Good Morning,

Could you explain to me about the symbolic number of 1,000? How is it determined that the millennium isn’t a literal 1,000 years? This may help me understand many other scriptures which are very obviously metaphoric/symbolic.

Thank you very much, R____

Hello, R____,

Your question is two-fold:  1) “Could you explain to me about the symbolic number of 1,000?”, and  2) “How is it determined that it isn’t a literal 1,000 years?”

I am including a link to our study of the number ten, which is the multiplier of the number 1000. All large numbers are but multiples of their smaller multipliers and are integrally linked to and simply amplify their multiplier. The multiplier for the number 1000 is 10 to the third power; 10X10X10 =1000. The fact that 1000 is ten to the third power connects 1000 with the concept of the process of being judged, which is the spiritual significance of the number three. So in answer to the first part of your question, here are the URLs to the studies on those two numbers, 10 and 3:

Number Ten and
Number Three – Process of Spiritual Completion

Here is the direct answer to the second part of your question, “How is it determined that it isn’t a literal 1,000 years?” It is found in the very first verse of the first chapter of this book:

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

So the entire “revelation of Jesus Christ” is “signified” by all the signs, symbols, types and shadows found throughout this book, with their significance being revealed throughout the scriptures.

Here is the definition of the Greek word here translated as “signified”:

G4591
σημαίνω
sēmainō
say-mah’ee-no
From σῆμα sēma (a mark; of uncertain derivation); to indicate: – signify.

A stop ‘sign’ stops nothing. It is the brakes on our cars that stop our cars. But the ‘stop sign’ indicates where we are to stop.

The very same Greek word is used two times to give us a “sign”, an indication of how Christ was to die for our sins:

Joh 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Joh 12:33  This he said, signifying what death he should die.

Joh 18:31  Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:
Joh 18:32  That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.

It is the same Greek word used to signify “by what death [Peter] should glorify God”:

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.
Joh 21:18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
Joh 21:19  This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

Christ used the words “lifted up from the earth” to signify, or indicate, His own crucifixion. He used the words “Carry you where you would not” to signify “by what death [Peter] should glorify God”. There is nothing specific about how either would be accomplished. The words “lifted up from the earth” give us none of the details of how Christ was to die or even that He was referring to His death. If the next sentence were not added, we would never have known for certain what it was Christ was “signifying” with these words:

Joh 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Joh 12:33  This he said, signifying what death he should die.

So we are informed in the first verse of the Book of Revelation that this book is a book of signs and symbols. If we  are consistent, then we must acknowledge that the number 1,000 is just as much a symbol as the number 7 or 12 or 666.

The seven churches with their seven angels signify the complete church just as the seven days signify the time needed to complete the Lord’s creation of His new man who must enter into the Lord’s rest before he is completed (Hebrews 4).

A Biblical example of how the number ‘1000’ is used in scripture is:

Psa 50:10  For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
Psa 50:11  I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

“The cattle on a thousand hills” signifies and indicates that “every beast [and] all fowls” belong to the Lord.

The number 10 signifies corruptible flesh. Flesh in Egypt was chastened by ten plagues. It is ruled over by ten commandments, and all flesh being brought to judgment is signified by the symbol of ten times ten times ten… “a thousand years”:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
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.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection : on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

At the end of that symbolic time of being judged and ruled over by the Lord’s very elect, while the adversary, the devil, is restrained with a symbolic “chain” (Rev 20:1), the adversary will be released and the temptation to rebel against the rule of Christ’s elect will be more than anyone alive at that time can resist. They will attempt to literally throw off the rule of God’s elect, signified by the words “encompass the camp of the saints”, and that will be the “occasion” the Lord is seeking to destroy the grip which death has had upon all of mankind from the time of “the first Adam”:

Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

Hos 13:14  I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 

Now the stage is set for the redemption of all men of all time via a judgment which is signified by the words the “great white throne… judgment”. That judgment is also called “the lake of fire/ second death”, and it is administered by Christ and His Christ, who were the first to die and were the first to be resurrected at the beginning of the thousand year reign.

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The Lord loves all of His creation, and when the Lord’s chastening and scourging judgments are in the earth, then men “will learn 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.

The Lord can chasten without judging, as indeed He did His carnal nation and His carnal people throughout the Old Testament. He often chastened Israel, but that chastening simply put down rebellions and was never intended to change the hearts of any of the people of God in the Old Testament. We are told plainly that all the rebellions and all the chastening of the Lord’s physical nation in the Old Testament “was for our admonition”:

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

“The ends of the ages are come… upon [us]”. Later Peter informs us further that not only was all that happened to the people of the Old Testament “for our admonition”, he goes on to let us know:

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

Not only do the angels desire to know what Christ has shown us, but look at the context of 1Peter 1:12:

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

I have been asked how we can say that no one is saved during the thousand years. Is it not true that we “judge the world” during that time? Indeed we do “judge the world… for a thousand years.”

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Yes, we will judge and rule the kingdoms of the world for a thousand years:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
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.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Verse 4 tells us that our thousand-year reign is also a time of “judgment”. Yet no one is saved during this time of judgment.

How can I say that? Here is how we know that no one is saved during the thousand-year reign. Notice that Revelation 20:5 tells us:

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Who makes up “the rest of the dead”? Verses 4-6 make clear who is “living again” and who is excluded from “the rest of the dead”.  Let’s read it again:

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

It is only those who reign with Christ during the thousand years who are excluded from “the rest of the dead”. That is why we are even told:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Only those who “reign with [Christ] a thousand years” are excluded from “the rest of the dead”. As we are told in verse four, these “blessed” few are the first of all men to die to the kingdom of their old man. That is why they are called “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb”:

Rev 14:4  These 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.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

If the Lord’s elect rule over the kingdoms of this world for a thousand years, then it follows that those who live during the thousand-year reign, will be raised up with those who are in the second  group who will die to the kingdom of their old man.  Contrary to the doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus (2Ti 2:17-18), there are two resurrections separated by a symbolic thousand-year reign, as we just read in Revelation 20:1-6 and as Christ reveals in these words:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [G2920: krisis, judgment (Joh 5:29)].

The only reason the first resurrection is not called ‘the resurrection to judgment’ is that those who are in that resurrection are judged “in this present time” as “the house of God” (Rom 8:18, 1Pe 4:17).

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.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God [The “blessed and holy first resurrection“].

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?

Only those who are judged in this life will be in that first resurrection and will reign with Christ. Those who live in the flesh during that thousand-year reign will therefore die and be resurrected with the second group to be raised up from the dead. They are all referred to as “the rest of the dead” and ‘the second death” and “the resurrection of damnation” [Greek: krisis, judgment].

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them [“the rest of the dead”  in verse 5]: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

“The rest of the dead” are any and all of mankind whose names were not in the “book of life” at the time of the first resurrection. All those in the first resurrection were judged in this life and died to their carnal mind and to the kingdom of their old man in this life. They were the first group of all of mankind to be “crucified with Christ [and to] die daily” with Christ. That is why they are promised that “on such the second death has no power”:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

I hope this all helps you to see how this entire book is a book of symbols which “signifies” how Christ is going about bringing all men and all dominions under Himself and into His Father.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

The seven churches of Asia signify the entire church of God and of Christ, and the thousand years symbolize that time when the kingdom of God will rule over all flesh with a rod of iron, culminating in the death of death through the destruction of all flesh by the fiery word of God.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever [the ages of the ages; the thousand years and the lake of fire/second death].

YbitC, Mike

Hi Mr. Vinson,

I understand the book of Revelation is Christ revealing Himself to us within. However, I also understand all scripture has an outward dispensational fulfillment as well.

So my question is, “Will the events of Revelation be manifested outwardly on the physical earth at the climax of this present age/aion?”

Will men be literally scorched by the sun, will the seas and rivers actually turn to blood, will we see huge swarms of locusts, will there be some kind of physical ‘mark’ forced upon the people, will 1/3 of the grass and trees actually be burned up, will there be some charismatic world leader who will gather and unite all the physical nations of this earth? etc.

With all the calamity taking place in the world today, I can’t help but wonder if we are getting near to the end of this age. Thanks for helping me with this. Mike. I appreciate it.

Your brother in Christ,

C____

Hi, C____​,

Thank you for your questions. They provided me with the opportunity to clarify the fact that signs and symbols, types and shadows, are just as applicable to their outward dispensational fulfillment as they are to their inward spiritual fulfillment.

Here are your concerns:

“I understand the book of Revelation is Christ revealing Himself to us within. However, I also understand all scripture has an outward dispensational fulfillment as well.

“So my question is, will the events of Revelation be manifested outwardly on the physical earth at the climax of this present age/aion?

“Will men be literally scorched by the sun, will the seas and rivers actually turn to blood, will we see huge swarms of locusts, will there be some kind of physical ‘mark’ forced upon the people, will 1/3 of the grass and trees actually be burned up, will there be some charismatic world leader who will gather and unite all the physical nations of this earth? etc.  (End Quote)

I will answer your e-mail paragraph by paragraph in the order in which you have written it. Your first statement is:

“I understand the book of Revelation is Christ revealing Himself to us within. However, I also understand all scripture has an outward dispensational fulfillment as well.” (End Quote)

Yes, indeed, the book of Revelation is primarily about Jesus “Christ revealing Himself to us within”, simply because we are plainly told that this prophecy is “the revelation of Jesus Christ” with which we are blessed if we “read… hear… and “keep the things which are written therein”. We are even told that 2000 years ago “the time is at hand” to “read, hear, and keep the things  which are written therein.”

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Rev 1:2  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

You tell me:

“I understand the book of Revelation is Christ revealing Himself to us within. However, I also understand all scripture has an outward dispensational fulfillment as well.”

For that to be true you must have a handle on the concept of this prophecy being “signified” in such a way as to make it applicable at the time it was first penned as well as in every generation since.

Besides being told that we are to “read… hear… and keep those things which are written therein”, we must also acknowledge that the things written therein are all “signified”, and are therefore revealed to us only through signs and symbols, just as is every parable given to us from our Lord… “He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John”.

A movie about end-time events was produced several years ago, entitled ‘Left Behind’. That movie is a sad commentary on the lack of spiritual understanding on the part of many highly regarded Christian leaders and many Christians who attend the churches to whom the teachings of these men appeal today. The writers admit that ‘Left Behind’ is a work of fiction, and at the same time they lead their viewers to believe that it is based upon the scriptures concerning the events which are prophesied to take place “at the appearing of our Lord” by taking the “signified” words of Revelation 11 concerning the “two witnesses” in a completely literal way.

There is no appreciation in this movie for the meaning of the word “signified” which is a very important key to properly understanding this prophecy. That is why it is given to us in the very first verse of this book. The writers of this fiction simply were not given the eyes to see that ‘key’, and instead they go so far in their literal interpretation of this prophecy that they portray the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11 as two literal men endowed with the supernatural ability to breath out literal fire from their mouths, and with that literal fire these two literal men literally kill anyone who literally attempts to hurt them. After all, that is exactly how it is all signified:

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

I must emphasize again, the authors of this work of fiction completely ignore the key to understanding this prophecy which is given to us in the very first verse of the very first chapter of Revelation.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

They also ignore another key to understanding this prophecy which the holy spirit gives us in verse 3 of chapter one:

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

This verse very clearly informs us that at the time of the writing of the book of Revelation “the time [was] at hand [to] read, hear, and keep the things which are written therein”. Yet the entire movie about these two men is cast as an event which has only an end-of-the-age application, and they arbitrarily decide for themselves which parts of this prophecy are literal and which are not. Notice that no one casts the “two witnesses” as literal “olive trees” or literal “candlesticks”:

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

If you are led to do so, you can read the very in-depth commentary on the entire book of Revelation beginning at this link:

The Book of Revelation Introduction/

Christ Himself, speaking of the very same events, also tells us “the time is at hand” for all the events He mentions in Matthew 24 to be lived out by all in whom He is being revealed:

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

“You know summer is near, even at the doors… this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled”. That does not sound like something which will only be fulfilled 2,000 years down the road of time. The need for “these things [to] be fulfilled” is presented to “[that] generation” as “near, even at the door”! It is presented as an immediately urgent event, which must be ‘read, heard and kept, for the time is at hand to do so’ (Rev 1:3).

