Rev 11:7-14, Part 2 – The Resurrection Of The Two Witnesses

[Study Aired Nov 8, 2024]

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Today, Lord willing, we will come to see how we are first the harlot city, “the city wherein our Lord was crucified”, before we “come out of her”, and in time we become the Lord’s two witnesses who are lying dead in the streets of that great city…

6) “Where also our Lord was crucified” is also speaking of us and our rejection of the Lord and our part in His crucifixion. Our Lord is crucified by the “murderers who are in the faithful city which has become a harlot”, as explained by:

Isa 1:9  Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Isa 1:10  Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Both ‘Sodom’ and ‘Babylon’ signify “the city where our Lord was crucified”. They are both types of us while we are in the churches of Babylon. We first hate God’s witnesses, and in so doing we become the harlot city which is full of murderers. While God’s rebellious people are called a rebellious wife, they are also called ‘Gomorrah’ and “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of abominations of the earth”. It is in this city that all of God’s prophets are murdered. In other words, this all takes place within you and within me.

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

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

This is but a repeat of what Christ said of Jerusalem:

Mat 23:34  Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36  Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

You and I are “the earth”, and it is within each of us that our Lord is crucified. It is each of us who are “chief of sinners”.

1Co 15:9  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Gal 1:13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

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

If we place the death of Christ upon the shoulders of others, then we cannot claim that He died for our sins. That self-righteous spirit of iniquity (Eze 33:13) is exemplified by “those Jews which believed on [Christ]” but wanted to kill Him.  Signifying all of us, they could not see themselves as slaves of sin, and just like every Christian who feels justified in physically fighting their fellow man to preserve God, family and country, they were not even aware that they wanted to kill Christ:

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

If we first see ourselves as His persecutors and the persecutors of His church, and if we see ourselves as having our part in His crucifixion and then  also see ourselves as “chief of sinners”, then we will have no trouble seeing Christ as dying for our sins, and then we will know that we are that “great city where also our Lord was crucified” before we can “come out of her” and become Christ’s two witnesses. If ever we are given to see that spiritual Truth, then we will have no trouble understanding that all…

7) “The people, kindreds, tongues and nations” within the streets of that great city where our Lord was crucified are all of the affiliated false doctrines which are also within each of us, supporting each other and rejoicing that each and every one of all these “people, kindreds, tongues and nations” are now free from the constant scrutiny and torment of those who remain faithful to the words of our Lord. “They that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth”. While we are still in Babylon we rejoice because we can now…

8) “…see their dead bodies”, and because we know that no one within us will now be tormented by having to hear their words. We gloat over their dead and ineffective bodies, and we do so the whole symbolic three and one half years they are “lying dead in the streets of our great city”. That time is signified as…

9) “…Three days and an half”, during which we do not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. These “three days and a half” are not the last three and one half days of one thousand two hundred and sixty days, or forty and two months or three and one half years, rather, just as Pharaoh’s two dreams of the cows and the corn “are one”, so too, ‘three and one half days’, and all of its multiples, signify the same thing as ‘one thousand two hundred and sixty days’, ‘forty and two months’, and ‘time, times and half a time’. They all signify one half of what is complete. The new man is not complete until he has both gone into and then come out of Babylon. All these symbols signify the same period of time. The first half of our experience signifies the time when we are the self-righteous, rebellious recipients of the Lord’s witness against the kingdom of our old man. The last half of our experience signifies the time we begin to bear witness concerning the words of this prophecy. It is during that first period of time that we all…

10) “…Rejoice over the death of Christ’s two witnesses, and send gifts one to another”, celebrating the fact that these witnesses of Christ, who had been tormenting us, were at that time, having no effect in the streets of our great city where also we have crucified our Lord by turning His grace and the knowledge of His sovereignty into lasciviousness.

An outward demonstration of what we all are guilty of within, at our own appointed time, is watching two multi-millionaire television ministers literally donate 10,000 dollars to each other’s ministries, while condemning and belittling what they refer to as ‘heresy hunters who are more concerned with doctrine then they are with love, and the spreading of the gospel’. We are all guilty of justifying our own sins and rejoicing over our ability to stifle the witness of God’s word with our self-righteous false doctrines.

11) But if the Lord has predestined us to be His firstfruit elect, after three and one half days, just as it seemed that the flesh had won the battle, an event which was parenthetically prophesied back in chapter ten begins to take place… “In the days of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God” begins to be completed, and the Lord’s own will begins to fulfill His own purpose in our lives as the apostle Paul tells us:

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

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This is referred to as being “raised with Him to newness of life” within the lives of God’s witnesses who are dying daily to their old man while simultaneously being raised from their state of spiritual death.  Let’s put these two verses side by side and observe how they are to be understood as one and the same event.

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

“The voice of the seventh angel” is the seventh trumpet which signifies the beginning of the pouring out of the seven last plagues of the wrath of God upon the kingdom of our old man and upon all of our self-righteous false doctrines of the great harlot, Babylon, in our lives. “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should… [signifying that the mystery of God begins to] be finished”. In other words, the second half of our completion begins, and Christ begins to live His life within us as our old man begins to die because, “the mystery of God is Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:27).

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half [the first half of our complete experience] the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

While “the [outward] kingdoms of this world” will indeed become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ (vs 15), we will not have a part in that momentous event unless an inward “seven [Not three and one half, but ‘seven’] thousand men begin to die in our inward earthquake, signifying the appearing of Christ into our life which begins the destruction of “that man of sin” within us and the kingdoms of our own old man begin to be “destroyed by the brightness of His coming”:

2Th 2:8  And then [“when the seventh angel shall begin to sound”] 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:

The destruction of all of “the people, kindreds, tongues and nations” within “the streets of that great city where also our Lord was crucified”  causes…

12) “…Great fear to fall on those who see them”. “Them which saw them” and “their enemies” signify all the self-supporting lies and false doctrines which support ‘Babylon the great’ and empower her to kill the witnesses of God’s Word within us. The loss of the dominance of all those “idols of our hearts” (Eze 14: 1-9) over our lives and minds brings great fear within us. The physical battles fought by Israel against her enemies in the Old Testament signify all the inward struggles we endure in our heavens. Here are examples of the outward Old Testament battle contrasted with the inward heavenly warfare we endure in the New Testament:

Psa 47:3  He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

Psa 106:34  They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:

2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.

“Principalities and powers… the rulers of the darkness of this age”, are “the people, kindreds, tongues and nations” within “the streets of that great city where also our Lord was crucified” within each of us.

13) At this point the two witnesses hear a voice from heaven telling them to “Come up here”. This is how that happens to those who are given to witness to the truth of these words:

Eph 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Eph 2:6 and raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,
Eph 2:7 that in the coming ages He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Our warfare is spiritual and inward if we are in Christ. But as self-righteous Babylonians we are all signified by Saul of Tarsus who is still living in the first half of our uncompleted experience, and in that position we hate the True Christ and His doctrines:

Act 9:1  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

It was “when we were dead in transgressions”, while we were still in the process of persecuting the disciples of the Lord, that we were struck down on our own ‘road to Damascus’. Only then does “the seventh angel begin to sound and the mystery of God begins to be finished” within us, so that we, as God’s two witnesses, are both buried with Christ, and raised in newness of life to witness to the very people who we ourselves were only yesterday.

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.

Why does our natural man want to place all of this prophecy at the end of the age of Adam’s domination over the kingdoms of this world? It is because the words of Christ “are spiritually discerned”, and our old man “cannot see the things of the spirit for they are foolishness to him” (1Co 2:13-14).

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Nevertheless, for the man who is granted to discern “the things of the spirit”, Rom 6:3-4 is the fulfillment in down payment form of Rev 11:12.

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.

Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

It is in Christ that we are “made to sit together with Him in the heavens”. That cloud is Christ’s Christ, His witnesses, His body. It is at this point that all who know us, within and without, become aware that we are not who we once were, and in that sense they become witnesses to the fact that we…

14) “…Ascend up to heaven in a cloud”, and as our enemies see that we have done so and we are not the self-righteous Pharisee we once were. That “cloud” in which we ascend is the same as the words in the mouths of the Lord’s witnesses.   That cloud is God’s own “cloud of witnesses”, who are now beginning to be able to spiritually discern how “the holy spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual”. It is the same cloud which has always witnessed to the truth of the words of God.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It is at this point, having been “made to sit with Christ in the heavens” (Eph 2:6), that there is…

15) “…A great earthquake”, which occurs in our lives, and this entire event begins to be repeated again as the persecution of the risen Christ within us requires a new “Saul of Tarsus” to persecute the new “Paul the apostle” who is now a witness of “the exceeding riches of His grace”, the grace of Christ “in the ages to come”.

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Here is Eph 2:7 in the Analytical Literal Version of the New Testament.

Eph 2:7 so that He should show in the ages, the ones coming, the surpassing riches [fig., abundance] of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus! (ALT)

Here is how this verse is translated in the Concordant Literal Version.

Eph 2:7 that, in the oncoming eons, He should be displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (CLV)

Remember Christ has declared that we, just like He is, “are the light of the world”. He also declared that “as He is so are we in this world”, and remember also that it was only five verses earlier, in this same second chapter of Ephesians, that we were told that every sinful life of mankind is an age, or an “eon of this world”.

Eph 2:1  Also you– being dead in the trespasses and the sins,
Eph 2:2  in which once ye did walk according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, (YLT)

So it is that as our old man is destroyed by this great earthquake, our new man increases and is renewed day by day, and it is the renewal of our new man which continues to destroy our old man and cause him to decrease.

Joh 3:30  He [Christ in me] must increase, but I must decrease.

That is described as…

16) “…a tenth part of the city falls and seven thousand men are killed in that earthquake, and the rest are frightened, and give glory to the God of heaven”. The number ‘ten’ in all of its forms, is the maturing and perfecting of this flesh, and ‘seven’ is the completion of the destruction of this mature old man. At this point we are indeed “giving glory to the God of heaven… for His wonderful works to the children of men”.

Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
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!

Now we have been prepared to become the recipients of all the fury of the old man who this great earthquake begins to kill and to crucify on a daily basis.

Summary

Let’s reread the verses we have covered today.

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; [and], behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Now let’s briefly summarize the meaning of the symbols of these verses. They are…

1) The two witnesses finishing their testimony, we saw, signifies the end product of the revelation of Jesus Christ, who is “the end of our faith… the salvation of our soul” (1Pe 1:9).

2) The beast ascending out of the bottomless pit making war against God’s two witnesses is the beginning of this revelation, where we are not yet aware that we are that beast and all we are interested in at this point in our walk is the…

3) … Killing [of] Christ’s two witnesses, by rejecting their fiery words, and persecuting and belittling their testimony before this world.

4) “Their dead bodies lying unburied” as we rejoice over our rejection of their testimony and their witness to the words of God. This signifies our time of deception by the false doctrines of Babylon.

5) “In the streets of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt”, is in the ways of this world within us which has rejected the ways and streets of the true Jerusalem, which will become our new mother when we are finally granted to see our own self-righteous, rebellion against the words of Christ and repent of our sinful walk in the streets of Babylon the great where we have rejected and killed our Lord and His disciples and witnesses.

6) “Where also our Lord was crucified” is again within us. It is we who have so despised our Lord and have crucified Him. That is “where also our Lord was crucified”.

7) The people, kindreds, tongues and nations are all within the city where our Lord was crucified, As such they are the symbols of all the supporting lies and self-righteous false doctrines with which we have withstood the fiery testimony of our Lord’s two witnesses.

8) We see the Lord’s witnesses as dead bodies, because we are in rebellion to our Lord’s commandments to love and forgive our enemies, and we certainly consider these two men to be our enemies, so we are gloating over their dead bodies and their inability to save us from ourselves.

9) “Three days and an half, and do not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.” Again, whether it is days or years or months, the time we spend rejecting the testimony of the two witnesses and the time we spend as the two witnesses are both “three and a half” which are both required to birth and to complete our new man. Whether it is expressed as three and one half days or one thousand two hundred and sixty days, both are in the same chapter, speaking of the same experience, and as Joseph told the Pharaoh, concerning Pharaoh’s two separate dreams concerning the cows and the corn, “the dream is one”. In this case ‘the time is one’, and that one time is the same time in which we kill the Lord’s witnesses before we are considered to be dead by those whom we witness to, in that city where our Lord was crucified. The two ‘three and a halves” sum up the time that is required to complete our new man.

10) “They… shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another” all because of the death of Christ’s two witnesses. This is us as we celebrate the fact that these witnesses of Christ, who have been tormenting us with the words of God, are now having no effect in the streets of our great city where also we are unwittingly crucifying our Lord.

