Ezekiel 47:1–23 The Water that Flows from the Temple

[Study Aired Feb 10, 2025]

Introduction

In today’s study, the Lord showed Ezekiel the water emerging from beneath the threshold of the temple, its depth and rise, together with its healing virtue. The study also focuses on the trees growing along the banks of the river and the fruits they produce on a monthly basis.

After this the focus of the study is turned to the inheritance of the people of Israel and the extent of the land the Lord has apportioned to them. The Lord also gave instructions on how strangers dwelling among the people of Israel should be treated regarding the inheritance of the people of Israel.

This water issuing out of the temple, together with the inheritance of the people of Israel apply to us as we look at the spiritual significance of today’s study.

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

The Water flowing from the threshold of the Temple

Eze 47:1  Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. 

Being brought unto the door of the house on a positive note implies having the privilege to be given the treasure of the kingdom of heaven. In other words, it means being given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven or being shown the way to become an overcomer as seen in the story of Naaman when he went to the door of the house of Elisha.

2Ki 5:9  So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
2Ki 5:10  And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 

Gen 43:19  And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

Gen 43:23  And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

The Lord bringing Ezekiel, a type of the Lord’s elect to the door of the house is therefore to let us know the way to become an overcomer. It was at the door that Ezekiel saw waters coming out of the threshold of the house. This water is the truth of the word of the Lord which is able to save us. The house here is the temple where we gather as the Lord’s elect. It is from our gathering together as the church of the firstborn or Jerusalem above that we see this water or the truth of the word of the Lord right at the very beginning of our walk with the Lord in the spirit.

James 1:21 So get rid of all uncleanness and all that remains of wickedness, and with a humble spirit receive the word [of God] which is implanted [actually rooted in your heart], which is able to save your souls. (AMP)

The fact that the water flows from the right side of the house is significant. The right side of the house is the assembly of the elect as shown in the following verses:

Eze 10:3  Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

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

The cherubims represents the Lord’s elect. This water is therefore what every joint supplies to nourish us to grow up unto him in all things.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

The water flowing eastward is to let us know that this water is available to those whom the sun, which represents Christ is rising in their lives. On a positive note, the south side of the altar where the water is coming out of the temple signifies the truth of the word of the Lord which is able to turn again our captivity in Babylon or the churches of this world.

Psa 126:4  Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. 

Jdg 1:15  And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. 

Eze 47:2  Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. 

It is the Lord who leads us through the north gate and around the outer east gate. The north signifies the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh. As indicated, the east refers to the rising of our Lord or the sun within us. We are therefore being told that it is those whom the Lord is establishing His kingdom within them who are being judged. As shown earlier, the right side represents the Lord’s elect. It is the through the Lord’s elect that we are shown the truth of the Lord’s words.

Jer 1:13  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
Jer 1:14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Jer 4:6  Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

Eze 47:3  And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. 

The man having the measuring line is Christ. The man going eastward means the Lord coming to His people to establish His kingdom within them. It is the Lord who brings us through the waters. That means it is the Lord who comes to us with His words. The Lord measuring a thousand cubits (1000 = 10x10x10) of distance is to let us know that it is when our flesh has reached its fulness (significance of the number ten) that our Lord comes to us with His judgement to bring us to spiritual maturity (the significance of the three tens). The water reaching only our ankles signify that at this point of our walk in Christ, we are used only to the milk doctrines of His words, which we are admonished to move on to spiritual maturity through eating the meat of His words.

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

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Eze 47:4  Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. 
Eze 47:5  Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. 

These verses show us that there are stages in our walk with the Lord in truth and in spirit. These stages are defined by a thousand cubits. As explained earlier, the number one thousand consists of three tens (1000 = 10x10x10). The number ten signifies the fulness of our flesh and the number three is about the process of spiritual maturity through judgement. This implies that we become spiritually mature in our walk with the Lord through the Lord’s judgement, as our eyes and ears are opened to understand more of the truth of His words represented here by the rise in the level of water from the ankle to the knee, to the loins, until we cannot walk in the water but swim in it.

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

Swimming in the water means that all our human endeavor has abated and that we are fully resting in the Lord to carry us along in our walk with Him. Our spiritual maturity is therefore defined by our spiritual insight which causes us to become more obedient to His words as we surrender our lives wholly to our Lord.