“My words shall not pass away” tells us that Christ’s words have a quality about them which make them applicable in every generation of mankind, so it can truthfully be said at any time, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

This is verse 34, and the “all these things” of the preceding verses include “the abomination of desolation” which stands in the holy place, as well as “the tribulation” and “the end of the age”. Those events, as well as the deceiving of the whole world, the wars and rumors of wars, the famines, pestilences, and earthquakes and “the end of the age” all took place in “[that] generation” according to our Lord’s own signified words.

In Matthew 24 the disciples asked Christ:

Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign [Greek: sameion, G4592] of thy coming, and of the end of the world? [Greek: aion, G165, age]

In answer to this question Christ gives us what is commonly referred to as “the Olivet prophecy” in which He first warns us:

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Then in answer to this same question He tells us:

Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

For a very good reason, Christ three times warns us against being deceived in this same chapter 24 of Matthew. Here are all three:

Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The reason Christ does this is to let us all know that we will all at first be deceived. We know this is true because He plainly tells us that He speaks to us in parables because none of us are, at first, “given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”. We must all “come out of [Babylon]” before we are given eyes that see and ears that hear:

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 

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.

“Without a parable [Christ] spoke not unto [the multitudes]”, for the express purpose of keeping the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven hidden from the masses of humanity. Everything Christ spoke, He spoke only in parables which “signified” everything He is telling us:

Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
Mat 13:35  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Verse 34 answers all of your questions. Everything Christ spoke, He spoke in parables, signifying what He was telling us. The book of Revelation is not exception to that verse whether we are speaking of its inward spiritual meaning or even if we are speaking of the “outward dispensational fulfillment as well”. Both are “signified” so that we can safely say that the answer to every question you ask is an absolute, No!

So just put a big, No! after each of these your questions in your next paragraph:

“Will men be literally scorched by the sun, [NO!] will the seas and rivers actually turn to blood [NO!], will we see huge swarms of locusts [No! Not doing the things mentioned in Revelation 9], will there be some kind of physical ‘mark’ forced upon the people [No!], will 1/3 of the grass and trees actually be burned up [No!], will there be some charismatic world leader who will gather and unite all the physical nations of this earth? etc.. [No! and No!]

Do not think that in saying they will not be “literally scorched with the sun” in an “outward dispensational fulfillment” that therefore that is no “outward dispensational fulfillment”. The fact is that there will indeed be an outward dispensational fulfillment which is also “signified” with the same words which apply to the inward, spiritual fulfillment.

Being “signified” does not meant they cannot have an outward, physical fulfillment. Here is an example of how a signified prophecy was fulfilled outwardly and dispensationally. Here is how Christ Himself signified the prophecy of His own crucifixion:

Joh 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Joh 12:33  This he said, signifying [Greek: semaino, G4591] what death he should die.

This Greek word ‘semaino‘^G4591 translated here as “signifying”, is the exact same word translated as “signified” in Revelation 1:1, and it is the same Greek root for the word the disciples used in asking Christ for “the sign of [His] coming and the end of the age”:

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [Greek: semaino, G4591] it by his angel unto his servant John:

Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign [Greek: semeion, G4592] of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

There is nothing in the words, “If I be lifted up” which specifies that Christ was speaking of being put to death through crucifixion. Nevertheless, the holy spirit tells us those words “signified what death He should die”, and that prophecy took place at that time, exactly as it had been “signified”.

This very same Greek word is again translated as “signifying” in these verses where Christ is speaking to Peter by the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection from the dead:

Joh 21:18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
Joh 21:19  This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

There is nothing in the words, “When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not” telling us specifically “by what death [Peter] should glorify God”, and yet we are told that is what Christ was telling Peter, and if we have ears to hear, He is also speaking to us “signifying by what death [we] should glorify God” as we offer our own bodies “signified” as “a living sacrifices unto the Lord”.

With this understanding of the meaning of the Greek word ‘semaino‘, translated as ‘signified’ in Revelation 1:1, let’s reword your question to fit the qualifications of Revelation 1:1:

“Will men [in a “signified way] be scorched by the sun [Yes, they will!], will the seas and rivers [in a signified way] turn to blood [Yes, indeed they will!], will we see huge [signified] swarms of locusts [Indeed, we will!], will there be some [signified] ‘mark’ forced upon the people [Indeed, we are born with that “mark of mankind” – Ecc 3:18], will 1/3 of the [signified] grass and trees be burned up [Yes, they are and will be being burned up! – 1Pe 1:24], will there be [a signified] charismatic world leader who will gather and unite all the [signified] nations of this [signified] earth [within you and me]? [Yes, you see him in the  mirror every day! Eph 5:29] etc.

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

1Pe 1:24  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

Eph 5:29  For no [normal] man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

In conclusion to all of your questions, considering that Christ prophesied of His own crucifixion in signified words which came to pass just as He had “signified”, the obvious fact is that signified prophecies are not intended to provide specific details of the event with which they deal. They are instead designed to try our faith and to keep us vigilant, diligent, sober, alert and faithful to the end of our ‘age’.

Here is your last paragraph:

“With all the calamity taking place in the world today I can’t help but wonder if we are getting near to the end of this age.” (End Quote)

I will close by agreeing with you and with the holy spirit and with Christ and with Peter that “the time is at hand, it is near, even at the door, and we must never make the mistake of thinking what we all just naturally will think:

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.
2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

It is my sincere prayer that you and I will “be diligent that [we] may be found of Him in peace without spot and blameless” and never of the spirit which thinks, “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.”

Your brother in Christ, Mike

Isa 32:9-20 Tremble, You Women Who are at Ease - Discussion

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Isa 32:9-20 Tremble, You Women Who Are At Ease

Isa 32:9  Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech.
Isa 32:10  Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.
Isa 32:11  Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.
Isa 32:12  They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
Isa 32:13  Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:
Isa 32:14  Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;
Isa 32:15  Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
Isa 32:16  Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
Isa 32:17  And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
Isa 32:18  And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
Isa 32:19  When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.
Isa 32:20  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

The "Women at ease [and the] careless daughters" of these verses are the same harlot daughters of the great whore out of whom we all come:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
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.

What this means is that we are these "careless daughters", who in our own time think we sit as Christ's queen and will see no sorrow:

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

You and I might think Revelation 18:7 would give pause and concern to every prosperity evangelism minister in the world, but the exact opposite is true. This is how we all feel just before Christ comes into our life and begins to judge and to destroy the kingdom of our old man in this age. So we are admonished:

Isa 32:9  Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. Isa 32:10  Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.

This is where we all have our origins, hearing all the smooth things negating judgment and at the same time putting huge burdens on any who dare to differ with the doctrine of this great whore.

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 doctrines of eternal torment and tithing come to mind as grievous burdens which are laid on the shoulders of millions by men who do nothing for those upon whom they place these burdens. You and I have done this in our own time, and in our own way. A person can tithe to a church for decades, yet when that person is in need those same men who are exacting that tithe are no where to be found. 'Social Security takes care of the fatherless and the widows these days', was what we told the poor stuggling tithe payers who were in need.

Our flesh is just naturally unfaithful to anyone other than ourselves:

Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

We nourish and cherish our own flesh and yet Christ gives Himself for us while we make ourselves "at ease".  So the Lord admonishes us:

Isa 32:11  Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.

The Lord is dragging us all to see our own nakedness because our nakedness is our sins, and we should replace our sins with the clothes of mourning and repentance. This is just another way of telling us that judgment must begin at that house of God:

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?

Isa 32:12  They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

When we are finally brought to see our own self-righteous sins, judgment has then only begun at the house of God.  Breasts, pleasant fields, and the fruitful vine, all provide nourishment, and the lies of Babylon claim to provide that nourishment. However, if the Lord is merciful we are given to see that in reality we are spiritually starving to death. "By little and little" we are shown that everything we ever believed was a lie.

Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

While being judged we come to see that instead of the nourishment of breasts, pleasant fields and the fruitful vine, what we have all along been living on was nothing more than a starvation diet of spiritual "thorns and briers":

Isa 32:13  Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

This realization and this revelation does not happen overnight. It takes months and years for any of us to see that all of our spiritual bread and all of our spiritual water has been tainted with the heresies of Babylon. It is nothing less than spiritual death and resurrection:

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

Christ's death was in an earthen vessel, and His resurrection was to execute judgment. Christ was raised to life as a king and a priest. It is called "the resurrection of life":

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

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.

What these verses are telling us is that if we never come to see that we were once deceived then "[our] sin remains", and like Job, the Lord's wrath remains upon our life.

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

The only way to "His resurrection" is by being the first to be judged in this age and by dying to sin and to the kingdom of our old man in these earthen vessels in this age. Being judged in this age means the complete destruction of the kingdom we have established in our self-righteous carnal mind, which we are beginning to see is "enmity against God" and must die day by day:

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Isa 32:14  Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

It is the lies and deceits of the adversary that appeal to our spiritual wild beast which is our rebellious carnal minds. These lies and false doctrines are the principalities and powers of "the prince of the powers of the air" which are called "a joy of wild asses, a pasture of [the adversary's] flocks".

Jer 13:16  Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Jer 13:17  But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive.
Jer 13:18  Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
Jer 13:19  The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
Jer 13:20  Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

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

Judah and Israel being carried away by the Assyrians and Babylonians typifies our slavery to the doctrines of Babylon. Then, at the appointed time, the Lord begins to deliver us from this terrible captivity by opening our eyes to the blindness and deceit under which we have become enslaved. Then all those powers and principalities, "even the crown of [our] glory" is broken to pieces and crushed to powder and blown away by the Truth, which is the words and doctrines of Christ.

Dan 2:34  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

That "stone" which destroys Nebuchadnezzar's image is "the stumbling stone and Rock of Offense" which has been growing generation by generation since the death and resurrection of Christ. It is symbolized by 144,000 firstfruits unto God and the Lamb, and it is they who will 'become a great mountain and will fill the whole earth". That is as sure as the rising of the sun!

But that same kingdom is growing within us at this time and as the mind of Christ grows within us the darkness and starvation of the pastures and fruitful fields of the adversary and of our carnal minds are transformed into the 'light that comes out of darkness' (2Co 4:6 and 1Pe 2:9), and the starvation of the doctrines of Babylon are replaced by the truly nourishing pastures and fruitful fields of the mind of Christ which fills all those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

"The poor in spirit" and "the meek" are one and the same, and it is "the kingdom of heaven" which inherits "the earth" and "the kingdoms of this world":

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 [God's elect, the poor in spirit], 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 [in Christ], 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.

The Lord Himself explains how the pastures of the wild beasts becomes the pastures of the Lord's flock in these verses:

Isa 42:18  Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.
Isa 42:19  Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD'S servant?

What the Lord is telling us is that until we recognize our blindness we cannot see or understand His words. That is the very meaning of these words:

Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

We have all been there. I thought I was in the only true church for ten years. Why I was in so much 'light' that I was privileged to pay three tithes, attend sabbath services, do no work on the sabbath nor on any of the annual festivals, I could eat only clean meats, I could never mix fabrics, etc. etc. I was so sure my 'light' was truly 'light' because I was at that time keeping the seventh day sabbath. It was Christ's custom to enter into the synagogue on the sabbath, so I must surely be following Him if I did the same thing and made that my custom also:

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

I now see that Luke 4:16 is not the sum of God's Word on the subject of the law of Moses, and the Truth is that what I was sure was 'the Truth' was really nothing less than "great... darkness".