1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

11) But after three and one half days, God’s witnesses are raised from their state of death. Only after we have given ourselves over to the desires of our flesh and have denied our Lord with an oath, and have done so three times, are we granted repentance, and we go out and weep bitterly. Just as the flesh seems to have won it all and the voice within us has been silenced, we are raised up from among the walking dead…

12) … Causing great fear to fall on those who see us. Yes, we have been “crucified with Christ, nevertheless we are now alive, and living by the faith of Christ”. Our new life causes all who know us to fear, just as all the “people and kindreds and tongues and nations” within us, fear the day of their demise and the waning of their influence in our hearts and minds.

13) At this point the two witnesses hear a voice from heaven telling them to “Come up here”, and so they…

14) …”ascend up to heaven in a cloud”, and their enemies see that they have done so.

15) It is at this point, when we are “seated with [Christ] in our heavens” (Eph 2:6) that there is a great earthquake, and the kingdoms of this world are shaken, as we are delivered from the dominion of sin in our lives (Rom 6:14) and as this entire event begins to be repeated again “in the oncoming ages” (Eph 2:6).

16) “A tenth part of the city falls” signifies the death of all that appeals to our flesh, signified by the number ‘10’. The fall of that great city is within us “where also our Lord was crucified” by our own hands.

17) Seven thousand men are killed in that earthquake, and the rest are frightened, and give glory to the God of heaven. ‘Seven’ is the completion of the process of the destruction of the great city within where our Lord and all saints are killed and crucified. The remnant give glory to the God of heaven because the fall of this city is the birth of “Christ in you… and having this treasure in earthen vessels”. “Our Lord and His Christ” are signified by “the remnant [who] give glory to the God of heaven”.

In our next study, if the Lord wills, we will be informed of the days when the seventh angel shall begin to sound, and we will see that this seventh angel is simply the filling up of the wrath of God that has been being displayed by all the evil angels which have already been sent to us through the seals and trumpets that have been the subject of this book to this point.

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

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

The Book of Joel – Chapter 2:28-32, Part 4

For the holy spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus. – Act 8:16.

[Study Aired Sept 7^th 24]

In the last Study of Joel Chapter 2:18-27, it concluded that our Aholibah-like cringeworthy shame for our graphically depicted spiritual whoredoms, is to be somehow cleansed from our hearts when our Lord said,

Joe 2:27  And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 

In the subsequent verses studied today, the Bride deeply reflects upon her Aholibah-like nature and is given by God to see his mysterious “spirit” is not given to Joel or any other prophet before the cross to see how God’s power might actually work. All Joel and slow-bellied Israel (Tit 1:12  evil Cretians typifying Israel) see is further ambiguity in parables. Just as we once did, Cretians, Israel and our unconverted families today throw up their hands in despair that the Lord’s word is too convoluted to understand and, anyway, parrot the deluded doctrine that they are saved by Christ dying in their stead (1 Cor 15:31 throws another spanner in the gears).

Joe 2:28  And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 

The Lord’s “pity”, currently studied, is best expressed in his giving of himself in the form of the holy spirit, that is, God himself unified as Christ and his Father. That same unity is first bestowed upon his Bride in this age since the cross and for the most part understood by the following verses.

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. (1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous). 
Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter [the holy spirit; Christ within!], that he may abide with you for ever [so that we by his power can keep his ‘comforting’ commandments];
Joh 14:17  Even the spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Joh 14:19  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you [one spirit]. 
Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

The holy spirit is NOT an entity or individual spirit being; it is the nature of Christ and the Father, who are one spirit. “He” is a pronoun, and scriptures personalise all sorts of things, such as sin and wisdom being “she,” a fountain being “she,” etc.; as such, the holy spirit is called “he.”  

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Pro 1:20  Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

Jer 6:7  As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.

Christ and the Father are the holy spirit as is his word and truth; it is HE that does the work within us and not some third person of the Godhead making up the diabolical trinity lie:

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son [Facetiously, no mention of an ‘uncle holy spirit’!].
1Jn 2:23  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1Jn 2:24  Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father [with no mention of another entity in the Godhead called the holy spirit].

Here is God’s spirit, his intrinsic holy spirit in Christ: 

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ [the same spirit as the Father!], he is none of his. 

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy spirit of God, [That is the Father and Christ!] whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The Lord’s Elect are the people who are increasingly satisfied by the works Christ does in them through the much-awaited holy spirit that is Christ and his Father, creating the New Man within. The work of the holy spirit, fulfilling the will of God in this New Adam, starkly contrasts with the works of the flesh, which make men dreadfully insufficient and ashamed. Our efforts without the holy spirit always result in the shame of not being able to keep His word.

Joh 5:38  And you have not kept his word in your hearts, because you have not faith in him whom he has sent.
Joh 5:39  You make search in the holy Writings, in the belief that through them you get eternal life; and it is those writings which give witness about me.
Joh 5:40  And still you have no desire to come to me so that you may have life.

Why had we “no desire to come to Christ”? Because we had insisted in our own fabled ‘freewill’ that we are responsible for every action and sin the holy spirit subsequently quenched from doing its progressive work.

1Th 5:19  Quench not the Spirit.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not [restrain its power] the holy spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

However, when Joel wrote his Book, the understanding of this inscrutable spirit of God no doubt remained a talking point among the dedicated believers for another 865 years before the Cross.

Act 8:16  For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them [Mostly the Apostles; and unidentified believers]; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Act 8:17  Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the holy spirit. 

A Frequently Asked Question: “Is the holy spirit a person?”

Study Significations

The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit

Joe 2:28  And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 
Joe 2:29  And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 
Joe 2:30  And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 
Joe 2:31  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 
Joe 2:32  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. 

The meaning of the term “afterwards,” stated in the first verse of our Study, Joel 2:28-32, begs the question, after what will God’s holy spirit be poured out on all flesh? In fact, that statement covertly introduces Pentecost, scheduled to be fifty days after the cross in the process of seeding the New Covenant with the spirit of God, enabling “all flesh” to learn to keep all of Christ’s commands.

Here is a link to understanding the meaning of Pentecost: They Were All Filled with the Holy Ghost

The Body of Christ is highly familiar with the physical, termed in scripture as the “natural” that manifests in all created things before all physical things identify the mirror of the spiritual.

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

To all curious believers, upon reading Joel 2:28-30, they are not much further ahead in understanding this nebulously expressed “spirit”. After all, for thousands of years, prophets and great men and women, bonded and free of God, prophesied, dreamed dreams and had startling visions that they directly and fearfully attributed to God. All of Israel and surrounding nations were very familiar with what the Lord demonstrated, most frighteningly with wonders in the heavens, mass killings of Israel’s enemies until their blood flowed, and huge columns of smoke issuing from Mt. Sinai with terrifying signs and astonishments.

There remained a still enigmatic key of clouded understanding in verses 31 & 32 that reads,

Joe 2:31  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. 
Joe 2:32  And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD. 

The prophets Zephaniah and Malachi didn’t much help either, but they amplified the reader’s foreboding. The only consolation is Joel’s statement that “everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved”—but how, when all they ever knew was a physical ‘saving’? Besides, God had ‘saved’ Israel physically heaps of time before, yet He seemed still not satisfied!

Zep 1:14  The great Day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
Zep 1:15  That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,
Zep 1:16  a day of horn blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers.
Zep 1:17  I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
Zep 1:18  Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.

Mal 4:1  “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
Mal 4:2  “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
Mal 4:3  Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.

Vernacularly, who on earth is able to stand before those aforementioned terrifying images? Nonetheless, there is hope in the still-veiled statements of Malachi,

Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
Mal 4:6  And he will turn the heart [H3820] of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” [‘NO! Not another curse; they are endless’, I hear the old Israelites say]

Heart H3820 Leb – Phonetic: labe – Definition: 1. inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding a. inner part, midst 1. midst (of things) 2. heart (of man) 3. soul, heart (of man) 4. mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 5. inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 6. conscience 7. heart (of moral character) 8. as the seat of appetites 9. as the seat of emotions and passions 1a 2. as the seat of courage.

The hope is in understanding the yet-to-be-ascribed ‘new heart’ of the inner man that we, since the Cross, know as the New Adam drinking in the spirit of God that gradually changes a man’s heart to be one with Christ and our Father.

Eph 3:14  For this cause [being incredibly grateful that we do not have to rely on our own strength] I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is [‘was and will be’] named, 
Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his pirit in the inner man; 
Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 
Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

However, Joel, in the final chapter three, continues with a complex hope that generates even a level of faith (Gen 15:6. Rom 4:3) in all who read and cannot perceive that they will be dead in their graves for close to a symbolic and maybe literal 3,865 years before the Resurrection to Judgement (865BC to the cross + 2,000 to the First Resurrection + 1,000 years Rule with the Rod of Iron to the Second Resurrection).

So, are Aholah and Aholibah’s outrageous ‘porneia’ (Fornication: G4202 – Porneia – Phonetic: por-ni’-ah- Definition: 1. illicit sexual intercourse a. adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc. G4203 – Porneuo) connections just to damnably perverted for them not to be condemned to the contemporary (and deludedly) named “eternal hell fire” since in Joel 2:28 the ascribed “afterwards” seems to exclude all before the coming of this mystifying ‘spirit’ of God? And, are they, along with Jezebel, Cain, the sons of Belial (H1100), Judas, and the cryptic ‘man of perdition’ just too evil and ‘worthless’ to be included in the meaning of “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh”?

Belial H1100. Transliteration: B@liya’al – Phonetic: bel-e-yah’-al – Definition: 1. worthlessness a. worthless, good for nothing, unprofitable, base fellow. b. wicked c. ruin, destruction (construct)

The last verse, Joel 2:32, states clearly that “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.” To the Israelites, unwittingly without the holy spirit, the only way they can believe in that deliverance is a physical ‘saving’ from their enemies, being witless of the dreadful irony that their (as are our) enemies are spiritually within. To them, symbolising the contemporary ‘Jews’ of today, covertly identified as Babylonian Christians, unconsciously believing in “another Jesus”, that the Aholohs and Aholibahs of the world are destined to burn forever in the delusionary hell fire. Even the Apostles initially didn’t fully realise that Christ didn’t come to be the mighty force to rout the Romans. But they, along with an undisclosed “remnant”, the Lord’s “little flock”, would, in Christ, go before the rest of the world of old Jerusalem, Egypt, Sodom, Tyre and Babylon in and as spiritual sacrifice exemplars for the world’s ultimate ‘deliverance’ in the Lake of Fire.

(A recounting of Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.)

The point is that there are two primary “afterwards” (Joel 2:28) of many biblical ‘afterwards’ that almost all reflect a spiritual event after its physical representation.

The first is a physical ‘remnant’ under Zerubbabel, who went back out of the captivity of Babylon to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple (Ezra 3:1-13). Inscrutabley, they depict the second “afterwards”, a spiritual “remnant” after the cross and particularly Pentecost who are the Lord’s ‘remnant’, a little flock who alone the Lord hears them calling on the name of ‘THE Lord’ as opposed to “whosoever”, implying anyone, suggesting multiple millions of Christians unwittingly calling upon ‘another Jesus’ (as expressed in 2 Cor 11:4) will be delivered.

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time [since the cross] also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Rom 11:6  And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Rom 11:7  What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election [the Remnant] hath obtained it, and the rest [the world/earth] were blinded
Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them [the world/earth symbolically Babylon] the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day [for the world before the cross and the world after the cross, bar the “remnant”].
Rom 11:9  And David saith, Let their table [the Old Covenant of circumcision without the holy spirit] be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
Rom 11:10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

1Co 1:23  But we [The Bride of Christ] preach Christ crucified [in the power of the holy spirit], unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

Act 4:10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Act 4:11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

And so, even to this day, the Babylonian Christian ‘Jews’ and the Greeks who represent the entire world can read that the Lord’s spirit has come into the world but are not given of it to believe in its power through Christ. The final chapter 3 of Joel powerfully states that it will come to pass, that whosoever calls on the Lord’s name will gain understanding to be saved. There is a massive time lag in the statement that “it shall come to pass” and until the deliverance actually comes. Israel remembers endless accounts of them calling on the name of God to deliver them from their enemies, so what is going to be different with this perplexing and expected superior deliverance? Without faith, no wonder the weary physical labourers became cynical when failure to keep the Laws consistently was a chasing of the wind. So, this new and mysterious hope of keeping the Lord’s word didn’t seem to offer any startling consolation.

Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
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.

What Israel and Solomon, in his creation of the Shulamite, couldn’t fully appreciate was that their Lord did build Israel’s physical house with intrinsic failure of man’s powerful bias for faith in himself.

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

There in Psa 127:1 lies the double-edged message that the very same “Lord” that built and destroyed Old Israel would come in person in far greater amplification of the same spirit to build the new Heavenly Jerusalem; the still enigmatic “remnant”, as “black” as the curtains of Solomon’s Temple (Son 1:5) in for understanding of the Lord’s New Wife.