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

We know from the word of the Lord that we are able to understand the Lord’s eternal power and even the Godhead through the things that are made. This brings to mind what we learnt in Physics class during our schooling days. It is called upthrust or buoyancy and it is defined as an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. This force is what causes us to float in water. The larger the volume of water, the more the upthrust, making it easier to float. This implies that the more we come to understand the mysteries of the kingdom, the more we are given the power to rest in the Lord.

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: 

Eze 47:6  And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. 
Eze 47:7  Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 
Eze 47:8  Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. 
Eze 47:9  And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh. 

The many trees on either side of the bank of the river represent the people of the world who shall be saved by the river that issues out of the temple as the river brings life to wherever it flows. The river flowing into the desert and into the sea, to make the sea fresh is another way of saying that all humanity shall be saved by the word of the Lord since the sea represents the flesh of humanity. Again, the very great multitude of fish also symbolize the people of the world.

Mar 8:24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

1Ch 6:33  Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 

Verses 7 to 9 of Ezekiel 47 therefore show us the salvation of all men through the word of the Lord which shall take place in the lake of fire age.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 

1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.  

Eze 47:10  And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. 
Eze 47:11  But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. 

In verse 10, the fishers standing upon the brink of the river from Engedi even unto Eneglaim represent the Lord’s elect, who shall be the Lord’s vessels to administer the word of the Lord (the river) to all humanity to usher in the salvation of all men during the lake of fire age. Engedi means the fount of the kid and that of Eneglaim means the fountain of two calves. The reference to Engedi and Eneglaim is therefore to let us know that we shall serve as witnesses of the truth of the word of the Lord represented here as a fountain in dragging all humanity to Christ.

It is instructive to note that the miry places and the marishes in verse 11 shall not be healed. The miry places and the marshes represent clay or earth mixed with water. They signify the false doctrines which comes from our traditions and human wisdom. These false doctrines being given to salt means that they shall be burnt out or destroyed from all humanity, as salt can signify the fire of the word of the Lord, as shown in the following verses:

Mar 9:49  For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Deu 29:23  And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

Eze 47:12  And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. 

In verse 12, we are told that the trees shall grow as meat and that they shall bring forth new fruits according to their months as they are nourished by the water that comes forth out of the sanctuary. This is to let us know that in the fulness of time, all humanity shall become like Christ who is the tree of life having the full understanding of the word of the Lord which brings healing to all nations. We find this verse also mentioned in Revelation chapter 22 as we are given additional information of the trees bearing twelve manner of fruits as follows:

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 
Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

The trees bearing twelve manner of fruits is the same as saying that all humanity shall be like Christ, as the number twelve is the number of Christ.

Our Inheritance

Eze 47:13  Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. 
Eze 47:14  And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. 

In these verses, we are dealing with our inheritance as the Lord’s elect. In a positive sense, we are the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph in this case represents our Lord Jesus Christ. It is our Lord Jesus Christ who has been given a double or two portions for being the firstborn of all creation.

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

Deu 21:15  If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:
Deu 21:16  Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:
Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. 

The Lord has assured us of an inheritance as He lifts His hand in verse 14 to make us overcomers. In view of this inheritance which is the joy that is set before us, we are required to endure to the very end, just as our Lord Jesus Christ endured the cross and is sitting on the right hand of the throne of God.

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

Eze 47:15  And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad; 
Eze 47:16  Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran. 
Eze 47:17  And the border from the sea shall be Hazarenan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. 

Here in these verses, we are given the characteristics of our inheritance in Christ. Hethlon means a hiding place. Other names mentioned are Zedad which means a mountain side and Hamath which indicates fortress. These names are all to show us about the surety or safety of our inheritance in Christ. This is what the Lord says about our inheritance which is consistent with these names of the northern boundary of Palestine:

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Other names of the cities on the northern border such as Berothah which means wells and Hazar-enan signifying village of fountain are to show us the availability of water which signifies the word of the Lord which will sustain us in Him. This is the river that proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb to nourish us.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

The surety of our inheritance and the word of the Lord to nourish us is what gives us a double-fold hope which is the meaning of Sibraim, a city also on the northern border of Israel’s inheritance.

Eze 47:18  And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side. 
Eze 47:19  And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward. 
Eze 47:20  The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.

The key cities on the eastern border were Hauran which means cave land and Gilead which indicates a rocky region. The names of these cities are to show us the safety of our inheritance in Christ. The Jordan River serves as the border between Gilead and the land of Israel. Again, this Jordan river on a positive note is the word of the Lord which nourishes us in Him.