But that blindness was only until the Truth of the spirit finally began to be poured out from on high, and that dark wilderness began to be destroyed and replaced by a truly fruitful field, as 'judgment began at the Lord's house' (1Pe 4:17):

Isa 32:15  Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
Isa 32:16  Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

The pouring out of the spirit is instantly evident, but the evidence of speaking with other languages on Pentecost typifies the fact that we only then begin to understand the meaning behind the words of scripture. The apostles were not spiritual giants on the day of Pentecost. They were given great faith and they were given to heal the lame and to work miracles, but doctrinally they were "yet... babes in Christ", still living under the law for the lawless and disobedient:

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Being converted is not to be understood as the complete revelation of the "many things" which Christ had to show us. The pouring out of the spirit never ends and actually continues all our lives as we are able to bear that light:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

It is in His great mercy that we are not given to understand all of His Word, all at once. The Lord always waits until He has prepared our hearts and minds to be able to receive His fiery words:

1Ch 29:18  O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

Psa 10:17  LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

If our heavenly Father were to give us every truth, which He has prepared to reveal to us, all at once it would have the effect of destroying the wheat with the tares:

Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

"While men slept" tells us that we are not as vigilant as we ought to be, and it shows us that heresies creep in when we least expect them and while we are being careless in our overseeing of the Lord's flock. This can only happen when "men sleep". That is why we are told that all of the ten virgins "slumbered and slept":

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.

The espousal of the bride and the tarrying of the bridegroom take place now while we are still in "earthen vessels". The bridegroom is Christ and He is at this very moment waiting, 'tarrying' until His Father will give the Word to unleash His outward judgments upon this outward world, and give rewards to His firstfruits to rule over the kingdoms of this world:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

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

"The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God" because we are already "espoused to one husband [and we are this very moment being] presented... as a chaste virgin to Christ."

But at "the time of harvest", the tares are the first thing to be gathered together to be burned in the fiery words of Christ. "The harvest" is not the resurrection in "the redemption of the purchased possession" form. 'The harvest' is this time of judgment which begins at the house of God during the down-payment form of the resurrection:

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

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?

It is out of the midst of the righteous that the tares are being gathered and burned up during the time of harvest, which is the time of judgment which takes place in this age if we are the "first to trust in Christ":

Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in [the] Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

"The ungodly and sinner" of whom Peter speaks will appear in "the second death/lake of fire". The 'fire' of that 'lake' is the same 'fire' of which we are told, "the time is come that [the Lord's fiery] judgment must begin at the house of God." That 'fire' is the Words and doctrines of Christ which consumes the tares which are being burned out of our lives in this time of judgment. But those who die in Christ and who die to their old man in this age will not be "hurt of the second death"/lake of fire" which is prepared for all who are not converted from being of their father the devil in this age.

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment [second death/lake of fire]: but the righteous into life eternal.

The lake of fire will effectuate the all in all, bringing life to all who are not part of the first resurrection, but compared to the blessings of the first resurrection those who are "hurt of the second death/lake of fire" are told "Depart from me you cursed in aionian fire prepared for the devil and his angels".

Let's repeat verse 16 and add verse 17:

Isa 32:16  Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
Isa 32:17  And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. [Hebrew: 'olawn' - the aion]

"The work of righteousness and its attendant peace, quietness, are the fruit of the Lord's judgments upon the kingdom of our old man in this life "in the earth":

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.

If we are judged "beginning at the house of God" in this age, then we will be the recipients of His peace and His joy even in the midst of the trials of our faith:

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

The apostle's advice and the spirit inspiring them was and is the same spirit which inspired the Old Testament scriptures:

Isa 32:18  And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

Christ is our dwelling place just as we are His dwelling place. Of course, we are all ultimately in the Father:

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

There can be no place where the Lord's people could possibly "dwell in a peaceable habitation" more than in Christ at His Father's right hand of power. This is how the spirit describes our place with Christ:

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

What does it mean to "gather together in one all things in Christ"? By whom does Christ do this? It certainly cannot be done by those over whom the second death has been given power. Here are they by whom those who are "hurt of the second death" will be brought into the goal of God being "all in all":

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Christ's inheritance is in you and in me. It is manifestly not in those who are cast into the second death/lake of fire, who are "the fullness" of Christ. Rather, it is "the church which is His body which is the fullness of Him that fills all in all." That is "the exceeding greatness of His power toward us" who believe. It is the Lord's own plan to 'put all things under His feet and give Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, which is 'the fullness of Him that fills all in all'. Our calling requires being "given the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him [for] the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and... the exceeding greatness of His power toward us" to be appreciated or even understood!

We cannot understand or appreciate our calling until we acknowledge that our own old man must, in this age, die to his own fleshly desires and even witness the destruction of Babylon within each of us:

Isa 32:19  When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

Here is the positive function of 'hail' in scripture:

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.

Isa 32:20  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

This blessing is placed upon "Ye that sow beside all waters", and when we accept the Biblical definition of the word 'waters' it becomes clear that this verse is telling us the day is coming when God will make clear that He is no respecter of persons and that it is He who is, even now, through His elect "sow[ing] by all waters":

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

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

"Peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" is the same description of from whence come the Lord's elect:

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers [the true Jew] shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

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

These words are our Lord's words, and He is speaking them to a Samaritan Gentile woman, just as He said He would in His first recorded sermon:

Luk 4:24  And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
Luk 4:25  But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luk 4:26  But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Luk 4:27  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Luk 4:28  And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Luk 4:29  And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

The blessing of this last verse of Isaiah 32 is placed upon those who "sow beside all waters" and who are sent to both the Jews and to the Gentiles.

Isa 32:20  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

Notice to whom the Lord was sending a converted 'Saul of Tarsus', the only apostle converted outside of Israel on the road to the Gentile city of Damascus:

Act 9:13  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
Act 9:14  And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
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.

The Lord's elect are "redeemed... to God out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation":

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

It is the Lord's elect who "send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass". Notice what we read just two chapters earlier about these two beasts within us:

Isa 30:22  Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.
Isa 30:23  Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
Isa 30:24  The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
Isa 30:25  And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter [of our old man], when the towers fall.
Isa 30:26  Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

As the apostle Paul points out:

1Co 9:9  For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
1Co 9:10  Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

These words here in Isaiah 30 and 32 are also written for our sakes, and not for oxen and asses. There is no doubt that it is we who will "eat provender which has been winnowed with a shovel and with the fan", and it will be clean, nourishing, spiritual food for those in Christ's "every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" elect.

Next week, as the Lord wills, we will find that "[our own] breath, as fire, [will] devour [us]", because the Lord will "judge [us] out of our own mouth":

Isa 33:1  Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
Isa 33:2  O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Isa 33:3  At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
Isa 33:4  And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.
Isa 33:5  The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
Isa 33:6  And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
Isa 33:7  Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
Isa 33:8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
Isa 33:9  The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.
Isa 33:10  Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.
Isa 33:11  Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
Isa 33:12  And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

Isa 23:13-18 Her Merchandise...Shall Be for Them That Dwell Before The Lord

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Isa 23:13-18 Her Merchandise...  Shall Be For Them That Dwell Before The LORD, To Eat Sufficiently, and For Durable Clothing.

Isa 23:13  Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.
Isa 23:14  Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.
Isa 23:15  And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
Isa 23:16  Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
Isa 23:17  And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.
Isa 23:18  And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

We are continuing our study of the burden of Tyre, which is another way of saying Babylon, and 'Babylon' is Bible-speak for the religions of mankind which are all living in spiritual fornication and in opposition to the doctrines of Christ (Rev 17:-18).  All the religions of this world will be put down when the Lord's elect are given dominion over the kingdoms of this world immediately following the manifestation of the sons of God at the time of the resurrection of the dead in Christ. (Rom 8:18-23, Rev 11:15, Rev 20:1-4)

Isaiah 14 is "a parable against Babylon", and here again in Isaiah 23, in this burden of Tyre, we are again being assured "the LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth"['s religions].

Isa 23:9  The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

I will read the next two verses to bring us to where we stopped in our last study:

Isa 23:10  Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.
Isa 23:11  He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

So we should have absolutely no doubt that it is "the Lord of hosts" who has purposed the fall of Tyre (Babylon) "to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth". As always, we must apply these words proceeding out of the mouth of God to ourselves and the kingdom of our own old man, first and foremost, acknowledging that it is we ourselves, the man of sin, the son of perdition, whom we worship above all others:

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.

While the whole of Tyre and Babylon are looking outward toward the Middle East for a physical temple to be built and for the man of sin to set himself up in that outward temple, the few who know what Christ meant when He told us, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit" know where the true temple of God really is and where the 'man of sin' truly resides:

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.

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The expulsion of this 'man of sin [from] the temple of God' is the 'laying waste' of Tyre in this chapter concerning "the burden of Tyre".

Isa 23:1  The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

Now notice who the Lord uses to destroy Tyre in the very next verse:

Isa 23:13  Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.

Babylon is in "the land of the Chaldeans", and it is Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, whom the Lord uses as His servant to destroy Tyre, a type of Babylon itself.  Notice what we are told of Babylon also: "and he brought it to ruin."

Isa 23:14  Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.

Tyre is the 'strength' of Tarshish, and we find that Tyre within us will have "no house, no entering in" any longer. We are commanded to "come out of her that [we] partake not of her sins and that [we] receive not of her plagues" (Rev 18:4).  When we are given to see the Truth, Christ and His doctrines, at that point the strength of Tyre and Babylon and all of their daughters, like Zidon and Tarshish are very soon "laid waste" and burned up by the fire that is His words of Truth. That is the meaning of these words:

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

1Co 3:13  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

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:

While we are in Babylon we are blinded by God to our own carnal-minded deceived condition. We think "[we] have seen the fire", when the Truth is that the Lord Himself has simply sent us "strong delusion".

Isa 44:16  He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
Isa 44:17  And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This "strong delusion" is described as the healing of a deadly wound which we are given "by a sword".

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

This "all the world" is the same as "the kings of the earth... and the inhabitants of the earth [who] have been made drunk with the wine of [the] fornication" [of the great whore].

Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

We actually come to Christ, listen to His Words, and then, through the influence of the idols of Tyre and Babylon, we tell Christ that His words simply are not necessary to achieve salvation. Peter did just that:

Mar 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mar 8:32  And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
Mar 8:33  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Our "idols" today are "idols of [our] hearts" (Eze 14:1-9). We think they are comforting doctrines. They tell us we should never have to suffer because Christ suffered for us. They tell us we will be raptured away to heaven, and we will avoid all the trials which Christ endured. They tell us that because Christ suffered for us we do not need to suffer with Him. However, it is all a lie, and it serves only to heal the deadly wound which the sword of the word of God had inflicted upon our old man. When the spirit to which Peter succumbed comes to us, we, too, succumb to that spirit and return to being the spiritual harlot we once were. That is the message of our next few verses:

Isa 23:15  And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
Isa 23:16  Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
Isa 23:17  And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

"Tyre shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth". Is this not exactly what we are told about "Babylon the great, the mother of  harlots" in the book of Revelation?

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Why does the Lord see fit to tell you and me about what He is doing and will do with Tyre and Babylon? How does the knowledge of what the Lord is doing with Tyre and Babylon edify His body? Did not Christ tells us:

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. (ASV)

"The flesh profits nothing" does not say, "The flesh has no function in the plan of God." Nothing is further from the Truth. It is the death of "the flesh", the death of our carnal-minded old man, which is the "corn of wheat" which serves as the catalyst which must "fall into the earth and die" before we can begin to be "transformed [and] conformed" into the new man with a new mind, "the mind of Christ":

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.

So the death of the "corn of wheat" is a necessary and an integral part of the birth of "the Christ... the new man" within us. But this "corn of wheat" is healed of a "deadly wound by a sword" before it dies to never again be raised up:

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat [Greek: thronos, throne], and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Tyre's return to her harlotry is just another way of telling us that we all return to our own vomit and our wallow in the mire. The book of Revelation calls this experience the healing of a deadly wound by a sword.