Joel and the ‘minor prophets preceded what the Lord told Daniel to “seal up the book until the time of the end” (Dan 12) since nobody could understand how the house of each person could be built without knowing the great “tarrying” in Babylon, Egypt, Sodom depicting Old Jerusalem for the much later “helper” (John 15:26-27), the holy spirit.

And, the last Chapter 3 of Joel next week for Babylonian Christianity, for Jews who say that they are Jews and are not, and say that they see, and don’t, “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” – Mat 13:13, except for the mysterious “Remnant” who see how that last Chapter correlates perfectly with Revelations.

Oba 1:14  Nor stand by the breach to cut off its escaped, Nor deliver up its remnant in a day of distress.

[Study Aired August 21, 2024]

Oba 1:14  NeitherH408 shouldest thou have stoodH5975 (H8799 Qal) inH5921 the crossway,H6563 to cut offH3772 (H8687 Hiphil) (H853) those of his that did escape;H6412 neitherH408 shouldest thou have delivered upH5462 (H8686 Hiphil) those of his that did remainH8300 in the dayH3117 of distress.H6869

H408 – Al, not, no, nor, neither, nothing, do not, let not, let there not be, a negative particle

H5975 – Amad, (Qal) to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth/up/upright/with, take/make a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of, stand still, stop, cease, tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, persist, be steadfast, hold one’s ground, remain standing, rise, be erect, be upright, arise, appear, come on the scene, appear, rise up/against, be appointed, grow flat/insipid, a primitive root

H5921 – Al, upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against, on the ground of, on the basis of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, in the matter of, as regards, to, over to, unto, in addition to, with, adjoining, next, at, around, down upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, against, because, although, properly, the same as H5920, Al, height, above, upwards, on high, from a primitive root H5927, Alah, to go up, ascend, climb, meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat, come up, to spring up, grow, shoot forth, go up over, rise, extend, excel, be superior to, be taken up/away, be brought up, take oneself away, be exalted, bring up, cause to ascend, cause to go up/ascend, bring against, take away, draw up, train, rouse, stir up, offer, exalt, be carried away, be led up, be taken up into, be inserted in, be offered, lift oneself

H6563 – Pereq, parting of ways, breaking in upon, plunder, crossroad, from a primitive root 

H6561, Paraq, to tear apart/away/off, break away, snatch, rescue, tear off from oneself, be broken off, be broken in pieces

H3772 – Karath, (Hiphil) to cut, cut off/down, destroy, take away, permit to perish, a primitive root

H853 – Ayth, sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative, contracted from H226, Oth, sign, signal, distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning, token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof, probably from a primitive root H225, Ooth, to consent, agree (Used four times in OT)

H6412 – Paleet, refugee, fugitive, escaped one, from a primitive root H6403, Palat, to escape, save, deliver, slip away, bring into security, cause to escape, cast forth, be delivered, bring to safety

H408 – see above

H5462 – Sahgar, (Hiphil) to shut up, deliver up, imprison, a primitive root

H8300 – Sariyd, survivor, remnant, that which is left, from a primitive root H8277, Sarad, to escape, survive (Used once in OT)

H3117 – Yome, day, time, year, a working day, a day’s journey, days, lifetime, period (general), today, yesterday, tomorrow, from an unused root meaning to be hot

H6869 – Tsarah, straits, distress, trouble, vexer, rival wife, from H6862, Tsoriy, Zorites or Zorathites = see Zorah, hornet, from H6881 Tsorah, Zareah or Zoreah or Zorah = hornet, apparently another form for H6880, Tsirah, hornets, from a primitive root H6879, Tsara, to be diseased of skin, be leprous, be a leper, have leprosy

In Hebrews, we are promised that our day of distress will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. This study focuses on the phrase “day of distress”. We look at three Hebrew words of “distress”. Obadiah writes about Edom’s violence against Jacob, resulting in Jacob’s day of distress. Applying this inwardly, we all must go through our day of distress, and while uncomfortable at the time, it will produce good fruit. We will also look at the story of Elkanah’s two wives – Hannah and Peninnah – and see how a Hebrew word for distress is also translated as a female rival. We are encouraged to know there is great value in turning to the Lord and being obedient to his voice, especially in our times of tribulation and distress, as it says in Deuteronomy:

Deu 4:30  When thou art in tribulation (distress/ a narrow, tight place), and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
Deu 4:31  (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Here are three different Hebrew words used for distress.

• H4691 Distress, narrowness, trouble anguish
• H6887 Distress, be in a strait (trouble)
• H6869 Distress צָרָה (tsaw-raw’) means tightness (that is, figuratively trouble); transitively a female rival

[1] H4691 Distress (mets-oo-kaw’) appears in Zep 1:15

Zep 1:14  The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Zep 1:15  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble [H6869] and distress [H4691], a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
Zep 1:16  A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
Zep 1:17  And I will bring distress [H6887] upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

[2] H6887 Distress means to be in a strait (trouble) and it is the root word of H6869 (tsaw-raw) meaning a female rival and adversary. 

Zep 1:17  And I will bring distress [H6887] upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

Zep 1:17 is linked to 1 Sam 2:8. It is God’s promise to us, he raises the new man in us, out of the dust, and from the dunghill. The Lord will make the poor (lowly in spirit, meek and gentle) to set them among princes.

1Sa 2:8  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars [H4690] of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.
1Sa 2:9  He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God,which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

[3] Distress H6869 צָרָה (tsaw-raw’) means tightness (that is, figuratively trouble); a female rival. The word appears as “adversary” in 1 Samuel.

1Sa 1:6  And her adversary (H6869) also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

Here is the story of Elkanah’s two wives: Hannah and Peninnah

1Sa 1:1  Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah…
1Sa 1:2  And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

The root words of the two names

Hannah = favoured, from the root word meaning H2603 khaw-nan properly to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore, gracious.

Num 6:25  The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

Peninnah = an Israelitess, from the root word H6434, a pearl, ruby

Job 28:18  No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

Pro 3:15  She (Wisdom) is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

The wife with children, Peninnah provokes the wife without children, Hannah.

1Sa 1:3  And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

1Sa 1:4  And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
1Sa 1:5  But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.
1Sa 1:6  And her adversary [H6869] also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
1Sa 1:7  And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked [H3707] her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

The word for provokes [H3707] kaw-as, is a primitive root meaning to trouble, to be indignant, angry, be wroth, riled and disturbed. 

The female adversary Peninnah provokes / riles Hannah, but the fruit of this “riling up” is the good fruit [Samuel]. 

The name “Samuel” (pronounced, shem-oo-ale’) means [H8050] Heard of God.

1Sa 1:10  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
1Sa 1:11  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head

1Sa 1:15  And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD

1Sa 1:17  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
1Sa 1:18  And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
1Sa 1:19  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
1Sa 1:20  Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD

Conclusion

Our day of distress, while uncomfortable at the time, will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

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:
Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

While Penninah provoked and riled up Hannah (caused her distress), the peaceable fruit resulting from the ordeal was Samuel, whom God did not let any of his words fall to the ground.

1Sa 3:19  And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

When we think above that which is written, our words fall to the ground, hence Christ’s commandment to learn not to do this:

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

Ezekiel 12:1-28  A Remnant Shall be Saved

[Study Aired April 8, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study continues with the Lord’s decision to judge the city of Jerusalem with its temple for the sins they continued to commit. This was revealed to Ezekiel as He was asked by the Lord to demonstrate to the inhabitants of Jerusalem their going into exile in Babylon by packing his luggage and carrying it on his shoulders in plain sight of the inhabitants. The Lord emphasized to Ezekiel that the people of Israel were a rebellious people, and therefore they needed to be judged by letting them go into captivity as the Lord scattered them among the nations.  In spite of this judgment, the Lord stated that He shall preserve a few of them – the remnant. This judgment shall not be delayed as it shall surely take place in Ezekiel’s time. This judgment of the city of Jerusalem signifies the judgment of our old man which the Lord is carrying out in our lifetime as the called and chosen people of the Lord.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

The Rebellious House of Israel

Eze 12:1  The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying, 
Eze 12:2  Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. 

As we have indicated in our previous studies, Ezekiel represents the elect. The dwelling of Ezekiel among the people shows us our time in Babylon when we were rebellious just like the people around us. At that time, we were not given eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven as our old man sat in the throne of our hearts and minds claiming himself to be God. During our time in Babylon, we thought that we controlled our own actions or destiny.

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.

The coming of the Lord to Ezekiel is as the coming of the Lord to us to show us that we are indeed a rebellious people. We have to be shown our sins by the Lord as a rebellious people before we are given the opportunity to repent and be saved. 

Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 
Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Dan 9:7  O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

Eze 12:3  Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house. 
Eze 12:4  Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. 
Eze 12:5  Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.
Eze 12:6  In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

These verses show us that the Lord wanted Ezekiel to demonstrate to the people in the city of Jerusalem how they would be taken into exile as they left Jerusalem to other nations. Being taken into exile is the Lord’s judgment of the people of Israel. As we are aware, it is only the elect in this age who are being given the privilege of being judged. We saw in the previous study of Ezekiel chapter 11 that those who were in exile represented the elect while those who remained in Jerusalem signify Babylon. This is one of the few places in the word of the Lord that we see a positive application of being in Babylon.

Eze 11:15  Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession. 
Eze 11:16  Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 
Eze 11:17  Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 
Eze 11:18  And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 
Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 
Eze 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 

The request for Ezekiel to bring out his baggage by day for all the people to see and to go out of Jerusalem into exile by himself in the evening is therefore a sign to us that as the Lord’s elect, we must leave Babylon, which is signified here by Ezekiel leaving Jerusalem.

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

The fact that the Lord asked Ezekiel’s exit from Jerusalem in the evening to demonstrate the impending captivity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem in verse 4 suggests that our exit from Babylon begins the judgment of our old man, symbolized here by the captivity. It is when we come to see that we are spiritually dead that our judgment begins.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

The evening is a time the sun is not around. The sun represents Christ. This implies that Ezekiel leaving in the evening to go into exile shows us that during our judgment, it is as if the Lord has abandoned us. As we can remember, our Lord Jesus Christ during His sacrificial death taught that He had been abandoned by God. As He is, so are we here on earth.

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

In verse 5 Ezekiel was also asked to dig through the wall in plain sight of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Walls in Biblical times were made of mainly mud or earth. Digging the earth out of the wall in plain sight of the people signifies our exposing of the lies or the false doctrines in Babylon which has become a wall separating us from seeing Christ. Ezekiel digging through the wall in the sight of the people means that as we expose the lies, we have imbibed in Babylon. It serves as a testimony against our brethren in Babylon.

Eph 5:11  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

In demonstrating the going out of Jerusalem in the evening into captivity in verse 6, Ezekiel was asked to cover his face so that he did not see the ground. This is to demonstrate our spiritual state in Babylon as the Lord prepares us to leave. That is, we were spiritually blind. Unfortunately, we thought we could see when we were in Babylon.

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 
Joh 9:40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 
Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Eze 12:7  And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight. 

Our obedience to what the Lord is showing us in His words is what makes us His sons. As we know, our love for the Lord is demonstrated through our obedience to His words. 

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 

Eze 12:8  And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, 
Eze 12:9  Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? 
Eze 12:10  Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. 
Eze 12:11  Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.

What the Lord told Ezekiel to do in the sight of people was for the sake of the princes in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel among the multitude. This means that we are the princes and the house of Israel to whom the Lord was speaking during our sojourn in Babylon. We start our walk in Christ as rebellious people who do not care about the Lord. However, through the Lord’s mercy, He sends us His elect, represented here by Ezekiel, to speak to us through various means as a sign of the Lord coming to us. It is when we come to realize that these men (the elect) represent Christ here on earth and that they are blessed. That is when Christ comes to us with His judgment to begin the process of destroying the old man within us.

Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

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:

The coming of the Lord to us with His judgment is symbolized here in verse 11 by the statement that they (the elect) shall remove and go into captivity. The captivity here represents our judgment which is the privilege of the Lord’s sons.

Eze 12:12  And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes. 
Eze 12:13  My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

As indicated, we are the princes that are supposed to carry our baggage on our shoulders in the evening as we exit Jerusalem. The baggage on our shoulders represents all the false doctrines and burden of sin that we carry as we exit Babylon. 

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

The net that is being spread over us so that we are taken in a snare is the judgment of our old man which we cannot escape as the Lord’s called and chosen. To understand what is said in verse 13, we need to look at the positive application of Babylon. As we have indicated earlier, the exile to Babylon represents our judgment. Thus, in verse 13 where the exiles in Babylon shall not see it and shall die there in Babylon, means that when we are going through the Lord’s judgment, we do not see why we should go through such an experience. However, in the long run, it is through the Lord’s judgment that our old man dies as symbolized by the death of those in exile. As the old man is dying, we are learning righteousness.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Eze 12:14  And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. 
Eze 12:15  And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. 