The southern border starts from Tamar and continues to the waters of contention or strife at Kadesh. To the people of the world and our brothers and sisters in Babylon, the word of the Lord which nourishes us is contentious or produces strife. That is to say that for those who are dying, the word of God is foolishness but to us, His elect, it is the power of God.

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

The city on the boundary of the western border is Hamath which means fortress. That implies the surety of our inheritance in Christ who is a fortress for us. It is instructive to note that the sea is mentioned as part of each of the borders. This is to remind us of our rule over the flesh of humanity as part of our inheritance. When Joshua was leading the people of Israel in their attack of Jericho, he told the people the following:

Jos 6:16  And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. 

Indeed, the Lord has given us victory over the flesh.

Eze 47:21  So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 
Eze 47:22  And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 
Eze 47:23  And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD. 

Dividing the land according to the tribes of Israel means the Lord calling His elect from all the nations of the world to inherit His promise.

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. 

In verse 22, we are told that our inheritance is by lot. This implies that it is the Lord who has predetermined us for an inheritance. As we are aware, the Lord has selected His overcomers even before the foundation of this world.

Jos 14:2  By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.

Pro 16:33  The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. 

In modern times, this is what Proverbs 16:33 means: we may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. It implies that it is the Lord who has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world to possess an inheritance.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

In verses 22 and 23, strangers sojourning among the people of Israel are also entitled to an inheritance among the people of Israel. The children born by these foreigners among the people of Israel are regarded as part of the people of Israel. We, who are classified as Gentiles by the people of Israel are now no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. We, His elect, are therefore entitled to an inheritance as we represent the spiritual Jews.

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.   

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

We thank the Lord for showing mercy to us to be counted as fellow citizens of the household of God. May His name be praised. Amen!!

Ezekiel 29:1-21 Prophesy Against Egypt

Introduction

[Study Aired August 26, 2024]

Today’s study is about King Pharoah and Egypt. The Lord told Ezekiel to speak His words concerning the impending destruction of Pharoah and also the desolation of the land of Egypt. The chapter also promise a restoration for the Egyptians after forty years and the giving of the land of Egypt by the Lord to Nebuchadnezzar as a reward for the destruction of Tyre. The chapter ends with a promise of the Lord’s goodness to the people of Israel who represents His elect.  

The Prophesy Against Pharoah, the King of Egypt

Eze 29:1  In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 29:2  Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: 
Eze 29:3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. 

The tenth year in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month spiritually suggests that it is when the sins of our flesh have become complete (significance of the number 10) that the Lord (significance of the number 12) comes to us with His word. His coming is the beginning of the judgement of our old man. 

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

Verse 2 shows us that the King of Egypt, Pharoah, is the focus of the Lord’s words. The question is, who does Pharoah signify spiritually?  To answer this, we need to look at what is said about Pharoah in verse 3 which states that the King of Egypt, Pharoah, is the great dragon that lies in the midst of his rivers. In the following verses, the rivers are the same as the deep which refers to the sea:

Isa 44:27  That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

Eze 31:15  Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 

The midst of thy rivers in verse 3 refers to the sea of flesh. The King of Egypt lying in the midst of his rivers therefore means that the King of Egypt or Pharoah is our flesh. Just as we represent Christ and therefore, we can be referred to as Jesus, the children of Satan (Those who live by the flesh) who is the great dragon, can be referred to as the great dragon. Thus, the King of Pharoah is not Satan but represents our flesh or old man who is empowered or influenced by Satan.

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

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? 

Here in verse 3, Pharoah is saying that he has his own river and has made it for himself. The river here is the false doctrines emanating from our flesh, that is, man’s wisdom and traditions, which the devil is using to deceive the whole world.  

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 

Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 
Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 

Eze 29:4  But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. 
Eze 29:5  And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

In view of the sins of our flesh, the Lord comes to us with His judgement. In verse 4, the Lord is saying that He will put hooks in our jaws and will cause the fish of our rivers to stick unto our scales by putting us out of the midst of our rivers. Putting the hooks in our jaws means the Lord will be dragging us. The scales in this case, spiritually indicates the pride of our old man as shown in the following verse:

Job 41:15  His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

The Lord used the phrase “I will make you fishers of men” to refer to those that He will drag to Himself through the apostles. The fish of our rivers in verse 3 therefore refers to us His elect who were dominated by our old man or flesh through the deception of the false doctrine of man’s wisdom and tradition which makes us proud.