2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

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

This all sounds so dire and so foolish, and yet there is one event to all men (Ecc 9:2), and it is all predestined to be fulfilled in the life of every man. The details of each life differ, but the event is the same "one event to all":

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

Christ tells us that we are all sinners in need of a Savior:

Luk 13:1  There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
Luk 13:2  And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
Luk 13:3  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luk 13:4  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
Luk 13:5  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

What we are being told by Christ here in Luke, and in the burden of Tyre here in Isaiah 23, is that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" and must be destroyed before the new man can come up out of that destruction. We see this transformation take place in nature through the life cycle of a butterfly that begins as a worm getting about on its belly like a serpent, but through the death of that worm it's being transformed into a beautiful butterfly which is capable of rising up into the heavens. Truly "the invisible things of God are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made" (Rom 1:20).

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:

Returning to being a harlot is just a way of telling us that we come out of one church just to go into another harlot church, all the while serving God as we want to serve Him. Our actions are not because we mean to be carnal and rebellious, rather it is because we were gifted from birth with "the law of sin in [our] members" (Rom 7:17-23). After being subject to that law of sin in our members for the predestined time, we are, through Christ, delivered from that wretched body of death, and we are miraculously transformed into a "new man... by the renewing of [our] mind".

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.

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.

Paul does not shy away from telling us that we have been "predestinate[d] (Eph 1:11) to be conformed to the image of His Son, that [we] might be the firstborn among many brothers."  If we are the predestined "firstborn among many brothers", then it follows that "many brothers" are predestined to be born in Christ after "the firstborn".

Just how many will, in the end, be "in Christ", and how will that later harvest of souls take place? Paul is also bold to answer those questions with these words:

1Co 15:21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Those are really simple and straightforward words; "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive". The manner in which "all die", that is the same manner in which "all... shall be... made alive", and death will then be destroyed because no one will then be dead. This doctrine accords with these words of Christ which we just quoted to show the function flesh plays in the work He is doing with "all men":

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Joh 12:26  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Joh 12:27  Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Joh 12:28  Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Joh 12:29  The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
Joh 12:30  Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
Joh 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Joh 12:33  This he said, signifying what death he should die.

Christ, the only man who has ever lived who never sinned, still had to "fall into the ground and die" before He could be perfected and "bring forth much fruit" in the form of life for "all men".

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

What we are learning is that our carnal-minded, rebellious flesh, is a first and very integral part of the making of mankind into "the image of His Son":

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.

We will understand the mind of the Lord only if we acknowledge that before we are "conformed to the image of His Son", we are first a "man of sin", made into "the image of jealousy", and we place ourselves "in the temple of God, setting [our]self forth as God".

That is the spiritual meaning of this prophecy of Ezekiel 8:

Eze 8:1  And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
Eze 8:2  Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
Eze 8:3  And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
Eze 8:4  And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
Eze 8:5  Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

Historically this "image of jealously' is believed to be the altar which King Ahaz had Urijah the priest to build to replace the altar which God had told Moses to be careful to build 'according to the pattern he had been given in the mount'.

Exo 25:40  And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

2Ki 16:10  And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
2Ki 16:11  And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.
2Ki 16:12  And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.

King Ahaz and Urijah had so little fear of God that they were both willing to disobey His commandments to do what they wanted to do. Their own ways meant more to them than God's ways, and that spirit is expressed in these words in the New Testament:

2Th 2:4  he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. (ASV)

Ahaz threw his lot in with the king of Assyria. He had taken the Lord's gold out of the Lord's temple and had sent it to the king of Assyria as a bribe.

2Ki 16:7  So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
2Ki 16:8  And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.

As a type of us, King Ahaz had chosen fornication with Babylon over dying to the flesh. It is all predestined and has to be experienced, and it must be repented of before we can reap the benefits of dying to our old man and His rebellious kingdom.

This experience of returning to our own ways was prophesied in these words concerning Tyre in the last verse of our study today:

Isa 23:18  And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

Tyre and Babylon are types of the time we spend in service to all the fornication and false doctrines of the the great whore who is the harlot religions of this world. In time all those false doctrines become nothing more than "wood, hay, and stubble" to be burned up by the fiery truth of the Word of God. After being deceived and brought to repentance, all of that experience of evil becomes "bread for us", as we use that experience to wage spiritual warfare in our heavens, dying daily to the lies of Babylon and to the giants in our land. As Caleb and Joshua told the fearful nation of Israel:

Num 14:8  If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Num 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

As the apostle Paul tells us, in Christ we are not ignorant of the devices of the adversary, and we can now use his own devices against him. Instead of valuing the things of this life, we can now 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness' knowing the suffering of this age is not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us'.

Christ gave us this parable to show us how the materialistic spirit of wealthy prosperous Tyre, appeals to the beast we all are:

Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward 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.

The materialistic, immoral appeal of the temptations of Tyre and Babylon are the armor of the adversary, which serve the adversary in keeping us convinced we cannot do battle against him, just as the armor of God serves us in waging our wars against the adversary in the heavens.

These verses in Job describe the hopelessness of doing battle with the adversary in our own strength:

Job 41:24  His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.
Job 41:25  When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.
Job 41:26  The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
Job 41:27  He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
Job 41:28  The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
Job 41:29  Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
Job 41:30  Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

That is the power of Tyre and Babylon over the flesh and the carnal mind of our old man. It is spiritually impossible for any man, of himself to overcome the beast within us all:

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Paul's own personal experience caused him to echo this same refrain, but Paul supplies us with the answer of "who is able to make war with [the beast]":

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.

In the next chapter we are given these very positive, affirming words:

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
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.

Truly Tyre's hire will be turned to "holiness to the Lord... bread for us, and for durable clothing" for us.

Isa 23:18  And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will learn how the destruction of Tyre and Babylon, "the city of confusion", is actually the destruction of this entire earth and "the things that are seen". The destruction of Tyre and Babylon is the necessary step we all must take to bring us into the Lord's judgments in our 'earth':

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.

Wow! What a radical and blasphemous doctrine from the perspective of spiritual Tyre and Babylon! Those words fly in the face of the false doctrine of eternal torment which tells us that God's judgments will confine the vast majority of His creation to endless flames of merciless torment.

Here are our verses for next week's study of the judgment of the whole earth:

Isa 24:1  Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
Isa 24:2  And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
Isa 24:3  The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
Isa 24:4  The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
Isa 24:5  The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Isa 24:6  Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
Isa 24:7  The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
Isa 24:8  The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
Isa 24:9  They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
Isa 24:10  The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
Isa 24:11  There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
Isa 24:12  In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

Isa 3:23-26 Burning Instead of Beauty

Isa 3:23  The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
Isa 3:24  And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
Isa 3:25  Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Isa 3:26  And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground

God has seen fit to let us in on all the wonderful works He is doing to the children of men, and we want to be careful to “sacrifice [to Him] the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”

Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

It is God’s “wonderful works [which bring us] to [our] wits’ end” and bring us to repentance before God sees fit to bring us “to our desired haven”.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Here is how God shows us “the richness of His goodness”:

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.

The next wonderful work He is doing to us is that He is taking away from the kingdom of the beast within us:

Isa 3:23  The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

We will begin by looking at:

The glasses

The Hebrew word translated ‘the glasses’ is:

H1549
גִּלְיוֹן    גִּלָּיוֹן
gillâyôn    gilyôn
ghil-law-yone’, ghil-yone’
From H1540; a tablet for writing (as bare); by analogy a mirror (as a plate): – glass, roll.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

This word appears only twice, but has a root word which will help us to understand more fully what is being told us by the holy spirit. But first let’s read the only other place in the Old Testament where this word ‘gillayon‘ appears:

H1549
גּליון  /  גּלּיון
gillâyôn/gilyôn
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
glasses, 1
Isa_3:23
roll, 1
Isa_8:1

It is translated as ‘roll’ in Isaiah chapter 8:1 which also mentions ‘the pen of a man’.

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll [H1549: gillayon], and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.

So this thing which must be taken from us, this ‘gillayon’, is a ‘roll’ that is written upon by a man’s pen. In other words, it is a scroll which has something written on it. The reason why it must be taken from us it that we actually think we are capable of writing our own book, our own script, and that we are completely capable of determining our own fate.

This is what we all think of our own capabilities:

Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Many of us will no doubt say ‘I have never had any such thoughts’, but from God’s perspective we all are guilty of worshipping the dragon and the beast which we are every time we succumb to the pulls of our flesh and commit a sin against Him.

From God’s perspective this is what we all just naturally do:

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

Just believing in the false doctrine of man having ‘free will’ is itself blasphemous against God who is at this very moment ruling in the kingdoms of men (Dan 4:17), whether we realize it or not. God doesn’t need us to believe in Him for Him to have His great power. It is only through Him empowering us to do so that we are given the ability to act the fool and say ‘There is no God’. In doing so we corrupt ourselves attempting to make ourselves our own ‘god’:

Psa 14:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The word ‘glasses’ does not convey the definition of “a tablet for writing”. It is obvious that ‘a tablet for writing’ would be better translated as a “roll” for “writ[ing] with a man’s pen”, as it is better translated in Isaiah 8:1.

The root of this Hebrew word ‘gillayon‘ is:

H1540
גָּלָה
gâlâh
gaw-law’
A primitive root; to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively to reveal: –  + advertise, appear, bewray, bring, (carry, lead, go) captive (into captivity), depart, disclose, discover, exile, be gone, open, X plainly, publish, remove, reveal, X shamelessly, shew, X surely, tell, uncover.
Total KJV occurrences: 18

This word appears 188 times. Here is the King James Concordance breakdown of the various KJV translations of this word:

H1540
גּלה
gâlâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 188
carried, 34
2Ki_15:29, 2Ki_16:9, 2Ki_17:6, 2Ki_17:11, 2Ki_17:23, 2Ki_17:28, 2Ki_17:33, 2Ki_24:14-15 (2), 2Ki_25:21, 1Ch_5:6, 1Ch_5:26, 1Ch_6:15, 1Ch_9:1, Ezr_2:1 (2), Est_2:6 (4), Jer_13:19 (2), Jer_29:1 (2), Jer_29:4, Jer_29:7, Jer_29:14, Jer_39:9, Jer_40:1, Jer_40:7, Jer_52:15, Jer_52:27-28 (2), Amo_1:6
captive, 24
2Ki_15:29, 2Ki_16:9, 1Ch_5:6, Jer_1:3, Jer_13:19 (2), Jer_20:4, Jer_22:12, Jer_24:1, Jer_27:20, Jer_29:14, Jer_39:9, Jer_40:1, Jer_40:7, Jer_52:15, Jer_52:27-30 (4), Amo_6:6-7 (3), Amo_7:11, Nah_2:7
uncover, 22
Lev_18:6-19 (17), Lev_20:18-19 (2), Rth_3:4, Isa_47:2 (2)
discovered, 18
Exo_20:26, 1Sa_14:11, 2Sa_22:16, Psa_18:15, Isa_57:8 (2), Jer_13:22, Eze_13:14 (2), Eze_16:36, Eze_16:57, Eze_21:24, Eze_23:10 (2), Eze_23:18 (2), Eze_23:29, Hos_7:1
away, 17
2Ki_17:6, 2Ki_17:11, 2Ki_17:23, 2Ki_17:28, 2Ki_17:33, 2Ki_18:11, 2Ki_24:14-15 (2), 2Ki_25:11, 2Ki_25:21, 1Ch_5:6, 1Ch_5:26, 1Ch_6:15, 1Ch_9:1, 2Ch_36:20, Ezr_2:1, Nah_2:7
revealed, 11
Deu_29:29, 1Sa_3:7, 1Sa_3:21, 2Sa_7:27, Isa_22:14, Isa_23:1, Isa_40:5, Isa_56:1 (2), Jer_11:20, Dan_10:1
discover, 10
Deu_22:30, 1Sa_14:8, Job_41:13, Pro_18:2, Pro_25:9, Lam_4:22, Eze_16:37, Hos_2:10, Mic_1:6, Nah_3:5
uncovered, 10
Gen_9:21, Lev_20:11, Lev_20:17-18 (2), Lev_20:20-21 (2), Rth_3:7, 2Sa_6:20, Isa_47:3, Jer_49:10
captivity, 9
Isa_5:13, Lam_1:3, Eze_39:22-23 (2), Amo_5:5 (2), Amo_5:27, Amo_7:17, Mic_1:16
open, 6
Num_24:4, Num_24:16, Psa_119:18, Pro_27:5, Jer_32:11, Jer_32:14
carry, 5
2Ki_25:11 (2), Jer_20:4, Jer_43:3, Lam_4:22
show, 5
1Sa_20:2, 1Sa_20:12-13 (2), 1Sa_22:17, Isa_49:9
captives, 3
2Ki_24:14, Jer_29:7, Jer_43:3
departed, 3
1Sa_4:21-22 (2), Hos_10:5
opened, 3
Num_22:31, Job_38:17, Jer_20:12
openeth, 3
Job_33:16, Job_36:10, Job_36:15
removed, 3
2Ki_17:26, 1Ch_8:6-7 (2)
revealeth, 3
Pro_11:13, Pro_20:19, Amo_3:7
published, 2
Est_3:14, Est_8:13
remove, 2
Eze_12:3 (2)
reveal, 2
Job_20:27, Jer_33:6
showed, 2
Psa_98:2, Pro_26:26
showeth, 2
1Sa_22:8 (2)
told, 2
1Sa_9:15, 1Ch_17:25
uncovereth, 2
Deu_27:20, 2Sa_6:20
advertise, 1
Rth_4:4
appear, 1
1Sa_2:27
appeared, 1
Gen_35:7
appeareth, 1
Pro_27:25
bewray, 1
Isa_16:3
brought, 1
2Ki_17:27
carrying, 1
Jer_1:3
depart, 1
Job_20:28
disclose, 1
Isa_26:21
discovereth, 1
Job_12:21-22 (2)
exile, 1
2Sa_15:19
gone, 1
Isa_24:11
plainly, 1
1Sa_2:27
shamelessly, 1
2Sa_6:20

