Rev 9:3-6 – Part 4 of The Fifth Trumpet

[Study Aired August 11, 2024]

Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

We resume our study on the meaning of the sixth of the nine symbols we find here in this fifth trumpet. We will never understand what the holy spirit is telling us in the symbols of this fifth trumpet until we are given the scriptural meaning attached to each symbol. This is not guesswork and we dare not “speak above that which is written” (1Co 4:6), nor take away from the words of the prophecy of this book:

1Co 4:6  Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

Rev 22:18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Here again is that list of holy spirit inspired symbols of what comes out of the bottomless pit:

1) Our first symbol is smoke. 2) The second is locusts. 3) The third is the earth itself. 4) The fourth symbol is the power as the scorpions of the earth. 5) the fifth is the grass, any green thing, and trees of the earth. 6) the sixth is those men who have not the seal of God. 7)  The seventh symbol is those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 8) The eighth symbol is “they shall be tormented five months. 9) Our final symbol is “they shall seek death and shall not find it”.

We  have given the scriptural meaning assigned to each of the first five symbols describing the affect of the smoke of the pit upon the earth, the darkening of the sun and the air by reason of that smoke, and we are now seeking to know what the holy spirit proclaims to be the significance of the 6^th symbol which is “those men who have not the seal of God” being the target of the scorpions that come out of the smoke of the pit and hurt men with the sting they inflict of the those who are in the earth:

Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

6) The sixth symbol is “those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.” Who these men signify is revealed to us in the ninth chapter of Ezekiel. As is always the case, our challenge is to constantly remember that these men and all these events are within us, and each of us are required to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, and keep the things written therein.”

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

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

What that means is that an integral part of this revelation of Jesus Christ, requires that we are all King Saul who persecutes David, before we can become King David, and we are all Saul of Tarsus who persecutes God’s church, before we can become the apostle Paul who fills up in his body what is behind of the afflictions of the Christ.

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

Our understanding of this prophecy of Rev 9 is greatly enhanced by reading the prophecy of Ezekiel 9. This is what is taking place within those who have the mark of God upon their foreheads. This is what happens to those ‘men’ within us who are not yet “sighing and crying for all the abominations that be done in the midst of Jerusalem” which is above, and is also within us.

Eze 9:1  He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Eze 9:2  And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
Eze 9:3  And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Eze 9:5  And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Eze 9:6  Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7  And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
Eze 9:8  And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
Eze 9:9  Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah [ is] exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
Eze 9:10  And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, [ but] I will recompense their way upon their head.
Eze 9:11  And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which [ had] the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

Those who are destroyed by the destroying weapon are each and every one of us who have at our own appointed time accepted all the doctrines of all the men who have twisted and distorted the word of God down throughout the years of our time spent living our lives according to all of those false, lying Babylonian doctrines, signified by “the abominations that be done therein” in this verse:

Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

This prophecy here in Ezekiel and the prophecy of the book of Revelation are both addressed to the Lord’s own people. Ancient Israel was but the type of the Lord’s elect. This prophecy of the book of Revelation is addressed to the seven churches of Asia, signifying the complete Christian Church. In both cases, typical Israel, and the true spiritual “Israel of God” are both being judged for forsaking their own Lord.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

It is each of us as the Lord’s own apostate people who are “those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.”

7) What is meant by “their foreheads.”

7) The seventh symbol is “those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.” That “destroying weapon” of Ezekiel 9 is both “the fire” of “the sword of the spirit” which will “try every man’s works of what sort they are” and as “a flaming sword” it will burn up all that will burn, and it will purify all that is in need of being purified.

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.

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

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.

This seal which is not in the foreheads is that same Words of God which are in the hearts and minds, and mouths of those who do have the seal of God. Those who have that seal at first did not have that seal  or ‘mark’. It is when we do not have the mark of the Lord in our foreheads that the Lord’s words are burning us up, with all the false doctrines of  apostate men and the apostate kingdoms and principalities that are all within us. That word is Christ, and Christ is in our forehead because our forehead is the symbol of the heavens of our hearts and minds.

Eph 6:12 Because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but, against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world- holders, of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. (REV)

“The spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavens” is also where we find the mark of the beast under which we all labor before we receive the mark of God in our foreheads. The great whore’s forehead is what keeps her from being ashamed:

Jer 3:3  Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

We have covered the symbol of the forehead in Rev 7:3 where the 144,000 are said to be “sealed in their foreheads.”

Rev 7:3  Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

The spiritual significance of ‘the forehead’ is the heavens of our hearts and minds which is either being purified or is defiled with the false doctrines of Babylon and all the fruits of those lies and false doctrines:

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

8) What is the significance of five months of torment?

8) The eighth symbol is “they shall be tormented five months… as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man.”

Rev 9:5  And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6  And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

These are words which we are to read, hear and keep (Rev 1:3). It is each of us who symbolically are “tormented five months… as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man.”  Why are we said to be “tormented five months.” Why are we not tormented four months? Or why are we not tormented six months? Why are we told that we are tormented five months? As is usually the case, the number itself is never the point, just as the words themselves are never the point. The point of being tormented five months is that we are brought to our wits’ end in the faith of Jesus Christ, and in faith of Jesus Christ we are brought through God’s chastening grace and we learn to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts:

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

Chastening “grace through faith” is the significance of the number five.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [3811, ‘paideuo’], and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

We have a series on the web site about The Spiritual Significance of Numbers in Scripture which deals, in depth, with the spiritual significance of most of the major numbers mentioned in scripture. Read that series of studies for an in depth study of this number 5, as well as all the other numbers mentioned in scripture. We will give but a few verses in this study but there are many more in this study on the number 5:

https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_five/

For the sake of this study, and to understand why we are tormented for five months instead of 6 months or 4 months or any other number, let’s take note of these verses which give us an idea of the spiritual significance of this number five.

Notice how Joseph, an Old Testament type of Christ, favored and showed great grace to his full brother, Benjamin.

Gen 43:34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Benjamin is not guilty of selling his brother into slavery, and while we are all Joseph’s ten brothers before we become Benjamin, nevertheless Benjamin here is a type of God’s elect who, like Joseph did in type, partake of the Lord’s chastening grace in this present age:

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

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [G3811, ‘paideuo’, to chasten], and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Another verse revealing the spiritual significance of this number five is:

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

“Raiment” in scripture, in its positive application, signifies “the righteousness of saints” (Rev 19:8). Raiment is our spiritual clothing. In its negative application ‘raiment’ also signifies the unrighteousness of saints:

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua [the Lord’s high priest, vrs 1] was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with [clean white linen, Rev 19:8] garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

The priests were to be clothed only with linen which does not cause sweat:

Eze 44:15  But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:
Eze 44:16  They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
Eze 44:17  And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
Eze 44:18  They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

Our ‘raiment’ is what covers us. As priests of Christ clean white linen clothes covers our sins. Clean white linen raiment is a type of “Christ in [us] the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). What clothes are covering each of us? White linen robes are said to be the righteousness of the saints.