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 
Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

In verses 4 and 5, the Lord is saying that He will bring us up out of the midst of our rivers by throwing us into the wilderness where we shall fall into the open fields and not be gathered together. In this situation, we become like meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. As the Lord’s elect, we shall surely be delivered from all the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions. However, verses 4 and 5 show us that the Lord’s deliverance is through an evil experience which starts with the Lord dragging us into the wilderness which represents Babylon or the physical churches of this world where we are starved of the word of the Lord. 

1Sa 3:1  Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. (ESV)

This Babylon is also likened to open fields which means that the churches of this world is part of the world system. At this stage, we, His elect, are not part of the assembly of the church of the firstborn as we have not yet been gathered together with His people as the Lord has promised. 

Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 

During this walk with the Lord in the wilderness or open fields, we are given as meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. The beasts of the field refers to these men who walk in the flesh but parade as apostles of Christ in the churches of this world, deceiving us. This is how the apostles, Peter and Jude, referred to them:

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Jud 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 

As Jesus indicated, the fowls of the heaven signify the devil or evil one when He explained the parable of the sower to His disciples. 

Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 
Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside. 

Being meat to the fowls of the heaven therefore means that we become victims of the devil as every word of the Lord that is shown in our hearts is  taken away.

Eze 29:6  And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 
Eze 29:7  When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. 

In verse 6, the house of Israel here refers to the Lord’s elect. The inhabitants of Egypt signify all those who walk according to worldly principles of man’s wisdom and tradition which we were being fed with when we were in the churches of this world. It also means all those who are dominated by the flesh. Verse 6 shows us that walking in the flesh is likened to a staff of reed or an unreliable walking stick. The verse is therefore telling us that as the Lord’s elect (house of Israel), we shall come to see that we cannot rely on our walk in the flesh or worldly principles before Him. 

Verse 7 shows us the unreliability of our flesh in serving the Lord. When we depends on our flesh or the worldly wisdom and traditions of this world, we are going to be disappointed. The verse likens our walk in the flesh as walking with a stick which when we use, it splinters and tear up our shoulders and when we lean on, it breaks and wrench our backs. All of this is showing us that there is no good thing in our flesh or our old man when it comes to serving the Lord.

Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 
Rom 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. 

As we can see from Romans 7:24-25, when we are under the control of our old man or flesh, we are wretched, poor and blind until the Lord Jesus Christ comes to us with His judgement. 

The Benefits of the Judgment of the Lord

Eze 29:8  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cutoff man and beast out of thee. 
Eze 29:9  And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. 
Eze 29:10  Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. 
Eze 29:11 No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 

Verse 8 is shows us the way the Lord comes to deal with us to destroy our old man or flesh – by  coming to us with His judgement. The Lord’s judgement in this case is the sword which He uses to cut off man and beast from our lives. The man and beast here refers to the beast within manor our flesh, which the Lord deals with through the spirit of His mouth (sword) and His brightness.

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

The land of Egypt in verse 9 refers to our bodies when we are under the dominion of the flesh. In such a state, we are just like anybody pursuing the things of this world. As indicated earlier, the rivers in verse 9 symbolize the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions of this world. These rivers are what sustain Egypt or Babylon. At the time of Jacob and his sons, Egypt represents Babylon. Here in verses 9 and 10, the Lord has promised to come and judge our old man or body (the land of Egypt) together with destruction of her rivers which is the false doctrines. The land of Egypt becoming desolate and waste implies that nothing can grow on the land since there is no water or river to nourish the land. Since the land is our bodies, the Lord’s judgment ensures that our old man or flesh together with the false doctrines in our heavens are destroyed, paving the way for the birth and growth of our new man created after the image of Christ.

It is instructive to note that in verse 11, we are told that the land shall not be inhabited for forty years and that no foot of man or the foot of beast shall pass through it. The number forty signifies the period of our fiery trial or judgement. 

Gen 7:4  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Gen 7:17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

As the Lord’s elect, our period of judgment lasts until our last breadth. This implies that during this period of our lives as we are being judged by the Lord in this life, our land shall not be inhabited by any beast or man. That is to say that our old man or flesh shall be put to death and shall not have any influence in our lives again. 

Psa 119:67  Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Psa 119:71  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. 

