By an angel he called him Jesus – a Saviour, who should save his people from their sins, Mat 1:21. Nay, from the womb of the divine counsels, before all worlds, he was called to this service, and help was laid upon him; and he came at the call, for he said, Lo, I come, with an eye to what was written of him in the volume of the book. This was said of some of the prophets, as types of him, Jer 1:5. Paul was separated to the apostleship from his mother’s womb, Gal 1:15.

I read Henry, Gill and Barnes, and they all apply the words to Christ, saying it was Christ who was called from the womb. It was Christ who lamented that He had labored in vain, and it is Christ whose mouth is a sharp sword. They all allude to what the angel told Joseph concerning the child Joseph’s espoused wife, Mary, would bring forth:

Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Indeed Isa 49:1-5 includes Christ, but those who know the True Christ are made aware that He is but the head of His body, and that every word, except the words “head of the body”, refers both to Christ and to His body. Even many of the functions of the head of the body of Christ are to be found within the spiritual function of His body. Was Christ known to God before His birth? So was Isaiah (Isa 49:1), and so are every one of His elect (2Ti 1:9; Tit 1:2). Does our head have eyes that see? So do we as His body. Does our head have ears that hear? So does His body (Mat 13:1-15). Are the Words of Christ a fiery sword in His mouth? They are also a sword in Isaiah’s mouth (Isa 49:2), and they are fire in our mouths:

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.

1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Henry actually noticed:

This was said of some of the prophets, as types of him, Jer 1:5. Paul was separated to the apostleship from his mother’s womb, Gal 1:15.

“Some of the prophets?” Let this be a lesson for all of us. The great commentators and their commentaries may not see it, but the Truth is that what applies to Israel also always applies to Christ. What applies to Christ also always applies to His body. “The dream is one” (Gen 41:25), “as He is so are we in this world” (1Jo 4:17), and we fill up in our bodies what is lacking of His afflictions (Col 1:24). What this means, as it relates to this study, is that what applies to Jeremiah also applies to Isaiah and to all of the prophets and to you and me.

This brings us to the verses in Jeremiah which demonstrate what we are told these two prophets had in common, and what they were both called to accomplish, namely that both were speaking as the fiery sword in our Lord’s mouth:

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;

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.

Both were known by God before either were born:

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.

Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5 includes two things Jeremiah had in common with Isaiah. Both prophets were sent to the nations and not just to Israel. It is to be found in the very next verse of Isa 49:

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.

No one before Christ will be in that blessed and holy first resurrection, but the inspired words of Christ from their mouths will still be “My salvation unto the end of the earth”.

Luk 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
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.

It was during the times of the kings that God began sending those we now call “the prophets” to speak to His people, and it is here in the prophets that for the first time we begin, in rather explicit words, to be introduced to the concept of a kingdom that will extend beyond just the physical descendants of Abraham and out to the Gentiles. It is here in the prophets that we are given to know that God’s own people are party to and the leaders of those who are predestined to crucify their own Savior.

Isa 50:5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
Isa 50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

Isa 52:11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
Isa 52:12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
Isa 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
Isa 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

Finally, it is also here in the prophets that we first hear of the concept of a consummation of the ages. Peter is quoting Isaiah when he makes us to know that we should always think of ourselves as those who are living in the last days.

2Pe 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2Pe 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

It is Isaiah who Peter had read and was led to remind us:

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Jeremiah was also sent to tell us that God would bring the nations to an end before He would give life to all:

Jer 46:28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

Conclusion

This is just the introduction to these two prophets. No doubt we will be studying these prophets for many months to come, if the Lord gives us the time to do so. Lord willing, we will get started in Isaiah one next week, and we will learn in that first chapter who is the great harlot of Revelation 17 and 18. It will be just the beginning of seeing how the scriptures interpret the scriptures line upon line and precept upon precept, which principle is given us in the 28th chapter of this prophet Isaiah.

Video Links

In the previous study, we saw that Lot and his daughters were escaped to Zoar because they feared going to the mountain and being slain by a beast or beasts.

This leads later into Lot and his daughters fearing in Zoar and going to the mountain anyways.

It is here that Lot’s daughters get Lot drunk and it is a parallel to Noah becoming drunken after him and his family were saved via the ark.

In the type and shadow have Lot and his daughters, we see that as Abraham, our enemies are being place around us by the mighty and awesome hands of the Lord through “our brother’s seed” which we brought form “our father’s house” via bringing Lot with us when the Lord told us to leave.

In the this week’s study, we will look at verse 20:5 and how Abraham yet again has little faith that he will be okay because the Lord is God almighty.  Instead, Abraham will again try to move things along by trying to lie his way through the next situation the Lord will place him in.