When we examine all of these entries we see that ‘galah‘, the root for the word ‘gillayon‘, conveys the thought of carrying away for a good reason like becoming a priest, or being carried away as a captive in shame. It is also translated as an uncovering or revealing. This too, can be a revealing of or uncovering of the Truth, or it can be uncovering one’s nakedness.

2Ki 15:29  In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive [H1540, galah] to Assyria.

As that which must be taken from us this word ‘gillayon‘ takes away from us the ability to persecute the Lord’s people, as King Saul persecuted David, and as Saul of Tarsus persecuted the Lord and His Christ. Those who persecute us truly believe they are exposing us in a way that will shame us before this world. In doing so they are, in reality, taking pride in their own shame.

Est 7:10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.

The next thing Christ wants us to know that He is taking away from us is:

The fine linen

Once again the Hebrew word for “fine linen” really does not mean ‘fine linen’ at all.

Here is this Hebrew word:

H5466
סָדִין
sâdı̂yn
saw-deen’
From an unused root meaning to envelop; a wrapper, that is, shirt: – fine linen, sheet.
Total KJV occurrences: 4

Here are the four entries for this Hebrew word ‘sadiyn‘.

H5466
סדין
sâdı̂yn
Total KJV Occurrences: 4
linen, 2
Pro_31:24, Isa_3:23
sheets, 2
Jdg_14:12-13 (2)

Twice ‘sadiyn‘ is translated as ‘linen’, one of those two being here in Isa 3:23, and the other being:

Pro 31:24  She maketh fine linen [H5466: sadiyn], and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

The other two times this word appears it simply cannot be translated as ‘linen’:

Jdg 14:12  And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets [H5466: sadiyn] and thirty change of garments:
Jdg 14:13  But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets [H5466: sadiyn] and thirty changes of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

It is obvious the Lord is not telling us that He is taking ‘linen’ from us, because this is not the Hebrew word used and translated as ‘linen’ when describing the priests’ clothing. This is an entirely different word. The priests were commanded to wear linen clothes which would not cause them to sweat.

Here is that Hebrew word which is correctly translated as ‘linen’:

Eze 44:18  They shall have linen [H6593: pishteh] bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen [H6593: pishteh] breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

This Hebrew word ‘pishteh‘ appears 16 times in the Old Testament, and it is consistently translated as ‘linen’ and ‘flax’. It is never called ‘sadiyn‘. Therefore ‘sadiyn‘ is better translated as ‘sheets’ instead of ‘fine linen’. ‘Sadiyn‘ is to be understood as a part of our garments which covers our nakedness, inasmuch as the ‘sheets’ are not even mentioned when telling us how Samson went about paying off his debt to his Philistine guests:

Jdg 14:19  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.

God is taking away our filthy garments, exposing the shame of our filthy garments and replacing them with garments of “fine linen… pure and white”. Remember what we read about Joshua the high priest in the days of Zechariah:

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

All we are reading about which the Lord is taking from us here in Isaiah 3, whether it is jewels or clothing, both typify our own false doctrines. That is the meaning behind the “tak[ing] away [of] the filthy garments from [us]”.

Notice how the “clothing, the… garments” of the saints are described:

Rev 15:6  And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

What is the spiritual meaning of being ‘clothed in pure and white linen’?

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

The next thing to be taken from the kingdom of our rebellious, adulterous, sinful old man is:

The hoods,

The Hebrew word for ‘the hoods’ is:

H6797
צָנִיפָה    צָנוֹף    צָנִיףo
tsânı̂yph    tsânôph    tsânı̂yphâh
tsaw-neef’, tsaw-nofe’, tsaw-nee-faw’
From H6801; a head dress (that is, piece of cloth wrapped around): – diadem, hood, mitre.
Total KJV occurrences: 5

This word ‘tsânı̂yph’ appears in the Old Testament 5 times:

H6797
צניפה  /  צנוף  /  צניף
tsânı̂yph  /  tsânôph  /  tsânı̂yphâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 5
diadem, 2
Job_29:13-14 (2), Isa_62:3
mitre, 2
Zec_3:5 (2)
hoods, 1
Isa 3:23

Twice it is translated as ‘diadem’:

Job 29:13  The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
Job 29:14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem [H6797: tsaniyph].
Job 29:15  I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.

Job’s self-righteousness “was as a robe and a diadem” for which God told Job:

Job 40:1  Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,
Job 40:2  Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
Job 40:3  Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Job 40:4  Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
Job 40:5  Once have I spoken [Job 29]; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
Job 40:6  Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Job 40:7  Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job 40:8  Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

What God is telling us is that this is what we do, and that self-righteous ‘diadem’ will be taken away from us and destroyed before a new man with a broken and contrite heart will begin to be birthed out of that destruction.

The next verse where this word is translated as ‘diadem’ is:

Isa 62:3  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

Now we know what this ‘hood’, this ‘tsânı̂yph‘, is. Now we know what it is which must be taken from our rebellious, adulterous, sinful old man. It is his crown. He must be dethroned and taken and destroyed, and his crown must be given to the new man, Christ in us.

Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 4:4  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats [Greek: thronos – thrones] : and upon the seats [thrones] I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The two times this word ‘tsaniyph‘ is translated as ‘mitre’ takes us back to Zechariah 3:

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre [H6796: tsaniyph – a crown] upon his head. So they set a fair mitre [H6796: tsaniyph – a crown] upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Joshua was the high priest in Zechariah’s day, and the high priest typified Christ and His Christ, who will all be both “kings and priests” as we just saw in Revelation 4 and 5. It is we, as the Christ of our Lord, who will be given a crown, a fair mitre, a diadem, only after the ‘hood’, the ‘tsaniyph‘, the crown is taken from our old man within us.

The last thing to be taken from us in this study is:

The veils

“The veils” are the English words translated from the Hebrew word:

H7289
רָדִיד
râdı̂yd
raw-deed’
From H7286 in the sense of spreading; a veil (as expanded): – vail, veil.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

No doubt ‘raw-deed‘ is exactly how our old man feels about his whole experience!

The only other entry for this Hebrew word in the Old Testament is:

H7289
רדיד
râdı̂yd
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
veil, 1
Son_5:7
veils, 1
Isa_3:23

Son 5:6  I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
Son 5:7  The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil [radiyd] from me.

In the scriptures the two women who wear veils are both wives and harlots. When Rebekah first saw Isaac she got off her camel and put on her veil:

Gen 24:64  And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
Gen 24:65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

But many years later, Isaac’s grandson Judah lied to his daughter-in-law, promising her to give her his only son as a husband, and when his daughter-in-law, Tamar, realized that Judah did not intend to give her his son Shelah as a husband, she made herself appear as a harlot by covering herself with a vail:

Gen 38:14  And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
Gen 38:15  When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

So the veils which must be taken from us are the veils of a harlot, and we must be made to become the bride of Christ.

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Everything is being taken from our adulterous old man and given to the faithful, virtuous bride of Christ which is who we are spiritually:

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.

But Christ’s ‘chaste virgin… bride’ is also called “the new man”:

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

This is who this new man is, as he is described in the next chapter of Ephesians:

Eph 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

The new man is the bride of Christ. As Paul tells us:

1Co 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

And the revelation of Jesus Christ tells us the same thing:

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The veils of a harlot will be taken from us, and we will, in God’s own time, become the “bride [of Christ] adorned for her husband”.

Our last three verses are the fruit of having all of these things taken from us while in the rebellious, adulterous, sinful kingdom of our old man:

Isa 3:24  And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

Here is this same event as it is revealed to us in greater detail in the revelation of Jesus Christ within us.

This is “burning instead of beauty”:

Rev 18:1  And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Rev 18:14  And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
Rev 18:15  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

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

How similar is all that is said in those verses to our last two verses in today’s study of the things that must be taken from us:

Isa 3:25  Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Isa 3:26  And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

“Her gates shall lament and mourn” because we are first the daughters of this harlot, and all of this is who we are when the seven vials of the seven angels are poured out upon us.

Remember:

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

It is in the very next chapter we are told that the pouring out of the seven vials is the judgment of Babylon within us spiritually, and the physical destruction of the religions of this world outwardly.

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Revelation 16:19 lets us know that Revelation 17 and 18 are the same event which is described in Revelation 16 . “The dream [vision] is one… and for that the dream [is] doubled unto [us] twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.”

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

Gen 41:32  And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Notice the similarity between Isaiah 3 and Revelation 18:

Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

Rev 18:14  And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 

Isaiah 3:26 and 1Co 3:15 are telling us one and the same thing. These two verses are another example of “the dream is one”:

Isa 3:26  And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground [“yet [she her]self “shall be saved; yet so as by fire”].

1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss [He shall suffer “burning instead of beauty” Isa 3:24]: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

God obviously wants us to know what are “all the things… the Lord will take away [and will be] no more at all”. He has hidden from the masses what are these things which He is taking away from us, but “blessed are your eyes for [you] see, and your ears for [you] hear… [these] mysteries of the kingdom of God”.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Audio Links

The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God – Part 13

How The Elect Will Acquire Power Over The Kingdoms Of The World

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.

Introduction

I have no intention of naming the names of the leaders of this world at the time of the return of Christ. Neither will I be foretelling any of the details of exactly how the powers that now rule this world will be transferred over into the hands of “our Lord and His Christ”. I will not be setting any dates for when this incredible event will take place. I will leave all such foolishness up to those who are given by God to “think above that which is written” (1Co 4:6). What we will do is to simply quote, and we will bring together “line upon line, and precept upon precept… that which is written”.