Psa 119:75  I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  

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

Eze 29:12  And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 
Eze 29:13 Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: 

As indicated earlier, Egypt also refers to Babylon. The Lord making Egypt the most desolate country in the world means that the Lord shall destroy Babylon within us through His judgment of our old man. The forty years represents the period we are being judged in this life. 

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. 

Outwardly, the Lord shall judge Babylon in the fulness of time.

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.

In verse 13, we are being assured that the Lord’s judgment of Babylon will result in the saving of our brothers and sisters in Babylon as they will be gathered together after a symbolic forty years. 

Eze 29:14  And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom. 
Eze 29:15 It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. 

These verses continue to assure us that the Lord’s judgement of Babylon shall result in restoration as He brings again the captivity of Egypt. As indicated, Egypt represented Babylon at a certain stage of the Lord’s people and therefore the Egyptians represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon of which we were part of when we were in the churches of this world, conforming to its worldly standards. In verse 14, the Lord is saying that the Egyptians shall possess their land. This implies that the Lord’s judgement shall result in the possession of their soul just as the people of Israel, the Lord’s elect, shall possess their bodies and offer them as living sacrifices to the Lord. However, as stated in verse 14 and 15, our brothers and sisters in Babylon shall not be given to rule the nations as they shall be the basest of the kingdoms. As stated in verse 15, they shall no more rule over the nations. It is only the Lord’s elect who are given to rule the nations of this world as they overcome the flesh or old man through the Lord’s judgment in this age. 

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.

Eze 29:16  And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 

A simpler rendition of this verse is as follows:

Eze 29:16  The nation of Israel will never trust Egypt again. The people of Israel will remember how wrong they were whenever they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Almighty LORD.'” (GW)

The house of Israel in verse 16 refers to the Lord’s elect. As the Lord’s elect, we shall not have confidence in the flesh which is the hallmark of all those who walk in the flesh who are symbolically represented by Egypt. As the Lord takes us though His judgment to destroy our old man or flesh, we shall come to remember how wrong we were when depended on our flesh or have confidence in our flesh. At the end of the day, this process of the Lord’s judgment will cause us to know who the Lord really is as we come to have the mind of Christ.

Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 
Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 
Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 
Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 
Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

The Reward for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

Eze 29:17  And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 

The first day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year when the Lord came to Ezekiel is very significant. The number one symbolizes that everything is from the Lord. The number twenty-seven is used in the Bible to signify the visiting of the Lord with His goodness after His judgment. This is made clear in the following verses:

Gen 8:14  And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried (after the flood).

2Ki 25:27  And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;   

This implies that the word of the Lord spoken to Ezekiel on the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year, is to show us the goodness of the Lord as He comes to visit us after we have gone through His judgment.

Eze 29:18  Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: 
Eze 29:19  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. 
Eze 29:20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD. 

These verses show us the goodness of the Lord which is extended to all His creation, even people who do not know Him. In verses 18 to 20, the Lord is saying that He is a rewarder even to the people of this world that He uses to judge us. Here the Lord is rewarding the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar  with the land and people of Egypt for sending him to conquer Tyre. Seeing that our Lord is a rewarder, we are assured that He will surely come to us with His reward!! Faithful is He who has called us!! 

Heb 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 

Spiritually, the verses also show us how the Lord is rewarding our brothers and sisters in Babylon even for the work that He has given to them – to keep the multitude from coming to know Him in this age.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

If we look around, we can see how the Lord has given to the churches of this world, the wealth of this world (Egypt) even for this evil work that they are doing. 

Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city (Babylon), 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, 

Eze 29:21  In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

In this verse, the Lord is telling us that He has not forgotten His elect and that He will cause us to be strong in Him through what He gives to us through what every joint supplies. That is what will guarantee our reward in the fulness of time as we come to know Him.  Knowing this, we can clearly see that our labor shall be rewarded even in this life and in another age. However, what we receive here in this life is only a down payment for the real riches that awaits us.

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 
Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

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. 

May the Name of the Lord be praised!! Amen!! 

The Book of Joshua – Part 19, Chapters 23–24

‘We, coming from behind such a great cloud of witnesses’ – Heb 12:1-2

[Study Aired July 8, 2023]

The Book of Joshua’s profound theme, most sternly emphasised from the beginning to its end, admonishes us to keep all the Lord’s commandments. As incredibly patient as He is for our frail frame, persisting in failing to do all His words will guarantee an Elect chastisement. As Achan and others discovered, Old Israel didn’t seem to be blessed with the Lord putting up with even short-term non-compliance. Old Israel’s chastisements were physical. While ours can and often are physical chastisements, they mostly deal to us spiritual blindness.