We’ll see yet again how we, like Abraham, we try to make things work out best for our flesh by constructing a ploy to trick those who the Lord has placed us in front of.

It will only lead us to being made an open book to those around us, but we will ultimately still be okay as the Lord promises us He will always take care of us for good. However, we will continue to reap what we sow as the Lord leads us to sow it.

The first verse for our “hands” study today is Gen 20:5.

Gen 20:1 –  And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
Gen 20:2 –  And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
Gen 20:3 –  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.
Gen 20:4 –  But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
Gen 20:5 –  Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

Though this first word is translated hands in English, there is another deeper meaning behind why the Holy Spirit chose this word in Hebrew.

The Hebrew word used here is not the typical Hebrew word H3027 / yad, but rather it is H3709 / kaph. It has a more inner meaning for the word hand and it is really referring to the hollow of your hand or your palm. It is the space that your hand holds within its palm area. In other words, it is the “inner hand”.

Abimelech is contending with the Lord because what Abimelech is really telling the Lord is, “I haven’t even so much as thought that I wanted to take a man’s wife. That guy deceived me by lying to me.”

How does the Lord respond to Abimelech?

Gen 20:6 –  And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Gen 20:7 –  Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

The Lord tells Abimelech a few interesting things that can easily be read over and unnoticed.

Lightning in His hands

Firstly, the Lord says I know you did what you did because of the integrity of your heart because I did it. Abimelech mentioned two things in this rebuttal to the Lord and it is the “innocence of his hands” for which Abimelech cries out to the Lord about.

The word used as H3709 or “kaph” is used several other ways in scripture which will add to our understanding of what the Lord is responding to Abimelech with as a reply.

H3709

kaph

Total KJV Occurrences:183

Some of the verses that really bring home what we are about to see are a few we have covered in the past “Awesome Hands” studies, but a few really bring the point home.

Gen 8:9 –  But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

Deu 28:35 –  The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

Num 7:14 –  One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense:

Num 7:68 –  One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:

Gen 32:25 –  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

1Sa 5:4 –  And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

Lev 9:17 –  And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning.

Lev 14:15 –  And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:

Lev 23:40 –  And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

By now, Lord willing, we should start to be seeing a pattern emerge from the verses we have just read. If not, then this next example from Job should bring it home quickly.

Job 36:22 –  Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?
Job 36:23 –  Who hath enjoined him his way? or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity?
Job 36:24 –  Remember that thou magnify his work, which men behold.
Job 36:25 –  Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off.
Job 36:26 –  Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.
Job 36:27 –  For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof:
Job 36:28 –  Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.
Job 36:29 –  Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?
Job 36:30 –  Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea.
Job 36:31 –  For by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.
Job 36:32 –  With clouds he covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt.

A better translation for 36:32 is:

Job 36:32 –  He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark;

So, we can see that the Lord is doing everything according to the inner workings of His hands. He is directing not only His own hands, but the hands of every one of His creation.

The very thing that the Lord tells Abimelech is that He understands that Abimelech is telling the truth because it is the Lord who wrote those directions upon Abimelech’s heart in the first place.

Job 4:12 –  Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
Job 4:13 –  In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

Job 33:13 –  Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
Job 33:14 –  For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
Job 33:15 –  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
Job 33:16 –  Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
Job 33:17 –  That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
Job 33:18 –  He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

Praise the Lord! The Lord preserves us or He delivers us to the hands of our enemies. It is all of Him. Still, He tells us that a prophet sent by Him will be the one to be used to bless Abimelech so that he and his house don’t perish.

Yes indeed, the Lord uses “the foolishness of preaching”, that which He holds in the palm of His hand, to “keepeth the soul back from the pit and lives from perishing by the sword “ by those pillars, those clouds whom He sends along to us.

Remember, this is someone who Abraham basically feared. He lied out of fear, but the Lord shapes even those who are around us so that even when the Lord is making “all things ours”, He is also working this in others simultaneously for their benefit as well.

The Lord simply chose to tell Abimelech this, Abraham’s “enemy” in type and shadow, so that Abimelech’s “upright” heart and nation would be preserved.

Gen 20:7 –  Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

 

Perfectly Furbished

Truly, the Lord fashions us all how He wants us to be. During the last study and this study, we can see that the Lord is setting up the entire scenario in which we always find ourselves in … whatever scenarios that those are.

As we hone in on this idea, we can see another example of this scriptural truth in Eze 21:11. The Lord tells Abimelech that He is going to save his soul from the pit and from perishing by the sword so how does the Lord achieve this? His hands are awesome!

Ezekiel 21:8 –  Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 21:9 –  Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:
Ezekiel 21:10 –  It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
Ezekiel 21:11 –  And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
Ezekiel 21:12 –  Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.
Ezekiel 21:13 –  Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

Oh, how we contend with the Lord! The Lord knows the inner workings of every inch of us and yet we think we can wrestle with the angels He sends our way.