In verse 14, the Lord saying that He will scatter toward every wind, all our support as He draws out the sword after us means that all that we depend on that had taken the place of Christ shall be destroyed through the Lord’s judgment. As we have explained in previous studies, the negative aspect of sword refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary. 

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

These negative words spoken are one of the tools the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect.

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred [men with Gideon] blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host [of the Midianites]: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

Verse 15 is assuring us that at the end of the day, through the Lord’s judgment, we shall come to know who the Lord really is. 

Isa 5:16  But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. 
Isa 5:17  Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

Eze 12:16  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

The few men that would be saved from the sword, famine and pestilence represent the Lord’s elect. The fact that we are being saved from the Lord’s judgment does not mean that we would not experience His judgment. However, through His mercy, we are not being tempted more than we can bear. As indicated earlier, it is through the Lord’s judgment of our old man that we come to know Him as He opens our eyes to see and ears to hear His words in the midst of the fire, which is another way of saying that we have seen the glory of the Lord. That is when we can proclaim the abominations among the heathen.

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

Eze 12:17  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 
Eze 12:18  Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness; 
Eze 12:19  And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. 
Eze 12:20  And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Because of the desolation (judgment) that was coming on Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord told Ezekiel to eat and drink with trembling and carefulness. This is another way of saying that we must tremble at the Lord’s words as His elect because our Lord is a consuming fire.

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: 
Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

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

Isa 66:15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 
Isa 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.

Trembling at the Lord’s word also means that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is the Lord who is at work in us to either blind us if we continue to remain recalcitrant or cause us to obey Him. Even though we say this, like Paul said, we are persuaded of better things on our behalf, that is, things that accompany salvation.

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

Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

The Time is at Hand

Eze 12:21  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 12:22  Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
Eze 12:23  Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. 
Eze 12:24  For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. 
Eze 12:25  For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD. 
Eze 12:26  Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 
Eze 12:27  Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off. 
Eze 12:28  Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.  

In these verses, we are being admonished that the time is at hand and that we should not be like the scoffers in Ezekiel’s time who were thinking that every vision had failed. During the time of the apostles, there were also scoffers, just like today, who doubted that the Lord’s coming was at hand. This is what Peter said about these scoffers:

2Pe 3:1  This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 
2Pe 3:2  That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 
2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 
2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 
2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 
2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

We are therefore to pay attention to the Lord’s words and get ready for His appearance as the Lord grants us the grace to be ready like the five wise virgins who went to meet the bridegroom. They were wise because they were ready to meet the bridegroom, and their readiness was because they had oil. 

Mat 25:1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 
Mat 25:2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 
Mat 25:3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 
Mat 25:5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 
Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 
Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 
Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 
Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 
Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 

The oil is that which keeps the lamp from going out. As we know from the word of the Lord, the lamp is the word of the Lord, and the oil represents the spirit of the Lord which causes our eyes to see and our ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom. The Lord has therefore given us what we need to be ready to meet Him. We should therefore not take for granted what the Lord has given to us and become unprepared for His coming.

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

May the Lord continue to make us ready as we wait for His appearing!! Amen!!  

Ezekiel 6:1–14 The Judgment Against Idolatry

[Study Aired February 26, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the promise of destruction of the people of Israel for their idolatry, together with the destruction of their idols. The second part focuses on the return of a remnant of the people of Israel to God as they shall exhibit true repentance and reformation. The third part gives direction to Ezekiel to lament on the iniquities and the calamities that have befallen the people of Israel.

Before we go into the details of the study, we need to understand what idolatry entails and how it applies to us. Idolatry means worshiping someone or something other than God. In other words, anything that engages our focus in this life and therefore diverts our attention from the Lord constitutes idolatry. All of us at some point in our lives were worshiping idols before the Lord came to deliver us. It is the truth of the Lord’s words which has the power to help us focus on Christ. However, in our time in Babylon we exchanged the truth of the word of the Lord for the lies of the devil, which became the idols of our hearts in the sense that they diverted our attention from Christ. 

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

Many of the Israelites were uncomfortable with the idea of an invisible god. They preferred a god that could be represented in some solid, tangible and visible form. In many of the churches of this world, there are many statues of Jesus; His hanging on the cross, etc. These are all forms of idolatry. Aaron building the golden calf was therefore not meant to displace God, but to make the Lord more tangible to the Israelites. Flesh always begets flesh. In our carnal state, we always want something that is tangible or fleshy. However, a sign of maturity is believing even though we have not seen. This was what the Lord told Thomas when he doubted that the Lord had risen. 

Joh 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 
Joh 20:27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Joh 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 
Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Our life in Babylon was characterized by worshiping what we see as tangible. That is why Babylon is dependent on evidential proofs of the spiritual reality portrayed in signs and wonders and gifts of the spirit such as word of knowledge, tongues, etc. As we are aware, it is children who are always looking for gifts from parents. As we mature, we become less dependent on gifts. The fact that many come with signs and wonders must alert us to be wary since these signs and wonders are all rudimentary, as our brother Paul warned us. In his letter to the Corinthians, he told them that it is only love (obedience to the Lord’s words) that will endure. In other words, a mature person is the one who obeys or trembles at the Lord’s words. Other gifts of the spirit such as word of knowledge, prophecies, signs and wonders, are all elementary and as we mature, they become less and less significant. 

1Co 13:8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 
1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

What we must understand as we mature in the things of God is that we serve a living God who is hiding Himself in this dispensation and it is only as we worship Him in spirit that we come to appreciate the spiritual reality of His existence, love, care and His wonderful plan of salvation for us. 

Isa 45:15  Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. 
Isa 45:16  They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. 
Isa 45:17  But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. 

One of the typical examples of idolatry in the Bible was when the Israelites worshiped a golden calf that they had made at the foot of Mount Sinai where they had camped to receive the Law from the Lord.

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. 
Exo 32:5  And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD. 
Exo 32:6  And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 
Exo 32:7  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

In verse 1, Aaron negatively represents our leaders in Babylon who put a stumbling block of iniquity – idols of the heart – before us and cause us to become worse than before we have started our walk with the Lord.

The idols of the heart, which are represented here as the molten calf, come at a cost. In other words, we exchange the gold we have received of the Lord’s words with false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. This gold of the Lord’s words we have received is the truth of the word of the Lord, and is accompanied by our fiery trials which cause us to learn righteousness. Thus, exchanging the gold we have received for a molten calf or idols of the heart also means our rejection of the fiery trials we must go through in favor of the smooth words in Babylon which exclude our fiery trials. We all at a certain point in our walk with Christ worshiped or bowed down to the molten calf (idols of the heart) instead of Christ’s words. 

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, 

Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: 
Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 
Isa 30:11  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. 
Isa 30:12  Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: 
Isa 30:13  Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 

As we go through today’s study, we shall learn more about our idolatrous state when we were in Babylon and how the Lord is gradually delivering us to become His remnant. 

The Mountains Shall be Judged

Eze 6:1  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 6:2  Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, 

The reason for the mountains of Israel to be the target of Ezekiel’s prophecy was because almost all the mountains or high places of Israel had become places of idol worship. Worshiping idols in high places was how the Moabites worshiped, as shown in the following verses:

Isa 16:11  Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.
Isa 16:12  And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail. 

These mountains in Israel used to be the mountains of the Lord. However, over time, the Israelites were influenced by the Moabites’ form of worship of idols on these mountains.

Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 

Isa 65:11  But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.  

Num 33:51  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 
Num 33:52  Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: 

Lev 26:30  And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

The mountains used to be New Jerusalem but in the time of Ezekiel, the holy mountains had been defiled and therefore represent Babylon. When Christ first came to us, we were like the New Jerusalem, but we took the Lord’s words (gold and silver) and turned them into the wisdom and traditions of men when we were in Babylon.

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, 

The Lord speaking to the mountains and the hills is the Lord speaking to us, His elect, about the fact that we are to face judgment.

Mic 6:1  Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. 
Mic 6:2  Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. 
Mic 6:3  O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.

The mountain signifies the house of the Lord, which is the same as His temple, which we are. Thus, the judgment of the Lord regarding the mountains refers to our judgment since we are the temple of the Lord. 

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 
Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 

Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 
Mic 4:2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 

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. 

Eze 6:3  And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. 

Here in verse 3, the Lord mentioned the mountains, the hills, the rivers and the valleys to hear the word of the Lord. The valleys had all become places where idolatry was committed as shown in the following verse:

Isa 57:5  Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

The rivers mentioned in verse 3 refer to the false doctrines of Babylon which have become idols of our hearts and prevent us from knowing Christ. When the Lord comes to us with His judgment, He not only destroys our old man but our rivers and valleys.

Eze 6:4  And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 
Eze 6:5  And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

When the Lord comes with His judgment, He cleanses our temple (our bodies) by destroying everything within us, such as our altars and images, so that Christ can come and sit on the throne of our hearts and mind. 

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

The slain men in verse 5 is the same as the dead carcasses before their idols in verse 6. They refer to the death of our old man through the fire of the Lord’s words. The bones which were to be scattered round about our altars signify our flesh or our old man as seen in the following verse:

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  

An altar is where we offer sacrifices to the Lord. It is from our heart and mind that we offer a sacrifice of praise to the Lord and offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord.  The altar therefore signifies our hearts and minds which must be cleansed through the Lord’s judgment. The bones to be scattered round about our altars as a result of the Lord’s judgment means that it is through the Lord’s judgment that we come to see how our flesh has dominated our heart and mind such that we cannot offer ourselves to the Lord as living sacrifices.

Exo 20:24  An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.   

Psa 86:12  I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. 

Eze 6:6  In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. 
Eze 6:7  And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 

It is through the Lord’s judgment that our cities and altars are laid waste, the high places made desolate, our idols broken, our images cut down and our works abolished. Cities either represent the church of the first born or Babylon. In this case, it refers to Babylon. This implies that Babylon within us shall be destroyed. Babylon within us is that which makes us want to worship Jesus but at our own terms. It is therefore destined to be destroyed.

Jer 21:9  He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
Jer 21:10  For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

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,

As we have indicated earlier, the altars signify our hearts and minds where we offer ourselves to the Lord as living sacrifices. However, if our hearts and minds are dominated by the flesh, then our altars become our high places and therefore need to be destroyed through the Lord’s judgment. As shown in verse 6, the Lord shall make our altars and high places desolate. Our idols represent our false doctrines which prevent us from serving the Lord. Through the Lord’s judgment of our old man, our idols of the heart are destroyed.

Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? 
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 

Our images represent another Jesus that we worship when we were in Babylon, which must be destroyed through the Lord’s judgment. Our works which must also be destroyed relate to all that we do outside of Christ. 

Exo 23:24  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

Gen 31:19  And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.

Ecc 1:14  I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

In verse 7, the slain falling in our midst means that the death of our old man is all within us. Just as the kingdom of the Lord is within us, the enemy who fights against the building of the kingdom of the Lord is also within, and that is our old man which must be destroyed. As we see the old man within us die daily, we come to know who the Lord is as indicated in verse 7. 

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. 

The Remnant

Eze 6:8  Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries. 
Eze 6:9  And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. 
Eze 6:10  And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them. 

The remnant represents the Lord’s elect, who, although they shall go through the Lord’s judgment, they shall learn righteousness and shall hate themselves for the evil they had committed in serving another Jesus (verse 9). The fact that the remnant will escape the sword does not mean that they would not be judged by the Lord. However, as the Lord’s elect, we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear, and the Lord will, in all that we go through, provide a way of escape so that we bear the Lord’s judgment. The remnant escaping the sword therefore means that the Lord will provide a way of escape for us so that we can bear the judgment of the sword.

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

It is through the Lord’s judgment that we come to know Him as explained in verse 10. Knowing Him in verse 10 means that we are assured that the Lord will perfect His work in us through His judgment. In other words, what He has started in us, He will surely bring to completion.

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

The Lord will Surely Judge Us

Eze 6:11  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. 
Eze 6:12  He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. 

Here in verse 11, we are told of the use of three of the Lord’s four sore judgments against the house of Israel which represents us. Three of the four sore judgments mentioned are sword, famine and pestilence. The negative aspect of sword refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary. 

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

These negative words spoken is one of the tools the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect. 

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred [men with Gideon] blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host [of the Midianites]: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

Famine as one of the four sore judgments of the Lord means absence of the truth of the word of the Lord which makes us worse off as we wander from sea to sea. 

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Amo 8:13  In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. 

Through famine, we come to see who we truly are – that is, we are beasts before the Lord. Thus, our proud old man is brought low when the Lord comes to us as we come to cherish the truth of the word of the Lord.