The overview of these last two chapters of Joshua reminds Israel to remember all the Lord told them to observe before coming into possession of the land. He designed Israel’s inattention and forgetfulness as exsamples for our learning. The Body of Christ is most blessed to have such a multitude of witnesses going before us for our expected attention, not to repeat His first wife’s failures.  

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

Every aspect of the Old Testament is replicated spiritually in the New, and even a budding Christ can easily see the physical fundamental representations of the spiritual. The charges Joshua gives young Israel to remember by keeping all the Lord’s words are foundational and easily understood, as any loving father establishes in his early teenage ‘daughter’. 

To obtain the most from Joshua’s book, I suggest a combined reading of this study with Ato Barne’s wonderful studies in the book of Numbers.

Joshua’s Charge to Israel’s Leaders

Jos 23:1 And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. 
Jos 23:2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
Jos 23:3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. 
Jos 23:4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. 
Jos 23:5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.
Jos 23:6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; 
Jos 23:7 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: 
Jos 23:8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day. 
Jos 23:9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. 
Jos 23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. 
Jos 23:11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. 
Jos 23:12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: 
Jos 23:13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 
Jos 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. 
Jos 23:15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 
Jos 23:16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you. 

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

Jos 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 
Jos 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 
Jos 24:3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. 
Jos 24:4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 
Jos 24:5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. 
Jos 24:6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. 
Jos 24:7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. 
Jos 24:8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you. 
Jos 24:9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: 
Jos 24:10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. 
Jos 24:11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. 
Jos 24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. 
Jos 24:13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Choose Whom You Will Serve

Jos 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 
Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 
Jos 24:16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 
Jos 24:17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
Jos 24:18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. 
Jos 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 
Jos 24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 
Jos 24:21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. 
Jos 24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 
Jos 24:23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 
Jos 24:24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. 
Jos 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 
Jos 24:26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 
Jos 24:27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. 
Jos 24:28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance. 

Joshua’s Death and Burial

Jos 24:29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 
Jos 24:30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah [Timnath-heres], which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. 
Jos 24:31  And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. 
Jos 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. 
Jos 24:33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim. 

The Research:

Joshua’s Charge to Israel’s Leaders

Jos 23:1 And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old [85 years old upon crossing the Jordan, and now, 110 ] and stricken in age. 
Jos 23:2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
Jos 23:3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. 
Jos 23:4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. 
Jos 23:5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.
Jos 23:6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

As secondary school children do and are full of chatter when boarding the bus for a wilderness trip to camp, the last farewells by parents are returned with kisses goodbye and hurried smiles, only to forget parental concerns about disbanding youthful lusts and keeping hands to themselves ~ until that girl or guy sparkles their eyes. We know from historical evidence that Israel’s neighbors did sparkle her eyes.

Israel’s ‘father’, Joshua, did likewise with her. His old age represents our white-haired Lord who has gone before us all these years, killing our enemies within us. He has called the elders, who today represent the Bride of Christ, before the Camp of Israel who, in our time, preach a different Jesus ‘westward’ toward the great sea of humanity. With a holy kiss, He charged His Bride to be very courageous and walk in all His commandments, and, of course, we can because His spirit is with us.

Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [the Church] one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 
Rev 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 

Jos 23:7 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods [Eph 5:12… ‘it’s a shame to speak of those things which are done of them done in secret’], nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: 
Jos 23:8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day. 
Jos 23:9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. 
Jos 23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. 
Jos 23:11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. 
Jos 23:12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: 
Jos 23:13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 

Of course, and by our Lord’s design, looking over the fence to supposedly greener pastures is precisely what we do; we must go into Babylon to experience her insidious riches; we must experience what physical opulence promises only to have it burned out of us; we must experience unclean flesh to know the spirit.

To know the light, we must experience darkness until we lurch like a drunken man and die from our lusts (Num 11:31-35 re: quails) to repeatedly return to our Lord.

Jer 29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; 
Jer 29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 
Jer 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. 

Upon coming out of Babylon, the following is only one broadly based “fundamental” New Covenant rendition of what Joshua said:

Walk in Love

Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 
Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 
Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 
Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 
Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 
Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 
Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 
Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 
Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Jos 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth [representing Christ’s death]: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. 
Jos 23:15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
Jos 23:16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you. 