He has given to those angels His Word, His gospel and His message for a trial for all wood, hay and stubble in our lives.

Ezekial 21:13 is again translated horribly in the King James. The true meaning is brought out a little clearer in a few other translations.

Darby –

Ezekiel 21:10 –  It is sharpened for sore slaughter, it is furbished that it may glitter. Shall we then make mirth, saying, The sceptre of my son contemneth all wood?

Revised Version

Ezekiel 21:10 –  it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? the rod of my son, it contemneth every tree.

Modern King James Verison

Ezekiel 21:10 –  It is sharpened in order to slaughter; it is polished so that there may be a flash to it. Or shall we rejoice? You are despising the rod of My son, as if it were every tree.

Good News Bible

Ezekiel 21:10 –  It is sharpened to kill, polished to flash like lightning. There can be no rejoicing, for my people have disregarded every warning and punishment.

In other words, we know that the Word of God is the rod of His son. It is in the Word of God that we see the will of God the Father for all of creation.

It is also in the Word of God that we see that the rain comes on the just and unjust alike, but like Abimelech in this type and shadow, we are warned to escape the coming destruction just as Lot was shortly before by the messengers of the Lord.

The Word of God, the sword and rod of the Lord are what are used to slaughter and save, to destroy and give life and that is what we are being told here.

The true message we can see being given to us is that the Lord knows the inner workings of all those around us as well as in us. We cannot dupe the Lord form what the Lord has caused in our lives, whether it is “good or bad” from our vantage point.

Do you still doubt thou beast? What inner instruction has the Lord sealed on your heart?

What drives you? What are you beholden to? What has dominance over you? Do you think the Lord has anything to do with it? Do you think that the Lord could just have easily not have put a hedge around Abimelech and let him sin against the Lord so that the Lord would have destroyed him?

Are we really dealing with our flesh or are we dealing with the powers and principalities that have been put in place by our Lord?

The same word that we have been concentrating on today is the same word that we see here as “paws” in Leviticus.

Lev 11:27 –  And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.

If we are driven by those things which are the inner forces we are talking about…. space that makes up the inside of our hand, the inside of the cup… then we are unclean beasts.

If however, we are listening to the messengers of the Lord because of the message the bring from the Word of the Lord, then the Lord uses that to bring us life and salvation “from the pit”.

It is this very act that saves us from the hands of evil, the place where evil has it’s  power.  We can see an example of this in Habakkuk.

Hab 2:9 –  Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

The word used here as power in English is the same word used today as sole, palm, paws handling, etc. It all points to the Lord’s total fashioning or furbishing of all that we see, think and feel in our walk with Him.

This whole scenario with Abraham happened because even though the Lord had brought Abraham through so much up until this point, Abraham still thought He knew what the Lord was doing at every step and He wanted to help along the situation to his benefit.

We can see this when Abimelech awakens form this dream that the Lord has just given him.

Gen 20:8 –  Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
Gen 20:9 –  Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
Gen 20:10 –  And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
Gen 20:11 –  And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.

There it is. There is the fear placed on Abrahams heart that the Lord doesn’t really mean that He will work out all things for our good. He doesn’t really mean it does He? Maybe we should help Him along…

Gen 20:12 –  And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Gen 20:13 –  And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
Gen 20:14 –  And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
Gen 20:15 –  And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
Gen 20:16 –  And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
Gen 20:17 –  So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
Gen 20:18 –  For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

Even with all this, the Lord uses the entire situation to bless Abraham again with wealth, cattle, servants, etc. He heals Abimelech and his household because even as the Lord was giving Abimelech direction in his dream, the Lord had already closed up the wombs of the women in his house.

Of course, we should all know that the lesson is that anything the Lord “writes upon our hearts” and has already been willed by the Lord. This is the same for all of mankind, but we are blessed to have Him come to us via dreams, visions and messengers to let us in on His workings.

Conclusion of “Awesome Hands” part 9

In this study today, we can see that the Lord works all things after the counsel of His own will and that also includes the things which are being worked in others.

These things are brought about due to whatever the Lord has set in motion in the heavens. He tells us that He is control time and time again, yet we still continue to rebel by doing our “own thing”.

As we will see in the next part of “Awesome Hands”, the Lord has done all He has for us  so that He can bring us to the point of “bearing and producing the seed of the promise “that He has made a covenant with us to bring about.

We will close this study with ones more example of how we are comfortably seated in the “heavenly” hands that He holds us in. Verse 48:16 of Isaiah is placed in the midst of a beautiful situation created for those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear it.

When and if you cry out to the Lord remember that we are in His loving embrace.