Psa 73:21  Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. 
Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 
Psa 73:23  Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. 
Psa 73:24  Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Pestilence comes from the Hebrew word “deber” which means murrain or plague. Murrain means destruction, and the only place the word was used in the Bible was in the fifth plague in Egypt when there was widespread destruction of the cattle of the Egyptians.

Exo 9:1  Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 
Exo 9:2  For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, 
Exo 9:3  Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

As we learned in the previous study, the root word for the word “murrain” means ‘God speaking.’ Thus, it is the Lord’s fiery words at work in us which shall cause a grievous murrain of our old man, that is, our old man shall be completely destroyed. 

In verse 12, we are made aware of how the Lord uses His four sore judgments to cause us to know Him. The Lord uses pestilence when we have gotten far away from Him. For example, when the children of Israel were in Egypt, the Lord used pestilence to get their attention. The Lord’s use of pestilence means that the people of Israel were given over to the devil, which in this case was represented by Pharoah who caused the people of Israel to be under great affliction.  

Lev 26:25  And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

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

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

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

Exo 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; 

When the Lord got the people of Israel’s attention, He came to help them as the people drew closer to the Lord. Today, the Lord still uses pestilence to get our attention when we have drifted far from Him. For example, in the Corinthian church, Paul gave the man who slept with his father’s wife over to the devil so that he may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.  

1Co 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 
1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 

Unfortunately, as we come out of the world and draw near to the Lord, we end up in Babylon and therefore the Lord uses the sword and famine to get us out of Babylon as He prepares us to be part of the heavenly assembly or the church of the firstborn. 

Eze 6:13  Then shall ye know that I am the LORD, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols. 
Eze 6:14  So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

In verse 13 and 14, we are given to know the end result of our judgment – that is, to know who the Lord really is!!  What a blessing therefore, to be judged in this age so that we can know Christ!!

May His name be praised!! Amen!!

The Book of Romans, Part 25 – The Remnant

[Study Aired January 30, 2024]

Rom 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Rom 11:2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Rom 11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 
Rom 11:4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Rom 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 
Rom 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 
Rom 11:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 
Rom 11:10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 

In the verses of Romans 11:1-10, Paul tackles a key question: Has God rejected His people? Paul firmly says, “God forbid.” Being an Israelite himself, he emphasizes his connection to the people of Israel through his ancestry traced back to Abraham and the tribe of Benjamin. The passage explores God’s dealings with Israel, discussing Israel’s disobedience and the ever-present role of God’s grace. Paul refers to the historical event of Elijah’s plea and the idea of a chosen remnant through grace to fulfill God’s plan. By contrasting grace and works, these verses prompt us to reconsider our perspectives; urging us to reflect on the spiritual aspect of how God chooses the remnant.

Here is Paul’s reference of “seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.”

1Ki 19:9-18 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Throughout the book of Romans Paul acknowledges Israel as God’s chosen people. Just as Christ came to change the law, Paul is demonstrating the change from the law of Moses to the law of Christ. The Israelites are used as types and shadows of the “elect of God.” The works of the law are good for their intention, which is being our schoolmaster to show us that the flesh is exceedingly sinful. However, the law of Moses was never intended to help us secure a position in the kingdom of heaven. Keeping the law of Moses only provides a witness to “our righteousnesses” which are as filthy rags to God. We must go beyond the law of Moses to secure our place in the kingdom of God.

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The Old Testament scriptures tell us there will be a “remnant according to the election of grace”.

Isa 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Amo 5:14-15 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. 

Mic 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

Zec 13:8-9 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Paul’s writings in Romans 1-10 show us there is a transformation taking place. The true Israel is being saved in this age in order to save the rebellious Israel in the future. Following are a few scriptures of each chapter of Romans 1-10 showing the transformation taking place.

Rom 1:16-21 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 2:10-11 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.

Rom 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 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.

Rom 3:21-28  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Rom 4:1-2 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 

Rom 4:23-25 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Rom 6:4-6 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. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Rom 7:14-23 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

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

Rom 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Rom 10:5-9 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

In the verses we explored from Romans 11:1-10, Paul talks about a special group called “The Remnant.” These are people chosen by God, not because of their actions, but simply because God chose them.

Paul, who is very connected to his Israelite background, strongly says that God hasn’t given up on His people. He uses stories from the past, like Elijah’s time, to explain that even when it seemed like everyone turned away from God, there were still some who stayed true. These few, the remnant, are chosen by God’s wisdom.

Here’s the interesting part: Paul isn’t just talking about the Israelites who follow the rules. He’s saying something bigger. He’s saying that being part of God’s chosen isn’t just about following traditions or rules. It’s about having a deep connection with God in your heart.

Paul talks about how many Israelites couldn’t see the truth because they were stuck on following rules without understanding the deeper meaning. It’s like having a rule book but missing the point of the game. This blindness is a symbol showing that some people miss the important spiritual truths about God.

So, “The Remnant” isn’t just a small group from Israel. It represents anyone, from any background, who truly connects with God in their hearts. Paul is saying that being chosen by God is about having faith and a sincere relationship with Him, rather than just sticking to traditions. It’s an invitation for all believers to think about their connection with God in a deeper, more personal way. The law has changed from the flesh to the spirit.

Luk 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Joh 4:22-24 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The law of Moses is passing away and the law of the spirit is growing if Christ is in you.

Rom 8:5-11 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Act 17:1-17 These Have Turned the World Upside Down

[Study Aired June 11, 2023]

Act 17:1  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
Act 17:2  And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Act 17:3  Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
Act 17:4  And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
Act 17:5  But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
Act 17:6  And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
Act 17:7  Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
Act 17:8  And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.
Act 17:9  And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
Act 17:10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Act 17:12  Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
Act 17:13  But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
Act 17:14  And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.
Act 17:15  And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.
Act 17:16  Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
Act 17:17  Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

In our last study, Paul and Silas had insisted that the hypocritical magistrates of Philippi, who had commanded that Paul and Silas be beaten without a trial, not knowing they were both Roman citizens with the right to a trial, must come themselves to the prison and lead them out of their city. Those magistrates, upon learning that they had broken Roman law, were humbled enough to come to the prison and “beg” Paul and Silas to leave the city:

In this study we will first review our last study to demonstrate the pattern of being rejected which developed in Paul’s life.

Act 16:37  But Paul said to them, Having beaten us publicly, being Romans and uncondemned men, they threw us into prison. And now do they throw us out secretly? No, indeed! But coming themselves, let them bring us out.
Act 16:38  And the floggers reported these words to the magistrates. And hearing that they were Romans, they were afraid.
Act 16:39  And coming, they begged them. And bringing them out, they asked them to go out of the city.
Act 16:40  And going out from the prison, they went into the house of Lydia. And seeing the brothers, they exhorted them, and went out. (LITV)

Paul and Silas accommodated their persecutors because that is what the Lord had instructed them:

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

This is a pattern which was established on Paul’s first missionary journey with Barnabas. He was cast out of Pisidian Antioch and fled to Iconium. In Iconium he became aware of a plot to stone him, and he and Barnabas fled to Lystra where Paul was stoned and left for dead. The Lord raised him up, and he and Barnabas fled to Derbe.

On this second missionary journey, Paul travels from Syrian Antioch through his hometown of Tarsus in the province of Cilicia, where he had spent well over a decade after fleeing Jerusalem for his life. He then visits all the churches he and Barnabas had established in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. Then being forbidden by the spirit to preach the gospel in Asia at this time, and being forbidden to preach the gospel in Bithynia, Paul is directed by the Lord in “a vision… in the night” to go into Macedonia and preach the gospel:

Act 16:6  Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
Act 16:7  After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
Act 16:8  And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.
Act 16:9  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
Act 16:10  And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

It was at the Lord’s direction that Paul and Silas ended up in “Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia.”

Act 16:11  Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
Act 16:12  And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.

Philippi is a Roman colony, and there is no mention of a synagogue in Philippi. Instead, we are told that Paul and Silas met on the sabbath day with the women of the city who prayed by a river. This is where Paul and Silas met with and converted a woman named Lydia, who insisted they stay at her home.

Act 16:13  And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Act 16:14  And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Act 16:15  And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

It is here in Philippi that “a certain damsel” follows Paul and Barnabas “many days” proclaiming them as men of God who “show us the way of salvation.”

While the young lady’s message was true, she was doing exactly what the scriptures tell us will place us under a curse:

Pro 27:14  He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

Constantly singing the praises of any man, as opposed to constantly affirming the praises of Christ, places us in the unenviable position of placing a man above our Lord, and that is exactly what this young lady was doing.

Paul was given to discern an evil spirit which was directing this young lady, and he ordered it to come out of her, and it did:

Act 16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
Act 16:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
Act 16:18  And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

That spirit of divination came out of the young lady, and she was no longer able to “bring her masters much gain.” So, her masters caught [Paul and Silas], and dragged them to the magistrates of Philippi and accused Paul and Silas of “teaching customs which are not lawful for us to receive… being Romans.” The multitudes and the magistrates “rose up together against them” [Paul and Silas], beat them mercilessly with “many stripes”, and then cast them into prison.

Act 16:19  And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
Act 16:20  And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
Act 16:21  And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
Act 16:22  And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
Act 16:23  And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

While in the stocks in this Philippian jail, at midnight Paul and Silas were praying out loud and singing praises to the Lord when ‘suddenly there was an earthquake’ so [powerful] that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the prisoners were set free of their bonds:

Act 16:25  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Act 16:26  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

The jailer wakes to see the doors of the prison open and immediately assumes that all the prisoners had already fled, but miraculously none of them had fled. Not knowing this, the jailer proceeds to commit suicide because he is well aware of the Roman law that if a prisoner escapes, the person who was in charge of that prisoner must die for being negligent.

Act 16:28  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

This entire miraculous series of events, along with the witness of Paul and Silas, led to the conversion of the Roman jailer and all his house:

Act 16:30  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Act 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Act 16:32  And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
Act 16:33  And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
Act 16:34  And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

The next morning the magistrates sent word to secretly let Paul and Silas go free, but Paul insisted that since they had beaten and imprisoned them publicly, Paul and Silas, both being Roman citizens with all the rights to a trial of a Roman citizen, insisted that these hypocritical magistrates must come publicly to the jail and lead them out of the city themselves. Upon learning what they had illegally done to two Roman citizens, they were more than happy to comply with Paul’s demands, and they came and begged them to leave their city, which they did:

Act 16:39  And coming, they begged them. And bringing them out, they asked them to go out of the city.
Act 16:40  And going out from the prison, they went into the house of Lydia. And seeing the brothers, they exhorted them, and went out. (LITV)

This all brings us to the verses of our study today where the same scenario of being rejected by the Jews is about to be repeated in a Greek city named Thessalonica, which had a Jewish synagogue and was south of Philippi some 100 miles, or 161 kilometers.

Act 17:1  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
Act 17:2  And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Act 17:3  Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

As was always the case, the spirit had prepared the hearts of many to receive Paul’s words and given them eyes to see and ears to hear the words of the witness of Paul:

Act 17:4  And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to appeal to those who are not part of nor accepted by the established religions and their leaders in every generation. In Thessalonica Paul’s preaching at first appealed to “a great multitude…  of the devout Greeks… and of the chief women not few”, but once again the established church became envious of the appeal the gospel was having.

Act 17:5  But the Jews which believed not [the established church of that day], moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them [Paul and Silas] out to the people.

As we just read “the Jews that believed not” were not only envious of the multitudes to whom the gospel appealed, but they also “believed not” the doctrines of the gospel of Christ, and once again they stirred up the people and would have assaulted Paul and Silas if they had found them:

Act 17:6  And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

The leaders of the established church, and the people of Paul’s day, signifying the religious leaders and people of our day, had lived their lives in a world that was upside down. Being upside down is the human condition in which we all just naturally worship and serve the creature, meaning ourselves, rather than the Creator. This rebellious, “marred…upside down” condition of mankind is referred to in Romans 1 as “the unrighteousness of men” (Rom1:18):

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

It is mankind’s marred composition which makes him “to err from [the Lord’s] ways and hardens [our] hearts against [His] ways.” That is how we are all first “made”:

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

‘The creature’ (mankind) is at first ‘marred’ and unrighteous by God’s design. Our naturally marred and unrighteous condition places all mankind under the Lord’s wrath:

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature [our own fleshly desires] more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

We all as carnal-minded mankind just naturally tend to please our own flesh instead of striving to put Christ and His Father first in our lives. That is why the doctrine of Christ, which teaches us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek and resist not evil, appears as an upside-down world to our natural man. A doctrine which teaches that we should seek first the spiritual kingdom of God and His righteousness, and afterward all the necessities of this physical realm, seems very much upside down and backwards to our natural man.