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

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Benjamin was given five changes of raiment. In type, Benjamin was given five times as much of Christ as any of his brothers. Both the food and the raiment joseph bestowed on his brother, Benjamin, are types of Christ and His Word. Benjamin was given five times more food than his brothers were given even though they were also Abraham’s seed. Joseph had not been stingy toward his ten brothers who had sold him into Egyptian slavery. Like the workers in the vineyard who had been hired first, Joseph’s ten elder brothers, who had been born first, were shown loving grace, but it was not given to them first, nor was it given in the abundance which was shown to Benjamin. Like the workers who came in at the 11^th hour, Benjamin was singled out for special attention. The number five has everything to do with God’s people. There were five wise and five foolish virgins, and they are all God’s people. But like Benjamin, the five wise virgins typify those who are given grace through faith first and most abundantly. In Mat 25 we are given the parable of the talents. The most favored servant was given “five talents.”

Mat 25:15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

It is in God’s great grace and through Christ’s own faith that we are all brought through the chastening torment, of ‘fiery scorpions’ to Christ. Five months has nothing at all to do with five literal  months any more than five messes had anything to do with Benjamin’s appetite, or five changes of raiment had to do with Benjamin’s need for clothing. ‘Five months’ signifies the fact that God is “in this present time” (Rom 8:18) bringing His elect to their wits’ end through the symbolic torment of the symbolic “sting of a scorpion”. It takes a symbolic five months of being stung by scorpions to bring us “to [our] wits end”, before the Lord can then “bring [us] to our desired haven”:

9) Why cannot those who are tormented die as they wish?

9) Our final symbol is “they shall seek death and shall not find it.” What does that mean? Once again we can turn to Joseph’s brothers to show us the meaning of wanting to die but not being granted that wish. While we are not told Joseph’s brothers wanted to die we are told they feared dying all the years they were in Egypt while their father, Jacob, renamed Israel was still alive. Jacob signifies our own old man who has to die before we are delivered from the fear of death:

Gen 50:15  And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
Gen 50:16  And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
Gen 50:17  So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
Gen 50:18  And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
Gen 50:19  And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Gen 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Gen 50:21  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

It is not until after we want to die that we are granted the privilege of dying daily with Christ and being crucified with Him and being buried with Him in baptism. Only after we are tormented and “brought to our wits’ end,” through “the stinging of scorpions” are we found worthy to die with Christ and live in newness of a resurrected life.

Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

We are one and all “brought to our wits’ end” at some point. That is the point at which the holy spirit takes over the throne of our heart and the man of sin begins to be destroyed with the brightness of His coming (2Th 2:8). But even then “judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17). Each storm we endure prepares us for the next trial as we “endure to the end… are being crucified with Christ… and dying daily.” (Mat 10:22; Gal 2:20; 1Co 15:31)

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The stings of these scorpions are what bring us to despair of life and desire to die. It is in God’s mercy that we are granted that ability in spirit and we are able finally, only after five months of torment, to be baptized into Christ’s death and be raised with Him from among the spiritually dead, to walk in newness of life. A dead man is not tormented by scorpions, and those who “are [ being] crucified with Christ, are dying daily” with Him on His cross and no longer experience the hopelessness of being brought to their wits’ end. A person who is dying with Christ we now see a purpose in suffering and we rejoice in our trials:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

But it is a peaceful dying in which we rejoice in our trials, and rejoice that we have been counted worthy to suffer with Him because we know that we will also reign with Him.

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The inability to die begins to subside after the symbolic five months when we are granted a new mind which rejoices in being crucified with Christ, and can now begin to fill up what is behind of His afflictions in our own flesh for the sake of the church, which has rejected this straight and narrow way for the ‘smooth things’ like a rapture and never knowing God’s wrath upon our own sins and blasphemies.

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

Summary

1) Our first symbol was smoke, and we were reminded that smoke symbolizes that which darkens our sun and air, as do the desires of our flesh, and all the false doctrines which are so appealing to our flesh.

2) The second symbol was locusts, which come out of the smoke, and we saw that these locusts were used to destroy all that Egypt has produced within us. We saw that these locusts devour our substance and bring us into spiritual poverty and despair.

3) The third symbol is the earth. As we have seen so many times before, the ‘earth’ is God’s people who are living in rebellion against the ever present truths of God’s Word.
4) The fourth symbol is the power of these locusts to hurt those who dwell on the earth, with power as the scorpions of the earth have power. It is our own rebellious ways which chasten us, and it is our own sins and false doctrines which bring spiritual torments and spiritual bitterness and despair upon us.

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that [ it is] an evil [ thing] and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

5) The fifth symbol of this fifth trumpet is the grass, any green thing and trees which these locusts with the power of scorpions cannot hurt.  What we saw was that obedience to God’s doctrines and to His words removes the wrath of God upon us. The overcomers are this “grass, trees and any green thing” which cannot be hurt by these scorpion- like locusts which darken our sun and air and torment us as scorpions of the earth have power to “sting and torment”. Overcomers are not innately overcomers. Overcomers are those who were innately rebellious but were, by the grace of God, given to repent and do the things the Lord tells us to do. (Luk 6:46; Rom 9:15-16; Rev 15:2)

Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

6) The sixth symbol is those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. As unpopular as it is to have to say, we are all “the children of wrath” before we begin to “believe the Son.” So we are all hurt of these stinging locusts before we are granted  immunity from their power to sting and to hurt us.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature [by default] the children of wrath, even as others.

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

7)  The seventh symbol is their foreheads. We saw that both the mark of God, in the foreheads of those that sigh and cry for the abominations in Jerusalem of Ezekiel 9 and in the foreheads of the 144.00 of Rev 7, is the same mark. We also saw that the mark of the beast is also in the forehead, and that we all have ‘the mark of the beast… a whore’s forehead’ in our hearts and minds before we are given the thoughts and mind of  God “in our foreheads.”

Deu 6:6  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

Deu 11:16  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
Deu 11:17  And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
Deu 11:18  Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

It is the words and thoughts of our Lord which are His mark “as frontlets between our eyes” and as a “mark in our foreheads.”

8) The eighth symbol is “they shall be tormented five months.” We saw in this symbol that this torment lasts five months simply because it is connected with God’s chastening and scourging grace that is the stings of these locusts which drive us to our wits’ end and make us want to die to the things of this world.

Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

9) Our final symbol is “they shall seek death and shall not find it.” We saw that this really is the revelation of Jesus Christ, and that Christ Himself was “weary even unto death,” and that according to Psa 107, we too, will be made “weary unto death.” But we will have to wait a symbolic five months before we are brought to the point that we are granted to be crucified with Him and in that way be relieved of that five months of torment:

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

We saw that once we relinquish this life and all of its false values, our own crucifixion with Christ (Gal2:20), and our “dying daily” with Christ (1Co 15:31) can actually come to be one of rejoicing in the certainty of our glorification with Him.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial [dying daily] which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

The mind of Christ can discern the things of the spirit which the natural mind cannot discern:

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Dying daily “by little and by little” (Deu 7:22) cannot be accepted by the natural mind as anything to “rejoice [in] inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings”. Neither is the natural man given the faith of Christ to “have respect unto the recompence of the reward as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt and better than the pleasures of sin for a season”.

Next week, Lord willing, we will learn more about the identity, the power, and the king of these locusts which come out of the bottomless pit and darken the sun and air.

Rev 9:7  And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Rev 9:8  And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
Rev 9:9  And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Rev 9:10  And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power [ was] to hurt men five months.
Rev 9:11  And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [ is] Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath [ his] name Apollyon.

Mat 27:33-37, Mar 15:22-26, Luk 23:33-38, Joh 19:19-22

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

[Study Aired September 6, 2022]

Mar 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
Luk 23:33 which is called Calvary,
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Luk 23:35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided [him], saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
Joh 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put [it] on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Joh 19:20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, [and] Greek, [and] Latin.
Joh 19:21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
Joh 19:22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
Luke 23:36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
Mar 15:23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received [it] not.

Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
Luk 23:37 And (the soldiers) saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
Mat 27:36 And sitting down they watched him there;
Mar 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

In our last studies, the Jews put Christ on trial, and Pilate did not see where Jesus had done anything worthy of death. The Jews would not let Pilate release him and cried out that he should be crucified, and Jesus was sentenced to death.

Luk 23:13-24 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

The Jews are Jesus’ brothers in the flesh. Just as Joseph’s brothers sought to kill him, the Jews have been seeking to kill Christ. These are both types and shadows of what our brothers in the Christian community are doing, have done, and will continue doing to the true followers of Christ.

Gen 37:18-20 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

Babylon may not literally kill the chosen, but many have been killed physically. However, they definitely do hate us because of our doctrines. God equals this hatred to being a murderer.

1Jn 3:13-15 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Our study this week starts at the location of Christ’s crucifixion.

Mar 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull,
Luk 23:33 which is called Calvary,
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Jesus is about to be crucified, and He cries out to His Father for forgiveness of everyone that took part in His conviction. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

This is what we must learn to do. First outwardly and then inwardly. Satan will tempt us to not forgive our accusers and to fear them. Christ is our example, and he is within his elect and gives them the strength to forgive. Jesus taught forgiveness when he shared how to pray.

Mat 6:6-15 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus is facing judgment, and “as he is, so are we in this world.”

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

The people have no sympathy for Christ and His Christs. They wanted to see Him die a miserable death. Even today we are hated because we have the mind of Christ and are spiritually crucified by their hatred of the doctrines of Christ.

Continuing with our verses.

Joh 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put [it] on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Joh 19:20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, [and] Greek, [and] Latin.
Joh 19:21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
Joh 19:22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

The chief priests are angry with Pilate for the label he gave to Christ for all to see. Those in Babylon do not believe that Christ, as is known by the elect, is the true King of the Jews. They believe in another Jesus. They believe in a Jesus that will set up a worldly kingdom somewhere on a planet called “heaven” or on the “new earth”. We were all there yesterday, so we must “forgive them, for they know not what they do”.

Luk 23:35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided [him], saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
Luk 23:36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
Mar 15:23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received [it] not.
Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
Luk 23:37 And (the soldiers) saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
Mat 27:36 And sitting down they watched him there;

Christ stands alone. All his disciples have denied him and the Pharisees, Sadducees, and all the Jews do not know that he is their Messiah. This fulfills his words he foretold his disciples. Also the scripture of the old testament are fulfilled.

Psa 22:16-19 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

Zec 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

Mat 26:31-35 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Mat 26:55-56 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

We are all guilty of forsaking Christ and convicting Him without just cause. We do this by returning to our old ways after losing our first love. We spent three and a half years, symbolically, walking with Christ, yet we deny Him. We charge Him with blasphemy and sentence Him to death because we do not understand His doctrines. Christ has forgiven us, the elect, firstly so that we can follow in His steps and become “The King of the Jews” and reign with Him in the ages to come.

Rev 1:4-6 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:9-10 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Christ is crucified on the third hour.

Mar 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

The third hour is of great significance. ‘Three’ is equal to “The Process of Spiritual Completion Through Judgment”. This third hour is the beginning of the process of judgment for Christ and He still must suffer until there is no more “fleshly life” remaining.

Exo 3:1–22 I Will Turn Aside and See This Great Sight

[Study Aired March 21, 2022]

Exo 3:1  Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 
Exo 3:2  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 
Exo 3:3  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 
Exo 3:4  And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 
Exo 3:5  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 
Exo 3:6  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 
Exo 3:7  And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 
Exo 3:8  And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 
Exo 3:9  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 
Exo 3:10  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 
Exo 3:11  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 
Exo 3:12  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 
Exo 3:13  And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 
Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 
Exo 3:15  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. 
Exo 3:16  Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 
Exo 3:17  And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 
Exo 3:18  And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 
Exo 3:19  And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 
Exo 3:20  And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 
Exo 3:21  And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 
Exo 3:22  But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

This chapter deals with the coming of the Lord to Moses. In other words, Moses’ encounter with Christ. Up to this time in Moses’ life, he knew he had been called by the Lord and was doing the work of the Lord by his own strength. He had not encountered Jesus yet. Moses’ scenario is just like us. We left Egypt and came to the wilderness thinking we were serving the Lord by helping the flock, when in fact, we’ve ended up in Babylon (the church in the wilderness) and were becoming worse off. If we are called and chosen, then our Lord would come to us with the brightness of His coming to start the process of destroying the beast within.

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

As we are aware, what Moses went through is typical of us as elect. The disciples also had the same encounter. The time that Jesus called them to become His disciples was the time they left Egypt or the world. However, when Jesus was physically with them, they thought they were serving the Lord, when in fact, they were unconverted. It was later after Christ was resurrected that they had an encounter with Christ. This is what Peter had to say about his experience on the day of Pentecost:

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

It is after our sun had been turned to darkness and the moon to blood that Christ comes to us. His coming is the time when, if we call on the name of the Lord, we are saved. Let’s now look at Moses’ encounter when Christ came to him as follows:

Exo 3:1  Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 

Here, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, represents the Lord whose flock Moses was taking care of. As we know, the land of Midian where Moses fled after leaving Egypt, was part of the desert. A key characteristic of a desert is the scarcity of water, which makes it impossible for plants to grow. The fact that Moses was keeping the flock in the desert, therefore, suggests that Moses, together with the flock, symbolizes Babylon where there is lack of the word of the Lord. So, after leaving Egypt, we automatically end up in Babylon.