Isa 49:13 –  Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
Isa 49:14 –  But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Isa 49:15 –  Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isa 49:16 –  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Isa 49:17 –  Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
Isa 49:18 –  Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
Isa 49:19 –  For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
Isa 49:20 –  The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
Isa 49:21 –  Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
Isa 49:22 –  Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
Isa 49:23 –  And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

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Awesome Hands – Part 3, “The Law of Moses, the Prophets and Psalms”

During the introduction studies in Alabama, we covered a lot of scripture for this topic in a very brief timeframe. Continuing in part 3 of this series, we will start taking a closer look at each verse under this topic as e- sword has them listed in order of their appearance in scripture.

The idea behind doing a study like this on the awesome hands of God is to convey to the body of Christ what the Lord has placed and told us about himself in the law of Moses, the writings of the prophets and the writings of psalms and how that relates to Christ being revealed to us in the new testament.

As we all want to know Christ more, it is of utmost importance that we search out the scriptures to see what the Lord will have us see and hear with spiritual eyes and ears concerning Himself in the entirety of the bible.

With this study on the awesome hands of God, I hope that over a period of time we can look over all the verses in scripture that deal with the “hands of God” as He works His sovereign will in our lives.

The Law of Moses, the Prophets and Psalms

As most of us have come to understand, everything that happened in the Old Testament happened to those in the Old Testament not for themselves to know about Christ, but for our admonitions to know Christ.

As we come to know God and His Son that He sent, we come to learn that He lives in us and controls all aspects of our lives, good and bad. As such, we can look to scripture to learn what not to do and what to do as we search out the mind of Christ on anything we do. There are those starting in the OT, where Gods hands are very apparent in their lives, yet they did not receive what we have.

They did not receive the PROMISE of Christ in you, your hope of glory but in order to know God and Jesus Christ that He sent, we must know Christ as He is revealed in the law of Moses, the prophetical writings and the psalms.

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

1Jn 5:13 –  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

In Hebrews we see that those in the OT had a good report by faith, and we can see a whole list of things that were lived out in Heb 11 that was counted towards those OT patriarchs as faith.

Heb 11:39 –  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

… and in 1Co 10, we can see all the lusts and desires that we also done by those in the OT that had God pour His wrath out upon them…. things which we are to learn not to do.

1Co 10:6 –  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1Co 10:11 –  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.

Now, as concerning the law of Moses and what it means to us today we see several examples of what we live by today as it relates also to the NT and how God’s awesome hands work in our lives thereby.

Gal 3:11 –  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12 –  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Gal 3:13 –  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 –  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Heb 9:15 –  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Heb 10:35 –  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36 –  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37 –  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Heb 10:38 –  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39 –  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Clearly, anyone that is coming to the Lord as a child on His knee will be able to hear that we are redeemed from the curse of the law,  so that we justly live by the faith that Christ gives us.

So, how does that relate to how God works his awesome hands in the lives of His people, the body of Christ, –> His prophets and prophetesses?

Rev 19:10 –  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

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

I would like to take the opportunity now to look at something very revealing as concerns how God works in the lives of His people.

The story is about Lazarus and the rich man. We know there is a hidden meaning in the verses, but this directly relates to how we are to live our lives now and how being in God’s bosom shows us how we are being dealt with or not and how God is sovereign the entire time.

Luk 16:22 –  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 –  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 –  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luk 16:25 –  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luk 16:26 –  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

We can see in verses 22 and 23 that the rich man is dead and buried. We know from scripture that night, sleep, the grave, the law and darkness represent being dead and unknowing of God and Christ or the lack of eternal life.

In this parable, we can see that the rich man finally lifts his eyes up to heaven but it took dying to even get to that point. So, we die daily and as such we start to see a truth revealed about the solidification of death working itself in our spiritual lives.

In this mindset, let us see what we ask Abraham which typifies Christ. We ask to have our tongue cooled with just a tip of a finger of water to cool the torment of the flame.

God has given us the extreme blessing of knowing Him in this life. We come to know he more and more each day, Lord willing and as such we are put through a purging fire of cleansing and purification that will have us looking up from our physical death at our Lord and Savior because one day we will be as He is and not only in down payment form now!

Continuing with verse 24:

Luk 16:24 –  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Oh, how we want to go back to the ways we have known! If only a little bit! The flame of the Word of God and how God has worked His awesome hands into our lives is some times more than we want or can bear and we are no different than those in the OT that want to go right back to Egypt after God has utterly destroyed Egypt and the people there and has brought His people out of that place. What utter fools we are, dogs going back to vomit!

Act 7:37 –  This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
Act 7:38 –  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Act 7:39 –  To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Act 7:40 –  Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Act 7:41 –  And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Act 7:42 –  Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

You might be saying to yourself right about now, “Steven, how in the world are you equating Lazarus and the rich man to Gods awesome hands and Him in our lives?”