Act 17:7  Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

Christ’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom which is no threat to civil governments of this age. The truth is that the gospel and doctrines of Christ produce the very best citizens in this present time because true Christians are obedient to these words which are inspired by the holy spirit:

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation [G2917: ‘krima’ judgment].
Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4  For he [civil government, “the powers that be”] is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute [God’s] wrath upon him that doeth evil [against others, including God’s elect].
Rom 13:5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for [the execution of] wrath, but also for conscience sake. [For the sake of being obedient to the Lord]

These words make for the most honest and peaceful and productive citizens of any country. These words are not the sum of the Lord’s instructions to us, but they are only part of the Lord’s words on this subject. There is a time when we are forced to resist the powers that be, as Peter demonstrated when responding to “the powers that be” when they ordered him and all the apostles to refrain from preaching the gospel to the people:

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

This is a Biblically qualified exception to being obedient to the powers that be. Therefore, any time the powers that be command us to disobey our Lord, we must refuse to do so.

Act 17:8  And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.

This other king other than Caesar, is the same ingenuous, hypocritical canard which the chief priest and the Pharisees had placed upon Christ, acting as if they themselves were loyal to Caesar:

Luk 23:2  And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

Joh 19:12  And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

They were lying, and they knew they were lying. Christ never once forbade anyone to give tribute to Caesar. This is His doctrine concerning paying taxes:

Luk 20:22  Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?

Luk 20:24  Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar’s.
Luk 20:25  And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.

Rom 13:7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

The gospel of the kingdom of God in this age is a spiritual kingdom within us. That gospel proclaims a time when “the kingdoms of this world [will] become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.” However, when that day would arrive, it will not arrive because those who proclaim the gospel have inspired a physical insurrection against the civil governments of this age. When the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, it will be a supernatural work of God which will be beyond the ability of mere flesh and blood to resist:

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

Act 17:9  And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
Act 17:10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

It was on the first journey that Paul and Barnabas declared that since the Jews always rejected the gospel and ‘counted themselves unworthy of salvation, we turn to the Gentiles.’

Here is what Paul declared to the rebellious Jews in Pisidian Antioch during his first missionary journey:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Act 13:47  For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

Where does the Lord command Paul and Barnabas to go to the Gentiles? These are the verses Paul references as a commandment for him to take the gospel to the Gentiles:

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

Even after proclaiming that his ministry was ‘turning to the Gentiles, Paul continued to also go into the local synagogues:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Act 13:47  For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Act 17:12  Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

The pronouns, ‘these were more noble’ and ‘many of them believed’ are referring to the Jews of Berea mentioned in the previous verse:

Act 17:10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

Act 17:13  But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
Act 17:14  And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.

The apostles typify the Lord’s elect, who are indeed “hated of all men” as the Lord told us we would be:

Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

When we are persecuted, we are instructed to flee to another city, and that is the pattern of all of Paul’s efforts to share the gospel with both the Jews and the Gentiles to whom the Lord has sent him. We do not attempt to make people see the truth who are not given eyes to see the truth.

Act 17:15  And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

We are not told who ‘they’ are, but we know ‘they’ were not Silas and Timothy because we are told that they remained in Berea for a time before being instructed to later join Paul in Athens.

Act 17:16  Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
Act 17:17  Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

Once again, we see Paul first going into the synagogue in Athens. He always does so, because the gospel was intended to be preached to those who already had a relationship with God before being preached to others:

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

That is what the holy spirit had originally told Saul of Tarsus by the agency of Ananias of Damascus:

Act 9:15  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Act 9:16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Act 9:17  And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Act 9:18  And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Immediately, Saul of Tarsus, the man who three days earlier had been seeking to kill all who followed Christ, was now in Christ’s employ and is proclaiming Him in the synagogues of Damascus:

Act 9:19  And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
Act 9:20  And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

As we will see in our next study, Paul had little impact upon this great Gentile city of Athens even though he was invited to speak in the Areopagus by “certain philosophers of the Epicureans” (Act 17:18).

Athens is the one city which did not persecute Paul before he left. He was not threatened there in Athens as he had been in every other city in which he had spent time preaching the gospel. Judging from ‘that which is written’ he spent more time speaking to the Gentiles at the Areopagus than the Jews in the synagogue. He did however speak to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles.

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Christ Himself came to His own first, and other than healing the Roman centurion’s servant (Mat 8:8), granting the Syrophoenician woman her request (after calling her a ‘dog’ to her face [Mar 7:24-30]), Christ never once went to a Gentile. They always came to Him because, as He told that woman:

Mar 7:27  But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

This is the principle which rules the thoughts of all the apostles throughout the book of Acts.

In our next study we will see that the Gentiles also rejected the gospel of the resurrection of the dead. As always there was and there is a remnant who are given to receive our Lord and His Word.

2Ki 21:13-26, 2Ki 22:1-2  “The Line and the Plummet”

[Study Aired March 30, 2023]

[We start with the last verse from last week’ study:  2Ki 21:12  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.] 

2Ki 21:13  And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. 
2Ki 21:14  And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; 
2Ki 21:15  Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day. 
2Ki 21:16  Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. 
2Ki 21:17  Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 
2Ki 21:18  And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead. 
2Ki 21:19  Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 
2Ki 21:20  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. 
2Ki 21:21  And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: 
2Ki 21:22  And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD. 
2Ki 21:23  And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house. 
2Ki 21:24  And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
2Ki 21:25  Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2Ki 21:26  And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.
2Ki 22:1  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.

The book of kings is a long, stretched out experience of good and evil events throughout history that remind us what the vanity of flesh is capable of and how God works all things according to the counsel of His own will; a work that will in time humble all of His creation (Eph 1:11-13).

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

Being those “who first trusted in Christ” is the blessing and honor bestowed upon those who are being first judged in this life (1Pe 4:17), and given the power and boldness to put off our flesh as Christ did (1Jn 4:17). There is a definite correlation with learning to trust God as a result of our judgment as these verses make very clear in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

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. 

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 
2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

In this second part of chapter twenty-one, there is a more detailed account of those judgments upon Jerusalem which represent the people of God who are up against all the various characters God uses to accomplish His judgment [in our lives] which He does via “the line of Samaria” and “the plummet of the house of Ahab.” It is the experience of “evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it” that we are looking at again, learning more deeply what these words mean for us today in Isaiah 45:7 via events that were written for our admonition (1Th 5:20) upon whom the ends of the ages are come (1Pe 1:12, 1Co 10:11)

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, (2Co 4:15) which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, (2Co 4:15) upon whom the ends of the world are come.

2Ki 21:13  And I [the LORD God of Israel] will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.
2Ki 21:14  And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; 
2Ki 21:15  Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day. 

The two other times we see the word “plummet” used in the bible are found in Isaiah 28:16-17 and Zechariah 4:10. Both verses express how God will judge His people through Christ who is typified by “the hand of Zerubbabel” in Zechariah 4:10 and “a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” speaking of Christ in Isaiah 28:16-17. His function as our high priest is described as one who knows how to destroy the hidden sin of our life using that plummet which represents God’s word he will lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet so that “the hail [God’s word] shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place” (Psa 19:12-14).

Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; [the body of Christ] they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth [Jer 22:29] .

Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Psa 19:12  Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. [“the hiding place“ of Isa 28:17]
Psa 19:13  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. [Heb 6:4-6, Heb 10:26]
Psa 19:14  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. 

In these verses (2Ki 21:13-15) it sounds like God is simply done with ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘the remnant of mine inheritance’ and cut it off completely as He did with “the house of Ahab” [2Ki 9:8], but it is the necessary experience of evil we must go through that separates us from God so we are brought to our wits’ end and cry out to him for deliverance. It is the flesh and bones of Christ’s body, the church (Eph 5:30), that “despised the day of small things” having to go where we don’t want to go by God’s hand, experiencing His correction which is never pleasant when you’re going through it (Psa 22:1, Mat 27:46, Joh 21:18, Heb 12:11), but it must happen (Heb 12:8) so that the desired effect will be achieved by our LORD who will “stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down” which will lead to our rejoicing in Him for these wonderful works to the children of men (Psa 107:31). Wiping a dish and turning it upside down are symbols of the actions that God must take against our sinful flesh in order for us to come to our senses and see our need for God’s continual cleansing through “the righteous judgment of God” (Rom 2:5). He turns our world upside down as often as He needs to (Rom 2:4) and uses our own iniquities represented by “the line of Samaria” and “the house of Ahab” to accomplish this (Jer 2:19).

Psa 22:1  To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

God will not forsake His remnant, but He will forsake the first man Adam part of our existence that cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50, Mal 4:1), so when we read “I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies“, it is speaking again of God giving us over to our own sinful condition for an appointed time until we are delivered and are no longer “a prey and a spoil to all their enemies.” That does not sound logical to the law of sin in our members (Rom 7:23) that contends with the way God does things, causing us to err (Isa 63:17) and bringing us to our wits’ end so that we cry out, and yet it is through the trials and the storms of this life that we begin to cease from sinning (1Pe 4:1-2) and eventually stop asking God why did you form me this way? God delivers us, and a new spirit is given to us so that in the end we rejoice in how our Creator does things, as He brings us to our safe haven, Jesus Christ. “Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven” (Rom 9:19-21, Psa 51:1-3, Psa 107:28-30, Psa 62:7-8).

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 
Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 

Psa 51:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

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 62:7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 
Psa 62:8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Why does God chasten and scourge us? “Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.” He does so because He loves us and receives us through this process if we are His sons in this age (Heb 12:6). Enduring His wrath upon our old man is a miracle in itself that requires the life and strength and faith of Christ within us to do so (Gal 2:20, Php 4:13), and it is that suffering we go through which makes it possible for us to be of service to God, both now and Lord willing, if we endure to the end as the bride of Christ who will be made ready (2Ti 2:12-14, Rev 19:7-8).

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: [Php 2:12-13] 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. 
Gal 2:21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law [Rom 7:23], then Christ is dead in vain.

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer (Gal 2:20), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself [he cannot deny his own body (Eph 5:30, Mar 14:72, Rom 7:24-25, Php 2:12-13)].

Mar 14:72  And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept [the twice and thrice add up to 5, reminding us how Christ will not deny Himself of this work of grace through faith toward those who are bound to the altar (Psa 118:27)].

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

2Ki 21:16  Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. 
2Ki 21:17  Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 
2Ki 21:18  And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza^H5798: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

“Till he had” is telling us that degree to which we have been in bondage to the powers and principalities in our heavens without Christ, being overcome and held in bondage by the man of sin represented by Manasseh who is revealed in our life at the appointed time (2Th 2:5-7). That man of sin within us “fill[s] Jerusalem from one end to another; (Luk 11:50-51). It speaks to how sin has to come to that place of being filled up in our lives (Gen 15:16) until we are brought to our wits’ end and fed up with sin, like the prodigal son who was brought to see his need for our Father’s provision found only through Christ (Luk 15:17). Only then can we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ through a lifetime of laying down our lives as servants of righteousness in our Father’s home (Luk 15:17-18) being no longer servants to sin (Col 1:24, Rom 6:18-20, Rom 6:14).

Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 
Rom 6:19  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
Rom 6:20  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 

“The rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?” was written as a witness to the depths of what our flesh is capable of doing without Christ staying the hand of the devil and our not being given to be strengthened through Christ.

The place where our old man ends up is expressed with this verse “And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza^H5798: and Amon his son reigned in his stead”. There is no inheritance found in Christ for those who are only given to operate in their own strength, “in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza^H5798” (Php 3:9), where what we grow in this life comes from our own strength and is not the blessed treasure that is laid up in heaven by God through Christ in the life of His kind of first fruits who are given that increase by God (Mat 6:20, 1Co 3:6). Amon is the heritage of Manasseh, who represents the next generation of sinful behaviour that is going to continue to wax on as long as we continue to rely on our own strength and not rest in the Lord Jesus Christ (Lev 25:4).

H5798‛ûzzâ’    ‛ûzzâh ooz-zaw’, ooz-zaw’

Feminine of H5797; strength; Uzza or Uzzah, the name of five Israelites: – Uzza, Uzzah.

Total KJV occurrences: 14

Lev 25:4  But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, (Eph 2:8, Heb 4:11) a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 

2Ki 21:19  Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 
2Ki 21:20  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. 
2Ki 21:21  And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: 
2Ki 21:22  And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD. 

The next king of Judah is Amon, who is very much like Manasseh. His reign began at “twenty and two years old” and “he reigned two years in Jerusalem“. He did “evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did” and so the witness [2] of beginning his reign at 22 and ruling for that short two-year reign is a witness of the evil and corrupt pattern that had been established through Manasseh’s reign and passed on to his son who (1Co 15:33-34) “did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.“

1Co 15:33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1Co 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

2Ki 21:23  And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house. 
2Ki 21:24  And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

The death of Amon coming from his own servants who slew the king in his own house, reminds us how evil this anointed king was, whose own iniquities would chasten him to the point of death, iniquities symbolized by his own servants who slew him in his own house, his own temple (1Co 3:16) where that iniquity abided (Jer 2:19). 