This is how we ended our last study:

“You will notice that the trumpet of the jubilee is sounded on the day of atonement, the day when the scapegoat was offered for the iniquities of Israel. We will stop here for today, and next week we will see what was to take place in the year of the jubilee, and  we will find, as we have already pointed out, that even this goal of the plan of God for all men is accomplished through “the church which is His body… the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

I had planned to give that study first, but because I have been asked several times ‘How will God give the governments of all the nations of this earth over to His elect?’ I have decided to answer that question first, to the extent that scripture answers it, before we get into the year of the jubilee. The year of the jubilee is the symbol for the final revelation of the completion of the work of God with all of mankind of all time. We dare not to “think above what is written”, but what God has given us to know and to understand is quite sufficient to keep us occupied for quite some time:

This is the rule we will follow as we consider what the scriptures reveal about how the powers of the kingdoms of this world will be handed over to “our Lord and His Christ”:

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

So please be patient, and Lord willing, we will see next week what is revealed to us in the commandment to keep a year of jubilee, on the day of atonement, after seven sevens of years. There is great significance to why this is done outside the scope of the three seasons of a single year and there is great spiritual significance why it is done on the very same day on which the scapegoat, along “with the Lord’s goat” is offered for the sins of the people. That day, of course, is the day of atonement. We will save all of that for our final study in this series, and instead today we will share with you how the scriptures reveal the leaders of this world will be led to give the powers of the kingdoms of this world over to God’s elect so they can rule the kingdoms of this world with a rod of iron for a thousand years, all the while building up and increasing the resentment that will be expressed in the rebellion against the Lord and His Christ during the “little season” at the end of the millennium. That rebellion is the predestined, preordained event which will give God the ‘occasion He is seeking’ to destroy all flesh and to thereby destroy death, which we are told is “the last enemy to be destroyed”.

Now we will answer, with the scriptures we are given and with the symbols within those scriptures, how the nations of this world have been given over to God’s elect in the past, and we will also consider the factors which the scriptures plainly state will be be part of what will cause this event to happen again on a global scale sometime in the future.

The governments of the greatest nations on earth have three times already been given over to those who typify the elect of God. Those three instances were 1) Joseph who was given the rulership of all of Egypt, which typifies all of this world. 2) Daniel and his three friends who were given dominion over all the province of Babylon, symbolizing the whole religious world, and finally, 3) Mordecai and Esther, symbolizine “our Lord and His Christ”, who were given dominion over the entire Medo-Persian empire which had conquered and absorbed the kingdom of Babylon.

Joseph and the Pharaoh

Let’s consider what happened to Joseph first. Joseph was given dreams and knowledge which simply was not given to his brothers who were also the seed of Abraham. His brothers hated the thought of their younger brother possibly ruling over them. He had placed his father’s words above the words of his brothers. Joseph had no physical claim upon the double portion of the birthright of the firstborn. That physically went to his oldest brother Reuben. But Joseph’s father loved Joseph more than he loved Joseph’s older brothers, so when Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers they sold him into Egypt as a slave.

Gen 37:2  These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 

Gen 37:23  And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
Gen 37:24  And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
Gen 37:25  And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
Gen 37:26  And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
Gen 37:27  Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
Gen 37:28  Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

It does not take great spiritual insight to see how Joseph’s experience with His brothers here typified Christ’s experience with His own people, the Jews (Mat 21:37). But the type continues when Joseph is cast into an Egyptian prison, and after several years there, he is raised up out of prison, typifying death, and is placed on the throne of all Egypt. It all  typifies the death and resurrection of “our Lord and His Christ”, to sit with His Father in His Throne.

But notice how the Lord made this to happen to Joseph. There is a message for us in how this was accomplished by God:

Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that [Pharaoh’s] spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
Gen 41:9  Then [after Pharaoh’s two very disturbing dreams] spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
Gen 41:10  Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker:
Gen 41:11  And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
Gen 41:12  And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.
Gen 41:13  And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.
Gen 41:14  Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

God sent two very disturbing dreams to Pharaoh. The Lord caused those dreams to trouble Pharaoh and to make him to feel that something very ominous was about to happen. But Pharaoh had no understanding of his dreams until God had placed an acquaintance of Joseph into a position to bring Joseph to the attention of the Pharaoh. Pharaoh then sent for Joseph to give him the interpretation of his dreams. Once Joseph had given the interpretation of the dreams, then Pharaoh was caused by God to decide that Joseph was the person who was best equipped to deal with the coming famine about which Joseph had interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams to be forewarning.

God was orchestrating Joseph’s entire life, and Egypt and the Pharaoh were all in place for Joseph’s sake, so Joseph could be placed upon the throne of all Egypt “to save much people alive”, which is the very same commission given to “our Lord and His Christ” (Joh 3:17).

Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar

This is a later revelation of this same event so it includes the symbols of “our Lord and His Christ”. In the story of Daniel we have Christ, symbolized by Daniel, and His Christ, symbolized by Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, who are placed by God at the helm of the Babylonian empire of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Reading from Daniel one, beginning at verse one:

Dan 1:1  In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
Dan 1:2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
Dan 1:3  And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;
Dan 1:4  Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
Dan 1:5  And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
Dan 1:6  Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
Dan 1:7  Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

Again, our story begins with God’s elect being slaves to their masters, as we all first are to our flesh and to this world. Then God once again causes the king of Babylon to have another very disturbing dream. But this time, by God’s design, the king cannot even remember the dream, and yet he was so terrified by that dream that he threatens the lives of all of his seers if they do not both tell him his dream and the meaning of his own dream which he has forgotten. This all serves to distinguish Daniel from all the other religious leaders of his day, and to reveal that Daniel is the real thing, and that God is with Daniel, and that He is not with the other Babylonian religious leaders:

Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans [Babylonians], for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 
Dan 2:4  Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
Dan 2:5  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Dan 2:6  But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

Daniel, typifying Christ, is given both the dream and its interpretation, and is then granted to rule with his faithful friends over the entire kingdom of Babylon:

Dan 2:46  Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
Dan 2:47  The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
Dan 2:48  Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 
Dan 2:49  Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

When God determines to place His children in charge of the kingdoms of this world, He has no trouble at all making it so. He can trouble a king, or He can trouble a whole army of men and cause His will to come to pass (2Ki 19:35). It is not even a challenge for our God.

Mordecai and Esther

To make the picture complete, we first have Christ Himself, symbolized by Joseph, and we then have “our Lord and His Christ” symbolized by Daniel, as the Lord, and his three friends as “His Christ”. But now in the story of Mordecai and Esther, we have the symbol of Christ and His bride being given the kingdoms of this world via the agency of Ahasuerus, the king of the great Medo-Persian empire which had conquered the Babylonian empire.

In this story the Lord actually removes the queen, the wife of the king, in order to place his bride in charge of the affairs of the kingdoms of this world. What that tells us is that the ten horns on the beast will destroy the great harlot before “the kingdoms of this world… become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”. The way God brought this all about was to cause the king to want to have a party at which he could display all the glory of his kingdom to all of His subjects:

Est 1:1  Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)
Est 1:2  That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,
Est 1:3  In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:
Est 1:4  When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.

Ahasuerus was a true politician. He entertained the princes and nobles of the provinces for 180 days, and then he entertained the common men for seven days. He even allowed the queen, Queen Vashti, to make a feast for the women in his royal house.

Est 1:5  And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace;
Est 1:6  Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble.
Est 1:7  And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king.
Est 1:8  And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man’s pleasure.
Est 1:9  Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.

At this point Queen Vashti, typifying the great harlot who is replaced by the bride of Christ, took it upon herself to decide when or if she would be obedient to her king, just as we all do at our own appointed time.  Her disobedience was the occasion our Lord was seeking to dethrone the unfaithful wife and replace her with a wife who would be faithful to Him in all things.

Est 1:10  On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,
Est 1:11  To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.
Est 1:12  But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.
Est 1:13  Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgment:
Est 1:14  And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king’s face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)
Est 1:15  What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?
Est 1:16  And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. 
Est 1:17  For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

To make a long story a little shorter, virgins out of the various provinces were brought to Shushan, and in the end Esther was chosen to be the new queen to replace the unfaithful and rebellious Queen Vashti.

Est 2:17  And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. 
Est 2:18  Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast [“the marriage supper of the Lamb” Rev 19:9]; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.
Est 2:19  And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king’s gate.
Est 2:20  Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. 

Esther knew who had placed her on the throne of the Medes and the Persians, and she was faithful to her God and to her uncle Mordecai, whom God had used to place her on the throne. Later, when Esther had to lay down her life for her people like the Lord’s Christ who she symbolizes, she did not hesitate to do so:

Est 4:10  Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
Est 4:11  All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
Est 4:12  And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.
Est 4:13  Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. 
Est 4:14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 
Est 4:15  Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
Est 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

The reason Esther had to appear before the king without waiting to be called into his presence was that an Amalekite named Haman had connived to have all the Jews in all of the Persian empire destroyed, not knowing that Esther was a Jew. This story of Haman typifies the hatred which the churches of Babylon have toward God’s elect. Potiphar’s wife hated Joseph, the Chaldean hated Daniel and his three friends, and Haman hated Mordecai. Like Christ Himself, God’s elect are hated by the very people who claim to be faithful to the king, not knowing that they are, in reality, fighting against the king to their own destruction. It is for ‘the church which is His body’ that our afflictions are suffered just as it was with Joseph, with Daniel and his three friends, and as it was with Mordecai and Esther.

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

This story ends in the salvation of the Jews and the destruction of their enemies who would have destroyed them. This brings us to the question of how the kingdoms of this world will be given over to the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb, who will rule this earth for “a thousand years”. These events all happened and are written for our admonition (1Co 10:11). The story of Esther and Mordecai symbolizes the destruction of the enemies of God’s elect who would destroy them. All of these events foreshadow in some way what will take place in some form before God’s elect will be given to begin their rulership of the kingdoms of this world just as Mordecai and Esther were given dominion over all the provinces of the Medo-Persian empire, after destroying those who would destroy them. Mordecai and Esther were separated from where God wanted them to be, first by Vashti and then by Haman. Both of these people symbolize “the enemies of the cross of Christ”:

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame,who mind earthly things.)

This is what we are told will happen at that time when “the kingdoms of this world… become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”:

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. [Luk 21:24 “…until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. “]
Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 

See our Revelation series on these verses to understand who these “two witnesses” are, and to understand  what “in this manner be killed” means. [http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/rev-11_5_6/]

Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
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. [Rom 12:1; 1Co 15:31; Gal 2:20]
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. 
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.

“They that dwell on the earth” (Rev 11:10) are the opposite of those who are seated with Christ in the heavens:

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

“They that dwell on the earth” are symbolized by Potiphar’s wife, by the Chaldeans who sought Daniel’s death, and by Vashti and Haman who stood between the king and God’s typical elect. This book of Revelation is a book which has been “signified”, meaning it is a book of signs and symbols, and the killing of others by God’s elect symbolizes what happens to the enemies of God’s elect within them. While it is true that God’s elect have literally died with Christ for the words of their testimony, it is also true that when we read of God’s elect “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them”, this too, is just as symbolic as the two witnesses killing those who would harm them.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Revelation 11 is the chapter which gives us the symbolic order of events surrounding the first resurrection and how that event is connected to the change of administrations from the rulership by the power of the kingdoms of this world to the rulership of the power of “our Lord and His Christ”. This momentous event is being described in spiritual words which hide their message from the multitudes. So we will let the scriptures themselves tells us what is being signified in this chapter.

The resurrection of the “two witnesses” is not a special resurrection for just two men. Two is the number which signifies witness, and the resurrection of the “two witnesses” signifies the resurrection of all witnesses for Christ who have “fallen asleep in Christ” from the time of the resurrection of Christ until the time of the first resurrection. What we need to notice is the message we are being given in the symbolism of this chapter. Here is a link to an article about The Two Witnesses.

“A great earthquake” is not a physical earthquake, but is both a spiritual and a political earthquake which will change the power structure of the entire earth.

Isa 29:6  Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 
Isa 29:7  And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

This “earthquake… storm and tempest, and…devouring fire” will destroy “the multitude of nations which fight against” God’s elect, whether it is in the past, at this present time, or in the future. This “earthquake” will shake up the existing power structure without, just as it has been doing inwardly for the past 2,000 years. This ‘earthquake’ will produce great fear, and will prepare the hearts of the leaders of this world to receive those who are about to take over the reins of power of “the kingdoms of this world” from those who have literally or symbolically killed God’s “two witnesses”:

Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

“The great city” that falls in this prophecy is “the city wherein our Lord was crucified” of verse 8, and that “city” is the same as the “great harlot” who is sitting on waters which symbolize all the nations of the whole world. That “great whore” symbolizes all religion in opposition to Christ and His Christ in every generation.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

These two verses (Mat 24:34-35) prove that the words of scripture have an application in every generation since Christ, including the last generation before the millennium.