Listen, we have an old man and new man living within us, Lord willing. We have and know about a deadly war going on in our heavens and the principalties and powers that be are battling it out as God sets all things in motion. We are privy to this in our lives, but if the Lord wills it, He can turn us back to our mud in the mire or give us the proper mind of a Son of God, just as King Nebakanezer was restored in type and shadow.

That might be all good and well, but how does this relate to this study again you may be asking yourself?

Luk 16:25 –  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luk 16:26 –  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Is there a way to crucify Christ again once he has been crucified already? When we have been shown that all we do during our life in the wilderness is offer sacrifices to idols made with our own hands, worship the host of heaven and rejoice in it how then can such a great gulf be crossed? There is no way to taste of that heavenly truth and then turn your back on it to then try to sacrifice another offering to get back to square one. Ain’t gonna happen.

There is simply no way for this to happen. Here, we can see another example of this truth and how we know this is what is being talking about concerning US as we see God’s sovereignty in our lives:

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. (note: this is age abiding, aionios, aionion)
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.

We have been given LIFE now, and we want to go back to our old ways and the “water” we knew when we thought we had life. What we had was Babylon, Eqypt and the wilderness. What we were given was a law to deal with the lawless and disobedient people who were continuously being rebellious.

However, when we are in this condition we are given to accept the answer but we also try to get our goals accomplished. So, we ask Abraham to send Lazarus to our father’s house. Interesting to note is that we ask Abraham to affect things in the land of the living because we are in the land of death.  I don’t think it is going to go how we want it to:

Luk 16:27 –  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
Luk 16:28 –  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Luk 16:29 –  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luk 16:30 –  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luk 16:31 –  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

There is nothing we can do but rely on the Will of God to be worked one way or the other concerning how those who are sent to us will respond to our message. It is all of the Lord. If they don’t go through Babylon, then they can’t be called out of her.

Once they are called out of her, they will want to go back and once most have tasted if the heavenly gift, they will return unto the vomit they have been converted from in their minds and hearts. They have been given the life of a Son of God, rescued from the lives of dogs and pigs, but we can all only do what the Lord has willed in our lives.

The work of our hands vs. Gods Awesome Hands

In the last study, we listed out all of the times in the OT that hand was translated one way or another. So, we will start looking at each of these words are they relate to one another and us through our experiences in life.

Num 11:29 –  And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

Gen 3:22 –  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Gen 4:8 –  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Gen 4:9 –  And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
Gen 4:10 –  And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Gen 4:11 –  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

Notice that in these first two examples we see the first few examples of what we do with our hands, the works we work when we are tempted to do so. Our first work is to take of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 3:6 –  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7 –  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

… and this leads to us being cursed from the earth. We are going to be cast out of the earth, earth, earth as part of our curse just as Christ was cast outside the camp of Israel.

We are Cain and the works of our hands are products of death and this has been the case from the very beginning as we were created in the old Adam. We die because there is a law in us that not one of us asked for. We were born into the lives we have, as little baby sinning machines and we are born the SAME WAY into the kingdom of God ….

There is no difference to God because the night and the day are alike to Him!

Jer 4:22 –  For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Jer 4:23 –  I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Jer 6:19 –  Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

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

Isa 1:1 –  The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
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.

…. But we can rejoice, the Lord knows what He is doing

Psa 139:1 –  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Psa 139:2 –  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Psa 139:3 –  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
Psa 139:4 –  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Psa 139:5 –  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Psa 139:6 –  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Psa 139:7 –  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Psa 139:8 –  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psa 139:9 –  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Psa 139:10 –  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Psa 139:11 –  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Psa 139:12 –  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Psa 139:13 –  For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
Psa 139:14 –  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
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.
Psa 139:15 (ASV) –  My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Psa 139:16 (ASV) –  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.

If God sees our unformed substance when we are physically being conceived, how much more when we are spiritually being worked with the same? Isn’t this true then with what we do with the works of our hands and also how God works His will into our lives via His awesome hands?

God is in control and will work all things for our good even if we don’t understand the details along the way. How many niches and nicks did the Lord form on you when He was forming you in His potter Hands? How many smooth spots did He give you as well?

Thank the Lord, He is creating us in His image and one day we will be as He is because we will see Him clearly Lord willing.

Conclusion of Part 3

During this study, we have looked through the beginning of the sovereignty of Gods will in our lives in relation to how He works us in His hands.

We can see the start of this as we look at the foundation that has been laid, and that is Christ in us our hope of Glory. Starting from the foundation of the world, the law of Moses, the prophets and psalms have always spoken about Christ.