1Sa 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

Moses, being a symbol of the elect, had been called and chosen before the foundations of the world. Being called and chosen, it is a matter of time before the Lord comes with His brightness, which is His words, to destroy that which holds us from offering our lives as living sacrifice to the Lord. In the fullness of time, Moses led the flock to the backside^H310 of the desert. The word “backside” has frequently been used in King James to mean “after” or “behind”. However, it is also used in other ways such as “to turn away from” in Numbers 14:43.

Num 14:43  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from^H310 the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

Thus, Moses leading the flock to the backside of the desert can mean Moses ‘turning away from’ the desert. It is when Moses turned away from the desert situation of the lack of the word of Christ that he came to the mountain of God or had an encounter with the Lord who comes with His words to brighten our path. In other words, it is when we begin to turn away from Babylon, representing the desert and its doctrines, that Christ comes to us!! This mountain of God, which is called Horeb, is the same as the New Jerusalem or the church of the first born. So, we turn away from the desert (Babylon) to enter Jerusalem which is above. This mountain of God is also spiritually the same as Mount Zion.

Isa 10:12  Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

It is interesting that Horeb, the mountain of God, means “desolate”. The word of the Lord describes the elect as desolate. This is all to confirm that the mountain of God here represents the assembly of the Lord’s elect.

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

Exo 3:2  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 
Exo 3:3  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 

The Lord coming to us, His elect, is through judgment or the fire of the word of the Lord. The bush here represents the elect as follows:

Deu 33:16  And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

Thus, the statement that the Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush is to let us know that this coming of Christ to the elect is all within us. In the fullness of time, the Lord will appear for the whole world to see. However, in this dispensation, the Lord’s coming is within us just as the kingdom of the Lord is within us.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 
Luk 17:22  And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

What Moses saw caught his attention. Indeed, the Lord knows what will catch our attention. He saw the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. The question is, “What does this mean?” As indicated, the bush represents the elect and the bush burning is to let us know of the judgment of the elect. In spite of what the elect go through by way of judgment, we rather become stronger and are not consumed by our fiery trials. This is exemplified by what happened to the Israelites while in Egypt. Even as their burden became heavier, they became stronger and more fruitful.

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

This is what Paul had to say about the bush burning but not being consumed:

2Co 6:4  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 
2Co 6:5  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 
2Co 6:6  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 
2Co 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 
2Co 6:8  By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 
2Co 6:9  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 
2Co 6:10  As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ’s experience here on earth caps it all. He was like a bush burning but was not consumed.

Heb 5:5  So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 
Heb 5:6  As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 
Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Now the question is, “What did Jesus, together with the people of God, see that kept them going in spite of the trouble they went through?” This is the very question on the mind of Moses that caused him to turn aside to see this great sight – why the bush is burning and yet not being consumed. The answer is very simple. It is because they have all seen the reward!! This is what Paul had to say about our High Priest Jesus:

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

Jesus saw the reward, and it served as a driving force to go against all the odds in this life to please God!! The reward is what is motivating all of us and preparing us to go through the fire knowing that we shall not be consumed!! Moses, like us, also wanted to know why the bush burns and yet was not consumed. However, many have seen the bush burning and not being consumed but were/are not enthused about it and therefore do not turn aside to see this great sight!! We, the elect, are the ones who, like Moses, are turning aside to see this great sight!! I remember Mike being questioned by someone about why he is so concerned with the first resurrection. This simply means that the fellow has not turned aside to see the reward!!

Exo 3:4  And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
Exo 3:5  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

It is when we turn aside to understand the word of the Lord regarding how all the elect before us went through all kinds of tribulations, but they were not consumed, that Christ comes to us with His brightness. That is when we hear a voice within us calling us by our name. Let’s now pay attention to the name Moses. It means to ‘draw out’. As we are aware, Moses also represents the law. It is when the law has run its full course that it draws out of us what we really are in the flesh.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The fact that Moses was told not to draw near because the place where he was standing was holy ground is to make Moses aware that his way of life was not pleasing to the Lord. This means that the law has drawn out of Moses his unworthiness before the Lord and that Moses is required to change his way of walking before the Lord, which is signified by the Lord telling Moses to put off his shoes from his feet. The Lord also told Abraham after several years that the Lord appeared to him that he should walk before the Lord and be blameless. This implies that Abraham’s life at that time was not pleasing to the Lord.

Gen 17:1  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 

Exo 3:6  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 

In this encounter with Moses, the Lord introduced Himself as the God of Moses’ fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This introduction is to let Moses know that he is dealing with a God who is able to raise him up from his spiritually dead state.

Luk 20:37  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 
Luk 20:38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. 

Moses hiding his face signifies that he became aware of his sins which separates us from the Lord.

Isa 59:2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

It is when the Lord comes to us with the brightness of His words that we become aware of our iniquities, and we come to see clearly the man of sin sitting in our temple claiming that he is God. This is what happened to Isaiah when the Lord came to Him.

Isa 6:1  In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Isa 6:5  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 

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

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

Exo 3:7  And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 
Exo 3:8  And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 
Exo 3:9  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 

The Lord’s coming to us is the result of us groaning under the burden of sin because of our taskmaster, the old man or the flesh. If we are called and chosen, then he will hear our cry in this life and come to us with His deliverance. As stated here in verse 8, the deliverance of the Lord at the hands of the Egyptian is to bring them out of Egypt to possess a good land. The land here is our bodies, and the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Hittites the Amorites and the Jebusites are all different aspects of the beast or the old man within which are dealt with at various phases of our lives. Thus, our salvation is a process which lasts a lifetime. It is not something that we attain at the beginning of our walk as our brothers and sisters in Babylon made us believe during our sojourn there. It is rather at the end of the road that salvation becomes ours.

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

1Co 9:24  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 
1Co 9:25  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 
1Co 9:26  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 
1Co 9:27  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 

Exo 3:10  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 
Exo 3:11  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Exo 3:12  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 

When we come to realize our unworthiness in the Lord’s presence, we do not think that the Lord can ever use us. This was what happened to Moses. The same thing happened to both Isaiah and Jeremiah when the Lord called them. These three present a witness to us that indeed the Lord is a God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That is, the Lord is able to raise us up from our dead situation to use us for His cause.