“The tenth part of the city” (Rev 11:13) also is a figure of the flesh because that is what the number ten symbolizes as this article shows. (http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_ten/).

Being “a tenth part of the city” symbolizes the carnal religious leaders  of that “great city where also our Lord was crucified”. As we have demonstrated with the Old Testament types of Joseph, Daniel and his three friends, and with Mordecai and Esther, it was always the religious leaders who are opposed to Christ and His Christ. “The tenth part of the city fell” because God’s elect are in the process of being established and being given “power over… the kingdoms of this world”.

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

“Seven thousand” is not seven thousand men, any more than “two witnesses” is simply two men. Seven is the number which signifies completion, and a thousand signifies all flesh, which in its totality is being given completely over to  “our Lord and His Christ” to rule over this earth for “a thousand years”.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Notice the effect which this resurrection of those who have died in Christ has upon those who have slain them:

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.

This event does not take place in a vacuum either within or without. People really take note when our old man dies, and it concerns them greatly. With modern technology it is literally possible for this verse to take place on an outward global scale where the resurrection of God’s “two witnesses” could be witnessed worldwide, producing the “great fear” which we are clearly told falls upon those powers who are responsible for the death of God’s elect, just as they feared the resurrection of Lazarus and the resurrection of Christ and all the saints who were “resurrected… after His resurrection”. The turning of the tables which reversed the king’s order to destroy all the Jews in all the provinces of the Medes and the Persians, typified the resurrection from the dead, of those Jews who were as good as dead. It also produced great fear in Haman and his house, just as the resurrection of Lazarus produced great fear among the chief priests in Christ’s day:

Joh 12:9  Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 
Joh 12:10  But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;
Joh 12:11  Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

The resurrection of Lazarus caused the chief priests to fear for the loss of their influence over the people, because that is exactly the effect a resurrection will have upon the people when that is God’s goal.

Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 
Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

Consider the witness and the effect which the resurrection of a symbolic 144,000 will have on a world which will be in the state of mind described in these verses of Luke 21:

Luk 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem [“that great city where also our Lord was crucified”] shall be trodden down of the Gentiles [Rev 11:2, “forty and two months”] until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Luk 21:25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 
Luk 21:27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

The first resurrection, the resurrection of all the saints of God from the time of Christ to the time of that resurrection, will be a significant part of what will “shake… the powers of heaven” and will bring about the atmosphere and the conditions which will cause the leaders of this world to abdicate their positions and to willingly hand over the rulership of this world to the saints of God, just as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Ahasuerus were made to hand over the power of the kingdoms of Egypt, Babylon and the Medo-Persian empires to those whom God had elected to rule those kingdoms for that time.

“The four and twenty elders”, whom we have demonstrated in our study on Revelation 5 to be just another symbol for the redeemed elect, tell us that the anger of the nations and the wrath of God will clash at this time, and God will simply take to Himself His own great power, and we are told He “has reigned”. These “four and twenty elders” also tell us that this takes place at “the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should give reward to your servants the prophets and to the saints, and to them that fear you name, small and great”.

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 ark of His testament” is the fidelity and the obedience of those who are “the temple of God”. Those in whom He dwells:

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

There is one other scripture which we need to mention in relation to how the saints will be given the powers of this world and will be made to reign over the kingdoms of this world. That section of scripture is:

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 
1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [Greek: precede] them which are asleep. 
1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

“The dead in Christ shall rise first” means they will be resurrected before those who are alive and remain are changed and are “caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air [in the spirit]”. Revelation 11 reveals that this event will take place at the end of the sixth trumpet and at the beginning of the seventh trumpet. Notice what we are told:

Rev 10:5  And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
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.

“When he shall begin to sound” demonstrates that these are symbols of a process of our judgment. Revelation 11 supplies more details of what happens at the end of the sixth trumpet and at the beginning of the seventh trumpet, “when he shall begin to sound”:

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into [the dead bodies of the two witnesses], 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.

God is not playing star wars. When we read “there was war in heaven”, we are not being told that the outcome of that war is in doubt. Christ has been given “all power in heaven and in earth” (Mat 28:18). He controls all of the minds of all men at all time. This is how the world is actually being run even at this moment:

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

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. 
Pro 16:5  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. 

Pro 21:1  The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. 

Pro 20:24  Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

So when we read “[the two witnesses] ascended up into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them”, what we are being told is that their enemies are being made aware of who is on earth and who is in heaven, and the next few verses make that point very clear:

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. 

We have demonstrated that the seven trumpets are blown by the seven priests of God:

Jos 6:8  And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

That is the foundation for the seven angels which have the seven trumpets in Revelation 8:

Rev 8:6  And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

We are plainly told that “the seven stars” in Christ’s right hand are “the angels of the seven churches”.

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

These are the same “seven angels” who blow the seven trumpets and who pour out the seven vials. Here is who they all are:

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

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

These seven priests, these four beasts, the four and twenty elders and these seven angels are, one and all, symbols of God’s elect, our Lord’s Christ, who will be given the kingdoms of this world when He “take[s] to [Himself His] great power, and… reign[s]”. Who needs military might, when, as we have just demonstrated, God has the power over the very thoughts of all men (Pro 16:1)?

That is just how simple it will be for God to take to Himself His own power and rule over the kingdoms of this world:

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.

God simply takes to Himself His own power, and He reigns, and He gives reward to His servants… the saints… and they shall rule with him a thousand years”:

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

We have demonstrated that the way all of this is brought about is through the fear which God places in the hearts of the rulers of this present age, just as he placed great fear in the hearts of the ancients kings of Egypt, Babylon and Medo-Persia. This transfer of power will largely be accomplished not only through fear of “those things which [they are made to see] are coming on the earth” which fear God Himself will bring upon the leaders of this world, but also through their witnessing of the resurrection from among the dead of “them that are asleep in Christ”. Peter, James and John had never met or seen pictures of Moses or Elijah, and yet they were made to know who those men were at the transfiguration of Christ on the mount. The enemies of God’s two witnesses will also be made to know who are all these people who have been raised up from among the dead and who have been “give[n] power over the nations…”

Luk 21:26  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 
Luk 21:27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [With those who have fallen asleep in Christ]

Men’s hearts will fail them for fear, and they will see “the Lord and His Christ”, coming to rule over the kingdoms of this world.

That is the atmosphere and the conditions which will be extant when “the kingdoms of this world… become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”. That is what is a good part of what is written concerning how the transferring of power from the rulers of this age to the rulers of the next age will take place. The kingdom of God will rule through the millennium and through the lake of fire. The little season of rebellion will be put down by God without even breaking a sweat, and then His firstborn, first fruits, as our brother Larry Groenewald has said, will begin the second part of their double portion inheritance by judging angels in something known as “the lake of fire” which, in spite of all we have been taught, is really nothing less than the greatest single work of grace that God will ever perform upon His prodigal children:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [including those in “the lake of fire”]. 

In our next study on the overview of the plan of God we will see how the scriptures reveal the goal of His plan for mankind. What we will see is that God will, in the end, be all in all, and we will see once again, that even this, the final goal of the plan of God will be accomplished by and through His spiritual Israel, His firstborn firstfruits, “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”.

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

[Click here for next installment.]

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which the Father alone gives, includes and starts with the revelation of the first man Adam:

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

In the book of Genesis the foundations of this revelation of Jesus are laid, and it is here where most can only see the description of a physical creation. This natural point of view serves as a parable (to the multitudes) in order that they cannot see and understand the important spiritual meaning behind “the things that are made”:

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

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:

A physical understanding does not equate to a spiritual understanding. Only through the gift of faith can we understand the spiritual things of God:

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

God’s book of the first man Adam (and all his “generations”) is “framed” by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God (Mat 4:4). The days of the physical creation recorded in Genesis 1 and 2 also brings out foundational themes applicable to the first Adam which gives us spiritual understanding that what God already established before Adam was actually created on the sixth day:

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

By creating the earth on the first day “without form, and void; and [with] darkness upon the face of the deep”, God shows those who can “see” (that is, to understand spiritual things) that He made Adam a “marred vessel of dishonour”. The light that was called to come forth after the darkness points to the truth that Adam will eventually be made a “vessel of honour” in the full image of God at the resurrection. Salvation (making man in God’s image) is a process (Jer 18:4, Rom 8:20, 9:21):

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

This initial state of imperfection of the “first born” of God is reiterated throughout Scriptures. “The elder shall serve the younger” is saying clearly that the spirit man, the “second man from heaven”, is superior to the earthy man, and He alone is in God’s ultimate spirit image:

Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

1Co 15:47 The first man (Adam) is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

All that was in Adam is in us – Adam was just like us – imperfect from creation (Psa 51:5). Darkness and evil are also God’s creations (just like the light and peace):

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace (Hebrew: “sha^lo^m” = safe/to be whole), and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Adam and all in him were appointed “once to die” before we all learn about the true light of salvation which comes only through a process of judgment:

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

Only in the resurrection will all in the first man Adam eventually receive what is the true spiritual light and salvation of God – that is after we first lived through the darkness and evil (1Co 15:22, Isa 45:7). On day two of the physical creation in Genesis 1, God yet again emphasizes this process in the creation of the firmament:

Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Gen 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

The Hebrew word which is used here for firmament is “ra^qi^ya”. This is a word which comes from a root that means “to pound” and thereby “to expand” as metal is beaten until it expands to a required standard. The idea that God “stretches” or “spreads” the heavens is found in many verses throughout Scripture (eg. Job 9:8, Psa 104:2, Isa 40:22, Jer 10:12, Eze 1:22, Zec 12:1). For some, it echoes a theory that the physical universe is still expanding on its own. Others perceive that God “sits” idle and is just watching “from a distance” how His creation is out of control. No, God is working and causing everything happening in His creation. Everything yields and bends to the power of His hands all the time:

Joh 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

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:

Although there is a physical realm called “heaven” around the earth which extends also out there in the larger cosmos of this physical creation, God’s spiritual heavens will not be found out there. The natural mind wants to believe that there is a heaven that is physically accessible by way of “going” to it. Somehow we naturally want something to travel to – we want to achieve something. Even when we hear that this physical universe has no end, our natural mind wants to avoid that possibility. Whatever the natural man gets involved with in the physical realm will never reach a point of satisfaction – “all is vanity (empty) and vexation of spirit” says the Preacher! Yet people still want to achieve or reach God’s heavens in the natural way. No, God’s spiritual heavens are something He alone will “pound” or work to fulfil His purpose:

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.

The heaven which God is “stretching forth” is a spiritual dimension inside each person which God created and in which He works to fulfill His goal or His will (Eph 1:11). The theme of what and where the heavens are is foundational to our understanding of the spiritual things of God. [Please read Mike’s study on this topic at this link:]
http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/whatwhereheaven.php]

God is much bigger than all the heavens combined, and the heavens cannot fully “contain” or “measure” Him or His works:

2Ch 2:6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

Isa 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Isa 40:13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
Isa 40:14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

Genesis 1:6-8 says that there are waters above and there are waters below this firmament or heavens. Water is used very frequently in the Scriptures as a symbol of life and cleansing. The water below the firmament is distinct from the waters above the firmament like the distinction between the flesh and the spirit or darkness and the light (Joh 3:6). Our natural, temporary, earthly life and our natural way of thinking is spiritual darkness – it is the waters or vapours that will vanish away:

Rom 8:6 For to be carnally [naturally] minded is death [darkness]; but to be spiritually minded is life [light] and peace [“sha^lo^m”].
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Flesh indeed profits NOTHING (Joh 6:63) – it will not be there “on the morrow”. On the other hand, God’s ways and His thoughts are showing us what the waters “above the firmament” means:

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s ways and thoughts are also called the mind of Christ, which is the “higher heaven” where God abides (Joh 14:23). This is the record and testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:2). These heavens are they who can declare His glory and show His work. They are the cherubim where He dwells:

Psa 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

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

They are God’s throne and who can stand on the sea of glass as they have found light and peace in the midst of the fire of God, knowing and declaring that His judgements are righteous and true:

Rev 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

But the first man Adam is locked up in his arrogant and high-mindedness (his way of thinking), and he values himself as a god (2Th 2:3-4). He reviles God’s judgment as he thinks he can either avoid it or that it is actually for those evil people ‘out there’. The natural mind cannot see that God’s judgment (“pounding”) is His school where we will all be taught His ways and where we are clothed with His righteousness:

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.