As such, we are starting to dive into the various scriptures and scenarios that show us this plan as it has been taught to us in the admonitions we can learn and see in both the old and new testaments.

We always initially want to go back to the vomit and mud that the Lord has saved us from, but we too will come to see that we can do NOTHING without Christ.

Joh 15:1 –  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Joh 15:2 –  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Joh 15:3 –  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh 15:4 –  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5 –  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 –  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

One way or another, we are going into the fire to burn away all wood, hay and stubble…. now or later or maybe both but we all will be saved by this same fire!

1Co 3:11 –  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12 –  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 –  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 –  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 –  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Next study, we will be starting with Gen 8:9 to see how Noah and the dove play significant roles in our spiritual lives as we come to see the awe inspiring power of the work of the hands of the Lord in our lives. We will continue to dissect and look for guidance and inspiration in the next few scriptures lined up in this study.

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Rev 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

The church at Corinth is no different than “the seven churches of Asia”. Corinth had many very commendable attributes. God had truly decked them with His gold and silver and precious stones. Here is the harlot of Rev 16,17 and 18. Here is the harlot who has committed fornication with all the kings of the earth, within each of us.

Eze 16:10 I [ God, Christ within us] clothed thee [ you and me] also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
Eze 16:11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
Eze 16:12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
Eze 16:13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
Eze 16:14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
Eze 16:16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
Eze 16:17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

“Images of men” are not physical idols, but are “idols of the heart”.

Eze 14:1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
Eze 14:2 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
Eze 14:5 That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
Eze 14:6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn [ yourselves] from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Eze 14:7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
Eze 14:8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I [ am] the LORD.
Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand uponhim, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh [ unto him];

This is all of us, as newborn babes in Christ. This is all symbolized for us by the church at Corinth. The church at Corinth had been given every conceivable spiritual gift and had waited upon and expected the coming of Christ, and still they were “yet carnal” and were mere “babes in Christ” spiritually. Here we have the same seemingly impossible situation we see in Joh 8, where “many believed on Him… [ and yet] wanted Him dead… because they “could not understand His speech or hear His Word”. This is Babylon within us, which appeals to us all as spiritually “carnal… babes in Christ”.

1Co 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1Co 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1Co 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and [ in] all knowledge;
1Co 1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“Sanctified in Christ, called saints, in everything enriched by Him, in all utterance, and all knowledge… the testimony of Christ was confirmed in these Christians, and they came behind in no gift…” But in spite of all of these blessings, symbolized by all the jewels with which God decked His wife in Eze 16, this church was not “of one mind and one spirit”, but they were, in the final analysis, “yet carnal… babes in Christ”, still in the bondage which is Babylon. Just like the orthodox Christians of today, this church thought of itself as one church, while following different men instead of following Christ.

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

Those who take pride in being divided from the Word, who identify with the doctrines of men over the Word of God, which is Christ, are “carnal… babes in Christ”, who are yet in Babylon, the very throne of Satan himself.
God’s elect, as His messengers and His angels, as “fishers of men”, do their work “in the sea” also. But the angels and messengers of God should be followed only as they follow Christ.

Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

It is incumbent upon all who would have life to know the voice of the True Shepherd.

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.

Knowing the voice of the True Shepherd is life eternal itself.

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

We know the Father only through His Son. Therefore it is expedient that we “know His voice” and are able to “try the spirits to see whether they are of God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world”.

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.
1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. [“As angels of light”, and as “the light of the candle” in Babylon]
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.

It is our candlestick in Babylon that is spoken of at the very beginning of this prophecy, because our walk as Corinthian babes, or as the “cast out” infant of Ezekiel 16 begins in the darkness which is the spirit of Babylon.

Eze 16:5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

Yet that darkness is really just “the lesser light which rules the night”, which is Babylon.

Gen 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [ he made] the stars also.
Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have [ somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Rev 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Again, the Jewish economy of Christ’s days in a body of flesh, are the type and shadow of the religious world of today which has no place in it for the words of our Lord and our shepherd. All religions on earth are in complete rebellion against the doctrines of our Shepherd and are all rebelling against His voice. To this very day, it is “those… that believe on Him” and who profess to follow Him, who hate Him the most, to the extent that Christ says all prophets are slain only in Jerusalem.

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Luk 13:33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

As the sons of God, we are not called out of the light, but “out of darkness”. Jerusalem above is the mother of us all. But before we are her children, we are first in the darkness that is “the lesser light” of the harlot mother who wants to keep us in bondage to the laws and traditions of Babylon, symbolized in scripture by “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children”.

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he [ who was] of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

“Bondage” and “darkness” are one and the same. And when we think of darkness as light, we are thinking of milk as meat.

Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Mammon is money, and the delicacies of Babylon have a very high price. That price is our life, which we willingly forfeit for the temporary pleasures of this temporary, physical realm. It is for “thirty pieces of silver” that we all betray our Lord, and it is for so little that we despise Christ, our own birthright, and our own lives in Christ . Here are the two Jerusalems of Gal 4, in a later, more mature vision.

Gen 25:24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
Gen 25:25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
Gen 25:26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac [ was] threescore years old when she bare them.
Gen 25:27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
Gen 25:28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of [ his] venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Gen 25:29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
Gen 25:30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Gen 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I [ am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Such is the spirit of the great harlot who rules over all the kings of our earth. She has no appreciation for the spiritual value of Christ in us, our spiritual birthright. So she destroys and kills all the prophets who are sent to her.

Mat 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
Mat 26:15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Mat 26:16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

In closing I want to share a short study on the city of Capernaum which was sent to me by Larry Groenwald in Cape Town, South Africa. It is extremely instructive concerning the time we all spend in Babylon and our attitude during that time. Christ, as our example, “dwelt in Capernaum” after His baptism, just as we dwell in Babylon after our calling.
Here is Larry’s study:

I noticed something very familiar the other day when I read about the city of Capernaum that links [ Capernaum] to ‘the great city’, Babylon (the harlot) and the city of Tyrus, the city who said “I am of perfect beauty”.
What first struck me was the time when Jesus came to dwell in Capernaum and where it was situated:

Mat 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtalim:

Jesus came up to Capernaum (after His temptation by the devil) at the beginning of His earthly ministry (Mat 4). It is situated ‘upon the sea coast.’ People also ‘took shipping’ to seek for Him (for physical miracles) when Jesus ‘was not there’:

Joh 6:24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

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

Jesus taught many times in their synagogue.

Mar 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Luk 4:31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

[ Editor’s note: Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.]

The reference to darkness when they ‘went over the sea toward Capernaum’ is also significant.

Joh 6:16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
Joh 6:17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.

[ Editor’s note: Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.]

The disciples also ‘disputed among themselves by the way’ to Capernaum about ‘who should be the greatest’. In Capernaum a little child was used to teach the disciples humility.

Mar 9:33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
Mar 9:34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Mar 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
Mar 9:36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,
Mar 9:37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

While in the synagogue [ at Capernaum], Jesus delivered His shocking message on the true Bread of life. Here [ in Capernaum] many ‘went back’ and left Him and ‘walked no more with Him’.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Joh 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

[ Editor’s note: 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.]

Jesus spent a lot of time in Capernaum. Jesus had to pay taxes there according to Jewish custom of the day that if a man became a resident in any city for twelve months, he thereby became a citizen and paid his proportion of dues and taxes. Capernaum, as Babylon, liked tributes to be paid.

Mat 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
Mat 17:25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
Mat 17:26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
Mat 17:27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

[ Editor’s note: Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.]

Jesus performed many physical miracles in Capernaum.

Mat 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Mat 8:6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Mat 8:7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
Mat 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Mat 8:14 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.
Mat 8:15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
Mat 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with [ his] word, and healed all that were sick:
Mat 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Joh 4:46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
Joh 4:47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
Joh 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Joh 4:49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
Joh 4:50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

The multitude resorted unto Him’ because of the physical miracles:

Mar 2:13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

It was in Capernaum that Jesus spoke this rebuke:

Joh 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe

[ Editor’s note: Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Capernaum was not spiritually awakened, and was worse than Sodom with their physical lust and pride:

Mat 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day
Luk 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell

[ Editor’s note: Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [ is] the Lord God who judgeth her.]

What is further interesting is that Capernaum was never mentioned in the Old Testament neither outside of the four Gospels. The gospels emphasize the importance of Capernaum in the earthly ministry of Christ when we know Christ [ only] after the flesh:

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

However, five of Jesus’ apostles came from or were associated with Capernaum (Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew)

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

I thought to just mention this to you as relating to the study this past weekend.

Thank you, Larry. This demonstrates our walk in Babylon as the disciples of Christ, who were one and all “carnal… babes in Christ” immediately following their calling and our calling. We heal the sick, cast out demons, come behind in no gift, and yet we are “carnal… babes in Christ” who have no place within us for His Words, and we are actually guilty of trying to kill Him thinking we are “doing God a service”.

Joh 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Joh 18:10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

Peter was thinking he was doing Christ a service, when in reality, by attempting to kill Malchus, Peter was attempting to kill Christ, who had taught Peter to “love thine enemies”. This is but one more example of the proud, corrupt, self righteous and violent spirit which is Babylon, and our part in serving that great harlot within each of us.
Next week, Lord willing, we will learn more about “the throne of God” and where that throne is, and about those who are “in that throne”.