Isa 6:5  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 
Isa 6:6  Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 
Isa 6:7  And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 
Isa 6:8  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Isa 6:9  And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Jer 1:4  Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 
Jer 1:5  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 
Jer 1:6  Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 
Jer 1:7  But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

The reason why the Lord is able to use us in spite of our shortfalls is that it is the Lord that does the work. It does not depend on us. We are only vessels through which the Lord does the work. This is what verse 12 seems to suggest as the Lord told Moses that He would be with him. In Jeremiah’s encounter with the Lord, he was also told that the Lord would be with Him. The Lord being with us is the same as Him doing the work!!

Jer 1:8  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” 

Php 2:13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 

1Co 12:6  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 

In verse 12, Moses was told that as a sign of the Lord sending Him, when the Lord delivers them from Egypt, they shall serve the Lord in mountain Horeb. As indicated earlier, the mountain here represents the New Jerusalem. We are only able to serve the Lord acceptably when we are in the company of the saints.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 
Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Exo 3:13  And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 
Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 
Exo 3:15  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

When Moses requested to know the name of the Lord, he was told that ”I AM THAT I AM”.  ‘I AM’ implies self-sufficiency, self-existence and immediate presence. What this means is that the Lord’s existence and actions are not dependent on anybody or anything. In other words, the Lord’s plans are not contingent upon any circumstance or anyone else.  He is sufficient in Himself to accomplish whatever He decides to do. It is another way of saying that with God, all things are possible. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself, to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish.

As we have shown earlier, telling Moses that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is to show Moses that He is able to raise the dead to do whatever He wills to do!!

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. 
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. 

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

Luk 20:37  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 
Luk 20:38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. 

Exo 3:16  Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 
Exo 3:17  And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 

All these verses are to assure us that when we pray to the Lord according to His will, He hears us and will surely answer in His time. Right before the nation of Israel came to existence, the Lord had prophesied to Abraham that the Israelites will be in a foreign land for four hundred years before they are delivered. Thus, Israel’s request to be liberated from their taskmasters was right in the center of the Lord’s will!! However, the Lord has set times and seasons for the execution of His will in everybody’s life, and it is only when these set times are fulfilled that we receive answers to our request.

Ecc 3:1  To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 

Ecc 3:11  He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. 

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 
1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

In verse 17, we are told that the land they are going to inherit after leaving Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. Let’s try to understand what milk and honey stands for. Milk in the scriptures represents the basics of the Lord’s word as shown below:

Isa 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 

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. 

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 

1Pe 2:2  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 

Honey can also mean the milk of the word of Christ. It only helps us to distinguish between good and evil.

Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 

On the other hand, honey essentially deals with how we hear the word of the Lord. When the word of the Lord comes to us, it tastes so sweet, but after we start to apply it to our lives, that is when it becomes bitter.

Eze 3:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 

Rev 10:9  And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 
Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 

So, the Lord delivering the Israelites from Egypt and taking them to the land flowing with milk and honey is to let us know that when we come out of the world, we are to start with the milk of the word of the Lord and must be zealous for the word of the Lord just as human beings search for honey which taste so good in the mouth. However, in reality, in our zeal to know the word of the Lord, we all end up in the church in the wilderness (Babylon) imbibing false doctrines which block us from the milk of the word and the honey taste of the word of the Lord.

Exo 3:18  And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 

Our exit from Egypt is to be accompanied by a three-day journey into the wilderness where we can offer sacrifice to the Lord. The wilderness here is the world. Our walk with Christ starts after leaving Egypt, and the three-day journey means that all we go through in this life is part of the spiritual maturity process destined for us. This spiritual maturity is accomplished through judgment. It is as we are maturing that we are able to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

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

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

As we have explained in previous sessions, the king of Egypt represents the beast within. Our deliverance from this beast, or the old man within, is not accomplished in one day. It is a process. It takes the mighty hand of the Lord to deliver us from the opposition put up by this beast within to relinquish its throne in our lives. As indicated in verse 20, it takes the mighty hand of the Lord to work wonders on our behalf before we are delivered from the beast’s clutches. This is all to let us know that the death of the beast within is not our work. It is the Lord’s work. All we have to do to work the works of the Lord is to believe that what the Lord has started in us, He is able to complete it!!

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

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

Exo 3:21  And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 
Exo 3:22  But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. 

The Lord does not facilitate our exit from Egypt without Him providing us with His word, which is represented here as gold and silver. However, after leaving Egypt, we turn the gold and the silver into images of men which are false doctrines. This is clearly demonstrated later in the journey in the wilderness at Mount Sinai when the Israelites used all the gold and silver to make a golden image. In the case of the raiment, which signifies the righteousness of Christ, we end up not submitting to Christ’s righteousness but rather establish our own righteousness (wear our own raiment).

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,

Exo 32:1  And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 
Exo 32:2  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 
Exo 32:3  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 
Exo 32:4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 
Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 

Greetings,

I have enjoyed reading your article on “Rightly Dividing the Word of God”. It has made my understanding clearer.

I have four questions:

(1) The “Breaking of Bread”: does this phrase used by Jesus mean the actual physical Wine and physical Bread that most Christians consume as communion? Or the study, meditating and teaching of HIS WORD, this do in remembrance of His death and resurrection?

(2) Are the paying of Tithes for today, or do we contribute as Christians to the work of God freely? Which may include not only money, but time, talents, other resources etc?

(3) Is there a Spiritual meaning as to the casting of lots and to the taking of pieces of HIS outer garments by the Roman soldiers? I understand that the seamless coat belongs to the Bride of Christ (we who believe).

(4) This is on my mind. Who can be said today as representing the Roman Soldiers, what Religions and what did they take i.e. did it include pieces of TRUTH? Or some of HIS gifts?

A believer, B____

Hi B____,

I am very grateful to hear the article on Rightly Dividing The Word has been edifying to you.

You have asked four questions which I will answer in order:

(1) The “Breaking of Bread”: does this phrase used by Jesus mean the actual physical Wine and physical Bread that most Christians consume as communion? Or the study, meditating and teaching of HIS WORD, this do in remembrance of His death and resurrection?