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

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

There is change coming, however, as the people of the land know how egregious it is before God to touch His anointed king, and so they do the right thing by taking vengeance on all those who conspired against Amon (1Ch 16:22, Psa 105:15). These actions made way for “the people of the land”  to make “Josiah his son king in his stead” who would be a just king.

1Ch 16:22  Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. 

Psa 105:15  Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. 

2Ki 21:25  Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2Ki 21:26  And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

2Ki 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. 
2Ki 22:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. 

As mentioned earlier “Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza^H5798: and Amon his son reigned in his stead”. Amon’s fate was no different than that of his dad Manasseh who was “buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead“. 

It takes the final destruction of these two evil kings [Manasseh and Amon] witnessing to the sin in our own members, to bring about the new king Josiah who would walk “in all the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left” (2Ki 22:2).

Josiah’s reign was for thirty-one years in Jerusalem, and he was eight years old when he began to reign. The eight year old commencement date symbolizes the typical new man [8] who was going to be on display with this just king, and his reigning thirty-one years in Jerusalem can be seen as a positive number as well if we consider that the number 3 is connected to the process of judgment that must be upon anyone who is going to be a good ruler, and the [1] which reminds us that it is the Lord alone who can change our stony hearts and make it possible for us to become His servants who are “sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” through that process of judgment (2Ti 2:21). 

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

That process is painful, as the title of this study “The line and the plummet“, reveals. It requires judgment and much tribulation through this life (Act 14:22, Heb 11:26), and yet the fruit that will be borne out of that suffering and the ultimate joyous liberty (Rom 8:21) of being changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, will far outweigh anything we have to go through in this life (Rom 8:18, 1Co 15:52, Joh 16:21).

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ [“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow“] greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 

Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

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. 

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Joh 16:21  A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

2Ki 19:20-37  Save us out of his hand that all may know that you are God alone – Part 2

[Study Aired March 9, 2023]

2Ki 19:20  Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
2Ki 19:21  This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
2Ki 19:22  Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
2Ki 19:23  By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.
2Ki 19:24  I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.
2Ki 19:25  Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.
2Ki 19:26  Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
2Ki 19:27  But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
2Ki 19:28  Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
2Ki 19:29  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.
2Ki 19:30  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
2Ki 19:31  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
2Ki 19:32  Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
2Ki 19:33  By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
2Ki 19:34  For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
2Ki 19:35  And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
2Ki 19:36  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
2Ki 19:37  And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

The last verse we looked at last week was (Ki 19:19) Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

In this section of Kings (2Ki 19:20-37) we will learn how God answers this prayer of Hezekiah who typifies the elect who cry out to God day and night wanting to be avenged for the blood of the saints that has been spilt out over the years (Rev 6:10, Hab 2:3, Heb 10:37).

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence (Php 1:6), which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Rev 6:10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Hezekiah’s prayer is symbolic of how we sign and cry for the abominations of this world and are heard because of our fear and reverence toward God (Heb 5:7) that he has caused in us through the fiery trials of this life that make it possible for us to be received of God (Eze 9:4, 1Pe 4:12, Heb 12:6).

2Ki 19:20  Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
2Ki 19:21  This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

The “LORD God of Israel” hears our prayers and answers them “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph 3:20) when we are brought to that place of being abased as Hezekiah was (Mat 23:12, Jas 4:6, the prayer of untried faith does not receive anything from God Jas 1:5-8).

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Mat 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering [tried faith 1Pe 1:7]. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed [and he that is not driven by the flesh, less and less is like a sea of glass mingled with fire (Rev 4:6) ].
Jas 1:7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Hezekiah is a type of the church being called “The virgin the daughter of Zion” and is the way God sees the bride of Christ now through our Lord (2Co 11:2, Rev 19:7, Rev 3:4)

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to 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.

Christ alone is able to “make thine enemies thy footstool” and make us worthy (Mat 22:44) by setting us free from sin (Joh 8:36) as our sins typified by Sennacherib’s are laughed to scorn, “laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee“. This life long process of becoming stedfastly confident and more than a conqueror through Christ is promised to God’s elect who in time become persuaded of God’s faithfulness and power, something that is achieved through a process of having our faith tried repeatedly through this life (Rom 8:38, Act 14:22).

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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

We shake our heads in dismay at our former conversation in this world (Eph 2:2) as Hezekiah did for ever having tried to make some sort of deal with Sennacherib “the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee“. We thank God for the mercy that he has shown to us as a kind of first fruits who are being given the power to put off that former conversation little and by little as God gives us victory or growth in our heavens through Christ the vine, who God’s first fruits are hoping in and seeking (Rom 11:30-31, Jer 29:13, Mat 6:33).

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

2Ki 19:22  Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

Sennacherib’s reproach and blasphemy against the nation of  Judah was “even against the Holy One of Israel” and God is showing us that same principle that we find in (Act 9:4-5) that tells us that when we do it unto the least of these we do it unto Christ himself whether good or bad (Mat 25:40).

Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

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.

2Ki 19:23  By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his bordersH7093, and into the forest of his Carmel.
2Ki 19:24  I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt.

The words “With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains” of  Sennacherib is symbollic of how sin wants to rule over us because it is at the door of our hearts, but we will rule over it through Christ who is the mountain that we look to for deliverance from our enemies within and without (Gen 4:7, Psa 121:1).

What Satan wants to attack specifically in our lives is symbolized by this sentence “to the sides of (Lebanon – whiteness), and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his (Carmel – fruitful field)”. Satan’s goal is to always try to defile the temple of God and destroy the fruitful field of our life by corrupting it with lies (Mat 13:27-30). Cutting down “cedar trees” , and “choice fir trees” is referring to men who are as trees (Mar 8:24) that are cut down and sifted by the wicked one to become proselytes, twofold more the child of hell than yourselves (Mat 23:15). Entering into the “lodgings of his borders H7093” is referring to the extremities of the land and symbolizes for us how Satan like a roaring lion tries to cut us off in the area of our land [our bodies] where we are the weakest. We counter these attacks by humbling ourselves under His mighty hand, as we cast all our cares upon him, and look well to the flock to protect it against all such attacks, the strong bearing the weak (1Pe 5:6-9, Heb 13:17 CLV, Rom 15:1).

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

borders H7093 qêts kates  Contracted from H7112; an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after: –  + after, (utmost) border, end, [in-] finite, X process.

Isaiah’s recounting of Sennacherib’s boastful claim in his flesh with these words “I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt” further demonstrating the mind of a man being controlled by the man of perdition on the throne of his heart, whose idols within that perverted heart have been answered by those things which he has accomplished in the earth “I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt“.

2Ki 19:25  Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.
2Ki 19:26  Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

Sennacherib is God’s sword who was given those victories in his flesh (Psa 17:13), and it is God who has ordained the things that have been determined from the foundation of the world according to the counsel of His will.

Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

2Ki 19:24  I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt.

Isaiah goes on to declare what God wants Hezekiah to hear in regards to Sennacherib “Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it?” in regard to Sennacherib’s boastful claim that “I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places“. In other words we don’t have free moral agency and God is the one who has formed the light and the darkness, and the peace and the evil (Isa 45:7), and “Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up“. These were the conditions that God created to his glory and reminds us of through the prophet Isaiah’s message to Hezekiah.

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

2Ki 19:27  But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

The Lord continues to drive this point home of His sovereignty to the proud and arrogant Sennacherib within “But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me“. These words spoken about Sennacherib cannot be heeded as he represents our old man of sin that must be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming (2Th 2:8). The verses in (Rev 2:12-13) are words for God’s people today that bare some similarity and also remind us that God is sovereign and knows our works and where our abode is and that we can through the mind of Christ, be granted to read hear and keep the sayings of this prophecy (Rev 1:3). The admonition found in (Rev 2:14) explains what it is that must be burnt out of our heavens and will be as the bride of Christ who God is going to make ready (Rev 19:7).

Rev 2:12  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Rev 2:13  I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Rev 2:14  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

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.

2Ki 19:28  Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9), however it is known and not hidden from God as revealed with these words “to” Sennacherib, “Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears“. The way in which God will deal with that first corrupt nature that is within us is typified by what will happen to Sennacherib, described with these words “therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest“. Sennacherib is going to reap what he sows, and like Satan he will be bound “by the way which thou camest” (Rev 9:2, Rev 9:11, Rev 20:3) until the day of his judgement when his old nature will be destroyed in the lake of fire (Rev_20:10).

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

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.

Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Sennacherib’s death will come by his own sons, his own household that will prove to be a house divided as Satan is (2Ki 19:37). A hook and a bridle in these very sensitive areas of one’s face reveals that God is in complete control of the beast seen here as Sennacherib who He has caused to err by going up against Hezekiah, and the nation of Judah (Isa 63:17). Going “by the way which thou camest” is reflective of the unchanged pattern in the heart of Sennacherib, unlike the true prophets of God who do not go back the same way, symbolizing the growth and the increase that God gives to his people (1Ki 13:17).

1Ki 13:17  For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

2Ki 19:29  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.
2Ki 19:30  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
2Ki 19:31  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

These three verses are in contrast with the old man and the new man, the old man that must decrease through a process of judgement described in (2Ki 19:29) along with the new man typified by Judah who must increase (Joh 3:30-31) and “yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward” in.

Things that we eat that “grow of themselves” represent the way that seems right to us but lead to death (Pro 14:12). That is the time in our life when we don’t understand God’s sovereignty over all things, or know of it but lack the faith to trust in it (Joh 21:18, Mar 9:23-24).

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

Joh 21:18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest:[Pro 14:12] but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. [Rom 15:1]

Mar 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. [Rom 3:27]

The second year we eat that which “springeth of the same” witnessing to us that because we are accustomed to doing evil we will continue on in our deception without God changing us (Jer 13:23). The third year represents that part of the process of judgement in Sennacherib’s life where the word of God comes to him symbolized by vineyards. God’s judgements are in the earth of Sennacherib “and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof” (Isa 26:9) however he will only learn righteousness in the lake of fire, when the “fruits thereof” that he has digested become purified at that time (Joh 12:48, Mat 12:37).

Jer 13:23  Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Mat 12:37  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

It is through the process of judgement that is described as “a sign unto thee” to Sennacherib that we can go unto perfection on the third day God permitting, and it is very few who are granted that deliverance in this life from the man of perdition on the throne of our hearts (2Th 2:8) a deliverance typified by this statement “And the remnant (Rom 11:5) that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward“. Sennacherib represents our old man who cannot inherit the kingdom of God and yet his experience of evil (Ecc 1:13) is necessary as is ours in order to bring us unto perfection Lord willing in the first resurrection.

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:

Ecc 1:13  And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Those few, the remnant “that escape” represent the bride of Christ who is made ready by the zeal of the Lord “ For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this” (Rev 19:7, Joh 2:17).

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him:(“the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this“) for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Joh 2:17  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

2Ki 19:32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
2Ki 19:33  By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
2Ki 19:34  For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

Two things are being expressed here, one that the gates of hell will not prevail against the body of Christ (Mat 16:18), those gates being represented by the king of Assyria who shoots arrows [false doctrines] that represents all the fiery darts of the devil that the faith of Christ within God’s elect will quench (Eph 6:16). He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1Jn 4:4) is what we are being told in symbolic language and “He shall not come into this city” means that sin will no longer dominate God’s elect (Rom 6:14, Tit 2:11-12) who will go unto perfection, learning that no weapon formed against God’s people will prevail because God tells his little flock “I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake (who typifies Christ)” (Isa 54:17, Luk 12:32). Like the previous mentioned point when someone goes “By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD” it represents that this person was not ordained to go unto perfection in this life, but rather to go back to the same path that leads to death (Heb 6:1-6).

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

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

2Ki 19:35  And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

185,000 people smote by the angel of the LORD is a symbollic number that explains how the day of the Lord 1 will bring about the new man 8 by way of grace through faith 5.

It is “early in the morning” that we discover life comes out of death, and that a seed must die in order for life to come forth (Joh 12:24). That life, for those who are granted it today, is the life of Christ which enables us to die daily and be dead to sin and alive in Him (Gal 2:20).