Rev 19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
Rev 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Rev 19:3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Rev 19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
Rev 19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

Mike,
Why is it so important that a man do the teaching?  What about Miriam? Who was paul taught by… a male or a female? 
C___

Dear C____
You ask me who taught Paul and questioned  whether Miriam was also teaching men.
You mention Mic 6:4

Mic 6:4  For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

Miriam was a prophetess. Being a prophetess means she did what we are told she did:

Exo 15:20  And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exo 15:21  And Miriam answered them [the women], Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Miriam lead “the women… with timbrels and with dances… in singing to the Lord.” The Lord did not then and does not today, use women to lead men into battle against the enemy. Many despise these words, but they were written under inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

1Co 14:34  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [ they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
1Co 14:36  What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1Co 14:37  If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
1Co 14:38  But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

If one cannot acknowledge that what Paul writes are the commandments of the Lord, then the Holy Spirit tells me to “let him be ignorant.”
Paul’s teacher inspired Him to tell us:

1Co 14:34  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [ they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
1Co 14:36  What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1Co 14:37  If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

So answer me now. Who was it that taught that to Paul? Be very careful when you answer that question.
Getting back to your question about Miriam, it is very revealing to see what Miriam means. Here is Strong’s definition:

H4813
mirya m
meer- yawm’
>From H4805; rebelliously; Mirjam, the name of two Israelitesses: – Miriam

Read The Head of Christ Is God. You will learn that a wife rebelling against her husband is as natural as a carnal mind not being subject to the law of God. It is all part of being a “marred vessel.” We just naturally do not like what is in God’s Word.
Here now is the one other story about what Miriam did as God brought Israel out of Egypt “sending before them Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam:

Num 12:1  And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
Num 12:2  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

It is revealing that in Mic 6:4 Miriam’s name is listed last; “and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.” But here in Num 12 it is first. Aaron here, just as at the foot of Mount Sinai, typifies God’s priests down through the generations. He could not stand up to the people then, and he cannot stand up to Miriam here. Aaron truly is the ‘father’ of such as Annas and Caiaphas, he utterly fails as the leader of God’s people. Aaron typifies the priests and ministers today who will not acknowledge that the words written by Paul are the commandments of the Lord. All the people want to ignore them and call them ‘mere letters’, and the Aarons of today just go along “and out comes this golden calf” which leads them right back into Egypt.
Mike

Sir,

I was raised in a very strict christian home. My father is a minister and all of my siblings and family are rooted in the doctrine. As a young man I questioned the notion that an all powerful God was in any way thwarted by man. I didn’t have any support for this notion and was pretty much the black sheep for my views. I’d point out scriptural inconsistency but was told I was twisting the scripture and warned against this.

I don’t want to bore you or take up too much of your time, but I have been discussing the scriptures you use so aptly in my conversations with other “Christians”; they either laugh at me or get angry at my supposed “twisting’ the scriptures, or they just ignore me.

These are all strange actions for disciples of Christ, some even claim to be “scholars of the Word”, but I can deal with them.

Occasionally I’m given a question or series of them that I can’t find answers for but I usually can search enough through your writings and find answers. But I find that no matter what, these scriptures are said to be either misused or I’m adding meaning not meant, etc.

It is frustrating. But maybe I’m trying to make the blind see and the deaf hear? I was asked by a man who calls himself a good christian…”D____ if these scriptures say what you think they say, why is there no one else in the whole body of Christ saying what you say?

I wonder if it isn’t better for me to keep my mouth shut. Will I be held liable by God for allowing my friends, family and acquaintances to continue living the lie that is currently called Christianity?

Thank you so much for your response.

Hi D____,

Your friend poses the question:

“D____ if these scriptures say what you think they say… Why is there no one else in the whole body of Christ saying what you say?”

Well, here is the answer to your friend’s question:

Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
Isa 3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
Isa 3:3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

It is “the Lord Of Hosts” who has “taken away the whole stay of bread and water.” It is because the “Lord Himself has deceived that prophet” that you cannot get through to your friends.

Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

That is why “there [ is] no one else in the whole body of Christ saying what you say.”

Then you ask me:

I wonder if it isn’t better for me to keep my mouth shut. Will I be held liable by God for allowing my friends, family and acquaintances to continue living the lie that is currently called Christianity?

To answer that question, I am giving you an assignment that I have given to several of my friends of late. I want you to read Rev 10. To understand what this ‘little book’ is, read Ezekiel 2. Then I want you to read what happens when you tell your Christian friends what is in this ‘little book.’ To understand Rev 11, you must read Ezekiel 3. To understand who the two witnesses are, you must also read Zec 4.

When you have read these chapters you will have the answer to your question.

Let me hear from you after you have read these chapters.

Mike