The answer is the latter. The spiritual meaning of ‘breaking bread’ is to share Christ and His Words with another person of the same mind. That is what Christ wants us to do “in remembrance of [Him]”. Christ certainly was not replacing one ritual with another ritual, but He was speaking in parables. He tells us that the bread represents Him and His body, which He explains as “the bread of life”:

Joh 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Joh 6:27 Labour not for the meat [the loaves, the bread] which perisheth, but for that meat [bread] which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Exactly what does Christ mean by “that meat [bread] which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you”? He tells us exactly what He means by “that meat [bread] which endures unto everlasting life:

Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

What exactly is this “bread of life”? Here it is. This is the ‘life’ of which Christ is speaking:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth [gives life]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The wine and the bread are “the body and the blood” of Christ, therefore they are one and the same, because a body cannot exist without the life-giving blood. Now look at what Christ told James and John and their mother:

Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

Again, this is what Christ Himself tells us His blood of typifies:

Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body [“I am the bread of life” Joh 6:35].
Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

“The New Testament” is the true blood of Jesus “which is shed for many for the remission of sins”. So His body and His blood are Him, and He is “the Word” of God:

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Applying “the dream is one” principle should help you to see that ‘the body’ and ‘the blood’ of Christ are nothing more than two separate symbols for the same thing, Christ and His Words, His doctrine.

Gen 41:26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

Your second question was:

(2) Is the paying of Tithes for today, or do we contribute as Christians to the work of God freely? Which may include not only money, but time, talents, other resources etc?

The Old Testament doctrine of tithing is not to be found in the New Testament doctrines of Christ. I well remember being taken in with the argument that Christ said “these you ought to have done…” speaking specifically about tithing.

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Christ also told the leper He healed to offer the offering Moses commanded. Is anyone going to argue that therefore we should still be offering blood offerings as Moses commanded?

Lev 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
Lev 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
Lev 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Lev 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

Christ’s ministry is called “the time of reformation”:

Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Tithing, even when it was in effect, was only to be upon “the increase of the land [and] the tithe of the herd, or of the flock”.

Lev 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.
Lev 27:31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
Lev 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

But under the reformation of the New Testament one tenth of the increase of the land is not enough to meet Christ’s New Testament standards, just like not committing physical adultery is not enough and not committing physical murder is not enough to meet Christ’s new standards. Under the New Testament we become guilty of adultery if we simply lust after a woman within our hearts. Under the New Testament standards of Christ, we are guilty of murder by simply hating our brother.

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

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

In the same way, paying a tithe of your financial income, which is not even required under the Old Testament, is no longer enough for the New Testament standards of Christ. This is the New Testament standard for what is now required of those who would follow in the footsteps of Christ:

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

The New Testament standard for what Christ now expects of us is to give to Him our entire life and even to “be… transformed by the renewing of your mind”.

So you are right when you say: “we contribute as Christians to the work of God freely? Which may include not only money, but time, talents, other resources etc?”

This is the New Testament doctrine as it is articulated by the holy spirit through the apostle Paul:

2Co 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
2Co 9:9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
2Co 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
2Co 9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

‘The Lord loves a cheerful giver.’ He is not pleased with a disgruntled or even a cheerful tither. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; ”

Your third question is:

(3) Is there a Spiritual meaning as to the casting of lots and to the taking of pieces of HIS outer garments by the Roman soldiers? I understand that the seamless coat belongs to the Bride of Christ (we who believe).

Yes, there is a spiritual meaning to the casting of lots for the Lord’s garments. This is especially so when you are given to understand the extent of the sovereignty of God. (Read: After The Counsel of His Own Will)

The fact is the Roman soldiers, the people of physical Israel, Herod and Pilate were one and all doing exactly what God’s hand and foreknowledge determined before to be done:

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

Raiment, clothing, in scripture signifies “the righteousness of the saints”:

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

To take the righteousness of the saints and to kill those saints is to attempt to put their righteousness upon a great whore:

Rev 18:16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

This great harlot rules over the kings of the earth, and she is decked out with everything God has given to His saints to build a temple to Him upon the foundation of Christ:

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

Those who follow Christ are to be building a house for Him of “gold, silver, and precious stones”. But look where we find these very same building materials:

Rev 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her [Babylon the great]; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Rev 18:12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

But what has Babylon done with the “gold, silver, and precious stones” of God’s elect building materials? This what they have done with them, and this is what they have done with the “fine linen” which is the raiment of the saints, signified by Christ’s raiment divided by the Roman soldiers at the base of His cross:

Eze 16:10 I clothed thee 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,
Eze 16:18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

“You… took your broidered garments… I clothed thee… with… and covered [your idols].” That is the spiritual significance of the dividing up of the raiment of Christ.

“And of thy garments [I gave you] 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. 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,”

One of the principles to understanding the Word of God is to understand that “Man shall… live by every Word of God”, includes all men including you and me. It is we who have taken Christ’s raiment and His gold and His silver, and we have made to ourselves images of men”, meaning we have made our own “idols of the heart” by twisting and wresting His Words and His doctrines to say what we want them to say, and in doing so they have become a plague to us just as the ark of God became a plague to the Philistines who knew nothing about how to properly handle the ark of God (1Sa 6).

Parting Christ’s garments and casting lots for them signifies what this world does with the words of God to justify their abominations and immorality in the name of the love of Christ.

Your fourth question is:

(4) This is on my mind. Who can be said today as representing the Roman Soldiers, what Religions and what did they take i.e did it include pieces of TRUTH? Or some of HIS gifts?

When you understand the beast, that is the secular governments, is ruled by the religions of this world, then you understand why we are told:

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

“The kings of the earth… and the people of Israel”, are all one when it comes to rising up “against the Lord, and against His Christ”. The significance of “what did they take”, I dealt with in answering your third question.

I hope you find this edifying and that you will continue to be blessed with what you read on Is Was and Will Be.

In Christ’s service,

Mike

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 77

“The judgments” Part H

April 17th, 2015

In the previous study, we covered the restriction the Lord placed on His people to not charge interest to a brother or sister when they were in need.

In today’s study, we are going to cover not keeping a security which is given as a promise to repay.

“Returning a pledge”

The verses in reference for today’s study are:

Exo 22:26  If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:

Exo 22:27  For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

The first thing that is emphasized in these verses is that we are talking about our neighbor again and specifically his or her “raiment” and “covering”.

Since we are always looking for the spiritual significance of these types and shadows in our lives, it should jump off of the page that we are speaking about the “covering” of someone in the spiritual sense.

In contrast of someone “taking a loan” to help them with an issue as was discussed in the previous study, these verses deal with someone who is so desperate yet so poor that all they have to offer is the coat and/or clothing off of their back.

Truly, Jesus Christ is all we too have in the world today if indeed we are disciples of Jesus Christ.

Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Rev 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

There is also an addendum to Exodus 22:26-27 which is found in Deuteronomy.

Deu 24:10  When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

Deu 24:11  Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.

Deu 24:12  And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:

Deu 24:13  In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.

It’s interesting to note that a house and raiment are mentioned here. If someone has a physical house, then they are doing well and their covering is their house. If someone is seeing rough times, then the only raiment they have is the coat or cloak they can sleep in.

Is it possible in both situations that we could be talking about the same spiritual type when we compare one which is blessed with a lot (a house) with one who is blessed with a little (coat on their back)?