Mat 20:1  For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. [we are hired of Christ and Lord willing labour in the eleventh hour]

Mar 16:2  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

Luk 21:38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

Luk 24:1  Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

Joh 8:2  And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

Act 5:21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

2Ki 19:36  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
2Ki 19:37  And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that AdrammelechH152 and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

After this devastating defeat of Sennacherib’s army, you would think there would be some humility and brokenness of spirit in him, but because he represents our man of sin no such contriteness is found, and  “So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh“, continuing in his idolatrous ways of “worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god“. His two sons Adrammelech who was named after an Assyrian idol and Sharezer whose name means “prince of fire” “smote him with the sword” and “they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead“, telling us that sin persists, and that although Satan’s house is divided against itself it continues to flourish regardless of the severity of God’s correction (Rev 16:21). That is the pattern of waxing worse and worse that is unfolding in this present age and God is the one who softens or causes hearts to be hardened which is the overarching lesson of this study that teaches us of His sovereignty over light and darkness and over good and evil (Rom 11:22, Isa 45:7).

Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

In the end Hezekiah is delivered from Sennacherib and all of his forces, and all these things happened unto them for our sakes upon whom the end of the ages is come (1Co 10:11), that demonstrate the mercy that God shows to his elect first (Rom 11:31-32) in this life so that all of God’s creation can one day come to know this truth “Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee,(Heb 5:7) save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only“(2Ki 19:19).

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

2Ki 4:38-44 “For thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.”

[Study Aired September 8, 2022]

2Ki 4:38  And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 
2Ki 4:39  And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.
2Ki 4:40  So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
2Ki 4:41  But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.
2Ki 4:42  And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 
2Ki 4:43  And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
2Ki 4:44  So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

This last section of the fourth chapter of 2 Kings looks at another parable that helps us understand how God provides for all our physical and spiritual needs which are met through Christ (Php 4:19). The primary lesson is that the physical provision is not to become an idol of our hearts but rather a reminder that God knows what we need, and the natural provision reveals the spiritual (Rom 1:20). That spiritual provision makes it possible for us to grow in faith and in appreciation of how He miraculously provides all we need through what each joint supplies in love via the body of Christ, until we all come in the unity of the faith via that blessed increase that comes through the vine by way of the Father (Eph 4:16, 1Co 3:6). Christ works through the branches giving us the power to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, and Christ is directed by our Father who gives that increase through the body both to will and to do of His, the Father’s, good pleasure which is to give us the kingdom (Php 2:12-13, Luk 12:32).

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase [spiritual provision].

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

These verses below help us understand what God’s spiritual provision is all about. With them in mind we can look at the last few verses of this section of Kings and be reminded of how God worked with a longsuffering spirit with the prophets of old who represent the patience and faith of the saints being accomplished in God’s workmanship which we are today (Psa 132:15-16, Jer 15:11, Jer 15:20-21, Zep 3:13, Zec 8:12, Eph 2:7, Php 4:6-7, Heb 13:20-21)

Psa 132:15  I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. 
Psa 132:16  I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

Jer 15:20  And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 
Jer 15:21  And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.

Zep 3:12  I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD. 
Zep 3:13  The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

Zec 8:12  For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  

Heb 13:20  Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 
Heb 13:21  Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2Ki 4:38  And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

Gigal^H1537 is defined by BDB as “a wheel, rolling” and that wheel represents the “wheel in the middle of a wheel” within the body of Christ found in (Eze 1:16-17, Joh 14:20) where God is showing us how we are connected as a many-membered body through Christ (1Co 12:12, Col 1:27) experiencing in this life how all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose because of that middle wheel, our hope of glory within (Rom 8:28.

H1537 gilgâl ghil-gawl’    BDB: Gilgal = “a wheel, rolling”

The same as H1536 (with the article as a properly noun); Gilgal, the name of three places in Palestine: – Gilgal. See also H1019. Total KJV occurrences: 41

Eze 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 
Eze 1:17  When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Again it is at that day (Joh 14:20) through Elisha, who typifies Christ, that we learn of this relationship granted to the “sons of the prophets” who typify the elect of God (Jas 5:10, Rev 14:12). What it is that God gives those sons is described as being given through the servant who is given instruction on how to serve the rest, just as we are learning how to serve one another in the body of Christ.

Jas 5:10  Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Elisha’s servant is told, “Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.” This food is needed because there is “a dearth in the land” meaning that our life goes through periods of spiritual dearth, but God is faithful to those who are called according to His purpose of election to bring Christ to us and to feed us with spiritual food that is convenient for us and given in due season. Christ is the faithful and true witness within us (Rev 3:14) who makes that provision through the church (Eph 3:10-11) and so the proverb reads, “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die.” Christ will not deny Himself, His own body which we are, and will be victorious through the church (Mat 16:18) that He is blessing by answering this prayer, “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me.” (Mat 24:45-46, Pro 30:7-9, 2Ti 2:13)

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

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

Mat 24:45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? [Joh 21:15-17]
Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Joh 21:15  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
Joh 21:16  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Joh 21:17  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Pro 30:7  Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 
Pro 30:8  Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: [Joh 21:15-17]
Pro 30:9  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

2Ki 4:39  And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.

This verse reminds us in the early stages of our walk what it is that we gather as the elect of God who have been ordained to be a kind of first fruits from the foundation of the world. We gather herbs in “the field” which represents the world, and we find a wild vine which represents the church in the wilderness that we come out of to become part of the true vine into which we’re grafted (Joh 15:5). The wild gourds^H6498 [wild vine] are a symbol of faith that is untried (or food that is uncooked) and not yet been “shred” in a seething pot, symbols of the fiery trials and judgments brought into our lives (1Pe 4:12) to refine us (Zec 13:9).

H6498   paqqû‛âh   pak-koo-aw’

From the same as H6497; the wild cucumber (from splitting open to shed its seeds): – gourd.

Total KJV occurrences: 1

H6497  peqa‛   peh’-kah

From an unused root meaning to burst; only used as an architectural term of an ornament similar to H6498, a semi-globe: – knop.

Total KJV occurrences: 3:  1Ki_6:18, 1Ki_7:24 (2)

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: 

Zec 13:9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Mat 13:32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

The knowledge is indeed Christ’s while yet still in Babylon, symbolized by the herbs and the wild gourds and wild vine, still wild and not yet prepared, like John the Baptist who was preparing the way for Christ with wild honey and locust (Isa 40:3, Mat 3:1-3). All of these food types are instructive for the new Christian, and it will be in the proper preparation and enduring through the process of maturing over time that we will be able to be strengthened with these foods to then partake of the stronger meat spoken of in Hebrews 5 (Heb 5:13-14, Joh 8:31-32).

Mat 3:1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 
Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
Mat 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 

Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

2Ki 4:40  So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
2Ki 4:41  But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

Until we’re granted to bring the meal^H7058 that represents our presenting our life to God as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1-2), the word of God, which is represented by the food within the pot, will not be able to be digested and taken in to nourish our new man and destroy our old man. We can only “pour out for the people” after we are strengthened through Christ to present our lives a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service to God (Rom 12:1).

H7058  qemach keh’-makh  From an unused root probably meaning to grind; flour: – flour, meal. Total KJV occurrences: 14

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.

This action of bringing meal to the “great pot” is typical of what happens when we “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom” (Luk 6:38). We can’t see clearly how all these ingredients put into the pot are going to work together for the good, but God calls us to trust Him through our trials and much tribulation through which He will deliver us, which will result in our seeing all men “give into your bosom” (Rom 8:28-31, 2Ti 1:9, Jas 1:12).

Luk 6:38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 
Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 
Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 

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

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

2Ki 4:42  And there came a man from Baalshalisha^H1190, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

There came a man from “Baalshalisha^H1190“, which is interpreted “thrice-great lord”, who brought two gifts which represent the word of God that is given to us in due season and nourishes us that we may eat (Jas 1:17-18, Joh 6:51, 1Co 10:16). Notice that the food, which represents the word of God, comes from a pagan culture in “Baalshalisha”^H1190 because in God’s eyes we are gentiles and pagan when we have God’s gold, and silver and precious jewels, which are symbols of His word, wrapped around the idol of our hearts and claim ourselves to be spiritual Jews when we are not (Eze 14:3, Rev 3:9). It takes our coming out of “Baalshalisha”^H1190 and being dragged to Christ, who is typified by Elisha (Joh 6:44), to have that word purified in our lives so those idols are destroyed.

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 
Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? 

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

H1190  BDB Definition: Baal-shalisha = “thrice-great lord”

1) a place in Ephraim near Gilgal
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H1168 and H8031

God’s provision is being described for the elect now with these physical food sources that represent Christ and His Christ and the word of God that sustains us. What is our communion but the body and blood of Christ (1Co 10:16), and we receive this nourishment through the church where “the man of God” (Eph 3:10) is provided with “bread of the firstfruits” (Jas 1:18),”twenty loaves of barley“, which represents the witness of Christ’s undefiled truth we are blessed to be nourished with via the true bread of life who was broken for us. Elisha tells the servant to “Give unto the people, that they may eat” as Christ does for us (Exo 9:31, Isa 53:4, Luk 22:19, Mar 14:22).

Exo 9:31  And the flax and the barley was smitten [Isa 42:3]: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. 

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Mar 14:22  And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

Christ’s body, which is the church, is represented by the “full ears of corn in the husks thereof” that are sustained through Christ and blessed to mature to that point so that they can be used to nourish the nations one day with God’s judgments, his words in the earth that will bring healing (Gen 27:37, Psa 107:20).

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

Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

I’ve taken this excerpt from Mike’s Revelation Series –  Revelation 1:5 – Part 2 – which explains that when we die daily and reckon ourselves buried into Christ’s baptism, we in turn become as that first holy seed (1Jn 4:17) that died and fell into the ground and brought forth much fruit, Jesus Christ (Joh 12:24, Rom 5:17). The first fruits are not just a kind of first fruits. We are also those who have become a holy seed through Jesus Christ Who will be used to populate the world with truth and be given the power through God’s holy spirit to judge the nations in the great white throne judgment so that they can be purified and made one with the body of Christ and our head Jesus Christ.

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.

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Rom 5:17  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

*** Excerpt: 

So we are actually told to “reckon ourselves” both dead with Christ, and yet living “in newness of life” in Christ. But are we actually counted as firstfruits from the dead, as Christ is?

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The wave sheaf of barley, at the days of unleavened bread, immediately after the Passover, was the first of the firstfruits. However, fifty days later was another festival which was called Pentecost. Pentecost was also called “the feast of firstfruits,” because we, the church which was established on Pentecost, was to be “a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

Rev 14:4  These [144,000] are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Lev 23:10  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Lev 23:11  And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

“The sheaf of the firstfruits” at Passover, is Christ Himself. The feast of firstfruits, fifty days later, at Pentecost, typifies Christ’s Christ, the church.

Lev 23:15  And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Lev 23:16  Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; [they are] the firstfruits unto the LORD.

Exo 34:18  The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

Exo 34:22  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks [Pentecost], of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.
Exo 34:23  Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. [Pentecost is called “the feast of firstfruits”.]

“Thrice [three times] in the year…” are the feast of unleavened bread [passover], the feast of weeks [Pentecost], and the feast of ingathering [tabernacles] at the year’s end. These three seasons typify the three seasons of God’s judgments and His harvest of mankind. They are the first, the barley harvest in the spring, which typifies Christ, the first of the firstfruits; the second, the wheat harvest in the summer, the judgment which is on the house of God; and third, the grape harvest in the fall, when all men are raised up from among the dead and are judged and cleansed in the white throne judgment, lake of fire.

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

So while our Head certainly does have the preeminence in all things, we are still “as he is… the first begotten of the dead and the firstfruits of them that slept.

*** End Quote

2Ki 4:43  And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
2Ki 4:44  So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

Our time of need is now in these marred clay vessels of flesh witnessed by “an hundred men” – ten representing the flesh (10×10). The servant provided spiritual meat in due season and “set it before them” and they did eat, because it was all done “according to the word of the LORD“. Elisha’s servant lacks the faith and is typical of us saying ‘Lord help me in my unbelief’, and Elisha, who typifies our Lord, helps his servant accomplish what seems impossible to his flesh:

2Ki 4:43 He asked: »How am I to feed a hundred hungry men with this?« Elisha replied: »Give it to them to eat, because Jehovah says that they will eat and still have some left over.« [Mat 14:20]
2Ki 4:44 So the servant set the food before them. Just as Jehovah said, they ate and had some left over. (NSB – New Simplified Bible version)

It is when things are done “according to the word of the LORD” that we will be properly nourished, not thinking above what is written (1Co 4:6), and believing that there is safety in a multitude of counselors (Pro 11:14, Pro 24:6). It takes becoming like children (Mat 18:3) in order to receive the word of God in due season, and God is humbling our old man for that express purpose of overcoming all the sins of the world within us so that we can fulfill the will of God in this life as His servitors to one another (1Jn 2:16-17, Gal 6:2).

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

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. 

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 

We are called to “give the people, that they may eat“, meaning we are called to ‘feed my lambs, and feed my sheep’, and are assured of God that if we seek Him with all our hearts and minds and souls (Mat 22:37-40) that this promise of provision of His word which nourishes us will always be supplied, “for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.“

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.