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

Adam and Eve did not have this necessary clothing and protection (from the Potter’s hand). All of us in Adam are naked, and without God’s judgment we cannot even see that:

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

All physical things are the “waters below the firmament” which keep us thirsty. Drinking sea water is always dangerous and deadly when you are thirsty at sea. But the “waters from above the firmament” bring spirit life and spirit health, for sure:

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

God’s waters are revealed to us through His Word, Jesus Christ, alone. God established that His Word will never return void. He sent Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the whole world and that is what Jesus will achieve 100% – the waters “above the firmament” will sanctify and cleanse all:

Isa 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Joh 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

[The author may be reached for questions or comments at glgroenewald@gmail.com]

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Awesome Hands – part 49

“The land stank”

Having the wrath of God poured out on our flesh feels good to know one who experiencing it and KNOWS they are experiencing it.

In the case of the Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron God has been clear what His commandments are. Pharaoh is to let God’s people go so that they can worship Him in the wilderness.

The Pharaoh’s heart is hardened due to the Lord’s work and will of course, and the plaques are just and extension of that will.

As we continue in the book of Exodus, we are going to see the continued hardening of Pharaoh’s heart as the Lord works the second of ten plagues into the life of the Pharaoh and Egyptians, the plague of frogs.

“False doctrine and lying spirits”

Exo 8:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
Exo 8:2  And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:
Exo 8:3  And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:
Exo 8:4  And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.

Up until now, the Lord has shown a miracle to Pharaoh and the magicians, wise men and sorcerers. He has also used Moses and Aaron to perform the first plague of turning the water into blood.

We covered some of the meaning of the first plague and how there was an immediate shift of the magicians from using a “fiery enchantment” to then do whatever enchantments they performed with “secret enchantments”.

With this second plague, the Lord is going to cause frogs to leave the river and come into absolutely everywhere.

We are told very specific areas in which these frogs go. However, first let us see from scripture what these frogs represent spiritually so that we can compare spiritual with spiritual.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

These frogs are a progression of what happens in the first plague. In the plague of blood, the fish’s all died within the water.

Now, we have something come forth from the water which is going to cause utter destruction.

H6854

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Total KJV Occurrences:13

frogs, 13

Exo_8:2-9(8), Exo_8:11-13 (3), Psa_78:45, Psa_105:30

Eleven times frogs are mentioned in this chapter of Exodus. Two more times frogs are mentioned in the OT, and 1 time in the NT in Revelation.

Psa 78:45  He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

Psa 105:30  Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.

Pay close attention to how frogs are mentioned in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the revealing of Jesus the Christ.

Rev 16:10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

Rev 16:11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Rev 16:12  And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

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

Rev 16:14  For they are the SPIRITS OF DEVILS, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

In our previous study, we just covered the first plaque which caused all the water in Egypt to turn to blood.

The sixth angel in the book of Revelation pours out one of the vials of the wrath of God on the river Euphrates and it dries up. This is done so that the WAY of the KINGS of the EAST might be prepared.

This is all showing us in type what the Pharaoh, his magicians and his wise men are doing as they act out the role of “the dragon, the beast and the false prophet”.

All three of these are within us primarily, but as with all things that happened, they have happened for our admonitions.

You might think this isn’t a direct correlation, but I will point you to Exo 7:8-9.

Exo 7:8  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Exo 7:9  When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.

The Lord calls this a miracle, and we know the magicians and sorcerers performed the same miracle multiple times because multiple rods were made into serpents. So, what was the purpose for these men to be able to perform these miracles?

Exo 7:13  And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

This is done because in order for God to call His people up and out of Egypt, He must send strong delusion that “they would believe a lie.” What stronger lie is there than what these magicians do looks identical to what God’s true prophets do?

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
Eze 14:11  That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

So, when we read in Exo 8 that frogs were called up out of the water, and we correlate those frogs to being “lying spirits and spirits of devils”, we can also conclude that we are being told this because the WATER represents the Word of God.

It is the Word of God that is used to deceive as well as give Life. It is the Word of God that at one moment is turned into blood [ of which we spoke about being the blood of Christ in type], and at the next moment is used to cast forth these lying spirits out of the mouth of the dragon, beast and false prophet.

“Intreat the Lord for me”

Exo 8:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.
Exo 8:6  And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
Exo 8:7  And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

Moses is told of the Lord to tell Aaron to bring forth frogs from the river unto Egpyt and Aaron does so.

Notice, the magicians perform this miracle as well. It is a miracle and likewise it is a plague at the same time.

Often times, a miracle or sign is used for unbelievers to deceive them into thinking that their ways are just and right. However, this will be the LAST time that these magicians are able to duplicate or copy the work of the Lord.

This is the third time [ serpents from rods, water into blood, frogs from river] they are able to do what Moses and Aaron do as commanded of the Lord, and this shows the same process the Lord works in His prophets and prophetess.

This process shows a change in the actions of the Pharaoh because this is going to be the first time the Pharaoh asks Moses to ask God to take away the pain and suffering that is being brought to Egypt due to the Lord’s will.

Exo 8:8  Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.
Exo 8:9  And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?
Exo 8:10  And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
Exo 8:11  And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.

If you have understood the pattern up until this point, then you will recognize that the Pharaoh’s has immediately not hearkened to the voices of Moses and Aaron and “retreated back to his house”.

Now, the Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron to pray to the Lord on his behalf. Not only that, but Moses permits the Pharaoh to determine when the frogs will be called back in order to PROVE undoubtedly that the Lord Himself is the one who works the work of keeping the boundaries of the frogs.

If you’d been following along, then you should also recognize that we aren’t just talking about frogs here. We are talking about the false doctrines and lying spirits which are manipulating the people of God.

These lying spirits come forth from the “mouths” of those who are in opposition to God. However, there comes a time when even they recognize that something bigger than them is at work here and they must acknowledge this power working in the midst of them.

This is all used to show us the pattern the “seed of the sower follows”. In the case of the frogs, the Pharaoh actually wants to enquire of the Lord and also wants to let the people go do what the need to do for the Lord, with certain restrictions of course.

Mar 4:3  Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Mar 4:4  And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mar 4:5  And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
Mar 4:6  But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

The Pharaoh is only reacting to the “stone” which is very present behind the events unfolding, but being in the presence of the “Sun” and having no root is going to cause death to happen none the less.

Exo 8:12  And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.
Exo 8:13  And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.
Exo 8:14  And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.
Exo 8:15  But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

The Pharaoh gains the relief that he desired, but he doesn’t keep his word. He just wanted to be rid of the judgments of the Lord. This is so telling to the work the Lord does in our lives when we first learn of His ways.

The Lord listens to the words of Moses and kills all the frogs, but they must still be disposed of and when they are all gathered up they stink.

Psa 38:5  My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

This is the same Hebrew word stink as is used in both of the examples of the fishes and the frogs.

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

Exo 8:14  And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.

The result of both situations is that something dies. The fish and what they represent dies in the water turned to blood. Now, the Pharaoh entreats the Lord via Moses but the result is the same. The frogs now die and stink.

What we can conclude from this is that this process and progression shows us how the Lord will kill everything that moves when it has to deal with all that flesh has to offer.

Everything in the sea and everything in the earth must die.  When it does, it will stink because it is all foolishness to the Lord. This is all caused by the Lord and must be so.

In the next study, we are going to see where the Lord takes this story and progresses beyond what the magicians can duplicate with their enchantments. They are NOT going to be able to turn dust into lice and this will play a significant role in the lives of God’s people because the Lord will purposefully start to separate His people from their taskmasters around them.

Flowery Branch, GA. Conference Video – 2004

Study Topic: How to Understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ by Mike Vinson

Hello,

First I would like to Thank God with you for the site you have online.
Next, I think I understand most of what you have relayed regarding the off- handed way I had thought the New Testament quoted the old. I just figured that somehow the quotes were perhaps lost through translation.
The one thing I want to ask is about the fulfillment of the prophecies in the O. T. that needed to literally come true, verses the seven seals in Revelation. I was wondering, since some or perhaps all of these things are written in the O. T, such as Daniel, and other prophets, that perhaps they need to physically come true and things such as the rebuilding of the Temple physically in Jerusalem or is it a rebuilding of the body of believers (a temple), and why does the world target those of the Jewish faith? Is this because they are still a target because of The Lord Our God and that the time of the Gentiles has not been fulfilled yet? Well, I have many questions, but I will continue to read on your site. I also want to say Thank you about the info on the Whore that sits on seven hills or mountains. This is what I have concluded also, however, you went into further detail and helped me to understand a few other things.
Thank you!

L____

Hi L____,

Thank you for your questions. You ask:

I was wondering, since some or perhaps all of these things are written in the O. T, such as Daniel, and other prophets, that perhaps they need to physically come true and things such as the rebuilding of the Temple physically in Jerusalem. Or is it a rebuilding of the body of believers (a temple)? Also, why does the world target those of the Jewish faith? Is this because they are still a target because of the Lord our God and that the time of the Gentiles has not been fulfilled yet?

While there is always an outward, physical type and shadow of every spiritual principle, lesson, and message, the primary focus of scripture is never the outward fulfillment but the inward. If Israel had known that one Truth, they would have recognized that Christ, their own Savior, first had to come and die for their inward sins and enemies, before he could come to rule this world outwardly during the millennium.
Here is one little example of how this principle works within the scriptures:

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

That statement was received then as the rebuilding of the temple is received to this very day:

Mat 26:61  And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
Mar 14:58  We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

So will a physical temple be built in Jerusalem? We do not know as of 4/24/11. If ever a physical temple built it will only serve the same purpose that the reestablishing of the physical nation of Israel is serving. The establishing of the physical nation of Israel has served only to take the minds of the masses of Christians off of the true temple of God and off of the true beast, the blasphemous “man of sin” who is sitting in the True temple of God, which is the hearts and minds of His people.

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.
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.

You and I are the true temple of God. You and I have been the “man of sin” who has occupied that temple for so long, serving our own lusts and worshiping ourselves in the process. That is what Paul told the Corinthians, and that is what he had also told these Thessalonians. So he says:

2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

So while we do not know how far our Lord will go in keeping the eyes of mankind on the outward fulfillment of prophecy, what we do know is that if a physical temple is built this will be the truth of that matter:

Act 7:48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

So all the ministers who think that physical Israel is God’s chosen people, will be misled to support something in which God “does not dwell”.
You ask about “the fullness of the Gentiles” and I am going to ask you to read these URL links for your answer to that question:

Rom 11:25  A1512.0    When Is Physical Israel Saved?
http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com/ When_ Is_ Physical_ Israel_ Saved. php
Rom 11:25  A45.0    Those Who Died Under The Old Covenant
http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com/2005071105. php
Rom 11:25  A1513.0    When Will All Israel Be Saved?
http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com/ When_ Israel_ saved. php
Rom 11:25  A1520.0    When Will Physical Israel Be Saved?
http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com/ When_ Will_ Physical_ Israel_ Be_ Saved. php

God bless you as you seek to know Christ and His Father. That is what eternal life is – it is the developing their mind within us.

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

Your brother in our Lord’s service,
Mike