While we are poor now in this world, though some may have worldly riches, we will be given riches beyond measure when we get the fullness of the purchased possession.

What then is the spiritual example of this house we are speaking about in Deuteronomy?

2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2Co 5:2  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

2Co 5:3  If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

2Co 5:4  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

2Co 5:5  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

2Co 5:6  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

2Co 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight

2Co 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

2Co 5:9  Wherefore WE LABOUR, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Notice, we are told in Exodus to “not let the sun go down” before we give back that which was pledged. We are also given the reason they need that pledge back, it is where they “sleep”, where they rest.

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore FEAR, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

Heb 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being MIXED WITH FAITH in them that heard it.

Heb 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

Heb 4:5  And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

Heb 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

Heb 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, TO DAY, after so long a time; as it is said, TO DAY if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Heb 4:8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Putting this all together, we see that our neighbor who is in need, who is poor “in the world”, has only Jesus Christ to pledge, the same Jesus Christ who is used for their REST which happens to be the Faith that has been given to them.

It is TO DAY, not another day, which we must RECOGNIZE who our neighbor, brother, sister and mother are in Christ Jesus and be sure to return to THEM what was promised to US when the poor of the world gives Jesus Christ to us for safe keeping.

Didn’t Jesus Christ tell us He was taking notice of how we treated the hungry, the poor, the widow, and the fatherless?

Don’t Christians URN to be FEED, to be CLOTHED, to BE RICH, to have a HUSBAND, to see their FATHER, to be given FREEDOM and to no longer be a STRANGER but to arrive to their COUNTRY?

Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

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

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

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

“Faith with Works”

What then do we do with Exodus 22:26 and 27? How do we live it out daily?

Exo 22:26  If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:

Exo 22:27  For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

The only thing Christians have in this world, spiritually speaking, is Jesus Christ the Word of God.

When a brother or sister “pledges” to you about anything, our Faith in Jesus working in them all things according to the Father’s will, should produce in us a like-mindedness, to want to return in kind, what we have received from Jesus in them.

The only thing we can give each other is Jesus Christ, the Word of God, which the Lord has given us all to share with one another.

We are not to wait until some future date to return that covering, that rest, that Faith back to the person who gave us what the Lord had given them.

In a practical sense, the law of Moses being read in Exodus was to be practiced literally, but we must be searching the Word of God while diligently seeking to find how this applies to us today otherwise we will have the mind of “all that is in the world …. of our father the devil” and not the mind of Christ which is a “right” mind.

In order to solidify what house we are seeking, and the mind of the husbandmen of said house, we do not have to look very far to see a very familiar story bearing out to us the spiritual Truth of having the proper covering and it being Jesus Christ who provides that covering.

Mar 5:1  And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

Mar 5:2  And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

Mar 5:3  Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

This man did not dwell in a house.

Mar 5:4  Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

Mar 5:5  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

Mar 5:6  But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

Mar 5:7  And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

Mar 5:8  For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

Mar 5:9  And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

Mar 5:10  And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

Those who have their country, do not seek a country. Those that have no country SEEK the PLACE where they are no FOREIGNERS.

Mar 5:11  Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

Mar 5:12  And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

Mar 5:13  And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

Mar 5:14  And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

Mar 5:15  And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

This scenario is enough to make anyone who witnesses legion being cast out of someone, back into the sea of humanity where it belongs, to be sorely afraid.

To witness someone suddenly SEATED with Christ in the heavenlies, CLOTHED, and in his RIGHT MIND is truly miraculous and like lightning hitting the person in front of them.

Mat 28:1  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Mat 28:2  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Mat 28:3  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

Mat 28:4  And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

Mat 28:5  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

Mat 28:6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Are we not angels of the Lord when we give to others what the Lord has given to us to give? We point to Jesus Christ.

When we do, we point away from “your Father the devil” and this is the result:

Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Luk 10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

We are seated with Him.

Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:28  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Mat 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Indeed, the Lord has arrived and His work begins with us, being mixed with FAITH while we rest and are covered with his righteousness, within the heavens.

Amen, praise the Lord, even so Lord, COME QUICKLY!

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 56

“The Firstborn”

Feb. 19, 2013

In this study today, we are going to cover the final plague and it’s execution on the Egyptians. We are also going to examine the spiritual application of this last of ten plagues for the “Jew who is one inwardly”.

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

Our praise will be of God when we are able to acknowledge the working of His hands in our lives and claim none of it for ourselves.

“It came to pass”

We ended part 55 of this series with the instructions and particulars of what the Israelites are commanded of the Lord to do in order to fulfill the requirements of the Passover.

We are now going to pick up with the Israelites fulfilling these commandments faithfully.

Exo 12:28  And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
Exo 12:29  And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

It is in the night that the Lord starts salvation for any of mankind and that includes His first begotten Son.

Day is likened unto life and night is likened to death. For the Lord, He sees both day and night alike for the purposes He is calling all of mankind into, and He is the only One who can use both Faithfully to execute His will for good.

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.

For this story of the plagues, the Lord causes the death of the firstborn to happen so that the Pharaoh will finally let the Israelites go. This pattern is the same that Christ followed since it is THROUGH DEATH that salvation comes.

Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

It may not seem apparent on the surface and in the letter, but the freeing and deliverance of Israel from the bondage in Egypt is a type of the freeing salvation we are given by the works of God alone.

Of course, being given the start of salvation in no way means that we have arrived at God’s purposes and work in us but that we simply have been given the ability to see our safety in the process of the cross and what Christ alone accomplished by the working of the cross.

That is why and how we die daily when we follow Christ to the cross.

Still, it is not going to be an easy transition from death to life since even the Pharaoh presents to us just how formidable the flesh and carnal mind is to those who are being freed from the bondage of the same.

Exo 12:30  And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Exo 12:31  And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
Exo 12:32  Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

After all the has happened with the firstborn deaths and the utter destruction of Egypt at the power of the Lord being placed in Moses and Aaron’s hands, the Pharaoh still insists that he be blessed by Moses. This shows us that it will be “until the end of the flesh,” that we will be enduring and overcoming it.

EVERY “house”, that is every generation, will know the Truth of “this death” to the carnal mind.

It is written several times that it is at NIGHT that the Passover happens and a big part of that is to show us WHEN it is the Lord comes to “our house” and “passes over us” in our “hour of need”.

Exo 12:33  And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
Exo 12:34  And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

The Israelites do as they were commanded and follow the commandments of the Lord. There is a way out of the dire situation they have been placed in and by following the commands of the Lord, they are additionally blessed to have the Egyptians be quick to send them on their ways.

“Borrowing of the Egyptians”

There are always many layers to any story in scripture, and there are many layered admonitions we can gain by seeing various types and shadows that are contained within various stories.

That concept is no different to this story and in particular as it pertains to the aspect of the Lord telling Moses to tell the people to borrow of their neighbors, silver, gold and raiment.

Exo 12:35  And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
Exo 12:36  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
Exo 12:37  And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
Exo 12:38  And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

Previously in the last study, I mentioned that each layer and each type and shadow builds upon itself and other types, in order to better expound to us what is being said.

This is a similar concept to how Christ would speak “plain” words, yet they held and hold a spiritual meaning behind them to those who are given eyes to see and ears to hear.

For example, in Exodus 11:2 Moses is told this:

Exo 11:2  Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

However, when the children of Israel do according to Moses words they borrow silver, gold and raiment. Raiment is not mentioned in Exodus 11:2.

It may seem like a small thing, but what we can learn from this additional bit of information really paints for us a clearer spiritual picture of what we are being told.

The Israelites borrow from their neighbor AS they are exiting Egypt so when we try to determine what this might mean we can look at other examples of this happening in scripture and make a spiritual comparison, spiritual with spiritual of what we are being taught.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

So, where else do we see silver, gold and raiment mentioned together? Remember, there are positive and negatives to all words in scripture and that also applies to spiritual concepts.

Here is another example of silver, gold and raiment being mentioned in scripture but with a little more detail, just as Moses adds the detail of raiment being borrowed like silver and gold was borrowed.

Eze 16:10  I clothed thee 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.

The Egyptians indeed witnessed firsthand the FAVORING of God’s children over the Egyptians.

Here are a few more examples:

Rebekah was given away AFTER abiding for TEN days with her family. Abraham typifies “the Father” welcoming in His new child, in this case his new daughter-in-law.

Gen 24:51  Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
Gen 24:52  And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Gen 24:53  And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
Gen 24:54  And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
Gen 24:55  And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

One last example, of many examples, can be found in Joshua:

Jos 21:43  And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
Jos 21:44  And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

Then a few verses later:

Jos 22:2  And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
Jos 22:3  Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
Jos 22:4  And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.
Jos 22:5  But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Jos 22:6  So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.
Jos 22:7  Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,
Jos 22:8  And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.

Did anyone notice that when the Israelites left Egypt they SPOILED the Egyptians?

Does anyone think it coincidence that when the Israelites left Egypt they had much cattle, silver, gold and raiment? What then had they DONE that led to them successfully being led out of Egypt?

The answer is the same answer found in the examples listed above. They DILIGENTLY took heed to the commandments and law of the Lord and FAITHFULLY obeyed. I am not saying they did this on their own since we know via the “sum of thy Word” that Faith is a gift and the Lord works all things.

So, what does this mean for us today? It was the DEATH of the firstborn and the PASSOVER which led to the salvation process starting for the children of Israel.

Who then is the Passover? Who then is our GOLD and SILVER? Who is our Raiment? Who is the FIRSTBORN sacrificed for OUR (and the rest of humanity’s) salvation?

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

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

The Passover:

Heb 11:27  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Heb 11:28  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Heb 12:21  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

“By Faith … a gift of God”

What the Israelites did when they “simply” followed the commandments of the Lord was that they acted in Faith. They were leaving a “known” Egypt, though in slavery, to go unto a wilderness they knew nothing about.

They followed the commandments of the Lord and did as He instructed Moses.

Exo 12:39  And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
Exo 12:40  Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
Exo 12:41  And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
Exo 12:42  It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

When the work of the Lord happens, it is for all, for everything that work is set out to do. Meaning, the Lord does a quick and complete work in “that selfsame day”.

It is in the night, night being likened to blindness, darkness and death that the Lord comes to us with deliverance. (Col 1:12-15)

When we come forth form this darkness, this night, we are going forth with the raiment, gold and silver that ONLY the Lord can give us, HIS NAME and His work in us.

We know the Israelites, like we all do, go on to doubt, to betray, to back talk and to do many things AGAINST the commandments of the Lord and this is VERY MUCH like what we know is to LEAVE our FIRST LOVE.

When the Firstborn, our First Love comes into our lives we are given EVERY thing we could ever want. We are given His name, His wealth and His covering. We are given ALL THINGS He can give us.

However, it is a VERY short time until we start thinking we know best and we go into rebellion. We take His name but don’t want to take on “His wealth” like the women in Isaiah 4. So, why DOES this happen?

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

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.

Didn’t Adam and Eve experience this? They were given everything in the garden BUT the SERPENT beguiled them with lies mixed with Truth.

After this study, I will be doing a mini-series on “satan and the devil”. I feel led to go into this very aspect in a lot of scriptural detail to show how and why satan is able to mix Truth with lies in order to accomplish being used to cause the “children” of the Lord to do the things that cause us to “leave our First Love”.

What are the first works we must do? Did not the Israelites show us these “first works” in type and shadow in leaving Egypt by Faith?

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.

Here is what the children of Egypt did.

Exo 12:42  It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
Exo 12:43  And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
Exo 12:44  But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
Exo 12:45  A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
Exo 12:46  In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
Exo 12:47  All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
Exo 12:48  And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
Exo 12:49  One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Exo 12:50  Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
Exo 12:51  And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

The Israelites start off doing the commandments of the Lord but they soon fall away from those same commandments pulled by lusts that dwell in us all and can be easily TEMPTED by the SUBTLE SERPENT.

The “only” thing we have to battle this old serpent with is Jesus Christ, and He ALONE is ENOUGH.

Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that THROUGH DEATH he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The Firstborn is able to deliver us all, and does deliver us. However, this is a life-long process for “us” and is a process most will face in the lake of fire.

We will pick up the “Awesome Hands” series from this spot after the mini-series on “Satan and the devil” is done, but I believe the mini-series will better equip us to view how the Lord views the works of Satan and the devil in our lives as He admonishes us to “keep thy commandments”.

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

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

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Hi Mike
I think that I may have taken the meaning of a verse in scripture wrong.
It is Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
What I get from this is that Jesus asked forgiveness for all of us who have sinned, as he was crucified for our sins. On the other hand, I can’t find this same thing in the other gospels.
I realize we were crucified with him, and have life through him, but I do not know of another place where he asked for our salvation. I realize that he can forgive us and may not have to request it from the Father.
Am I wrong in what I get from this verse ?
Thanks
O____

Hi O____,
You are not wrong. Christ has saved the whole world. The whole world is saved by Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice.
Never forget, it is the sum of God’s Word which constitutes Truth:

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

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially [ not exclusively] of those that believe.
1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The “parting of His garments” tells us simply that those who reject Christ cannot receive “the sum of His righteous Word.” Verses like those above are avoided as if they were leprous.

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Mike