What a classic statement! “When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God.” There it is, the expectation! The Lord designed corruptible flesh to naturally seek itself so that when we inevitably fail, we will call on Him. ‘Perishing quickly’ for the Lord’s Elect is a positive and learned joy. His people are the anointed cherubs, not Satan, who was created a murderer from the beginning (Jo 8:44).

Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets [timbrel, tambourine] and of thy pipes [groove, socket, hole, cavity, settings a. technical term relating to jeweller’s work] was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

Jehovah, the God of the old covenant and our Lord Christ, is represented as Joshua in the following verses summarising all the phenomenal benefits he has performed for Israel. Fifteen verses down, the Lord asks Israel to choose “this day” whom they wish to serve, the gods of the amorites or the gods of the people on the other side of the Euphrates. One would think that is a proverbial ‘no-brainer’, yet, as we are historically prophesied, we will do precisely the same as fickle Israel and chop and change who we serve subject to the level of pleasure or pain.

Jos 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 
Jos 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood [flooded Jordan River] in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor [= snorting]: and they served other gods.
Jos 24:3 And I [Jehovah represented by Joshua] took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. 
Jos 24:4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau [good and evil]: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 
Jos 24:5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. 
Jos 24:6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. 
Jos 24:7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
Jos 24:8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
Jos 24:9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam [ the son of Beor to curse you: 
Jos 24:10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam, [= not of the people. 1. the son of Beor, a man endowed with the gift of prophecy]; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

Much later, Nehemiah reminded Israel (Neh 13) of Balaam’s dedication to promoting himself as a prophet in Israel. We remember with amusement the hilarious story of Balaam’s angry conversation with his donkey while on his way to curse Israel (Num 22) when his ass could see the Lord’s angel with his sword drawn, but Balaam, for some time, couldn’t. That story beautifully depicts our blindness before coming out of Babylon, after which we learn to feel blessed to be killed by our Lord’s spiritual sword.

Jos 24:11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. 
Jos 24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. 
Jos 24:13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Choose Whom You Will Serve

Jos 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood [the Euprates], or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Jos 24:16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 

The absurdity of that verse initially makes us laugh, yet, our smirk is short-lived since we easily equate our serving other gods.

Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jer 29:12 Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 
Jer 29:13 And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jos 24:17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
Jos 24:18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. 
Jos 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 
Jos 24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 
Jos 24:21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. 
Jos 24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 
Jos 24:23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 
Jos 24:24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. 
Jos 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 
Jos 24:26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 
Jos 24:27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. 
Jos 24:28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance. 

Joshua’s Death and Burial

Jos 24:29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

Upon crossing the Jordan, Joshua was 85 years old, and it only took 25 years of the Lord’s strength and Israel’s learning trust in their Lord to conquer their inheritance. For Israel and us, it means a double witness between our Lord and us 2 x 20 (+ 5) of whom we will choose as God – Him, or our gods and the subsequent inevitable chastisement and repentance to develop our faith, represented by the number 5. That coming chastisement is also prophesied in multiples of five (5 x 5 =25). The other positive effects of the number 5 are numerous and represented 345 times in scripture. A major one is that all aspects of the Temple’s construction, which symbolizes the Lord’s Elect, are in 5’s or multiples of 5’s.

Exo 26:3 The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.
Exo 26:26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 
Exo 26:27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.

Many more examples of the importance of grace through chastising faith and our Lord measuring our Temple within can be seen in other elements of the Temple’s construction in Exodus 26 to 38. 

Of course, 50 represents our liberty (Jubilee) upon our Lord’s completion of our refinement in the furnace of affliction so that we, too, can proclaim liberty to our brothers and sisters in the final stages of the Lake of Fire.

Jos 24:30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah [Timnath-heres = portion of the sun or abundant portion], which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash [ga’-ash = quaking]. 
Jos 24:31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. 

Likewise, our Babylonian brothers and sisters of the entire world will serve us, first by the rulership under the rod of iron in the One Thousand-Year reign, since we figuratively outlived Christ’s death on the cross. They will similarly learn of all the works of the Lord in our flesh to be elevated to the high office under Christ.

Jos 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem [Shechem = back or shoulder], in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor [Hamor = he-ass] the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. 
Jos 24:33 And Eleazar [Eleazar = God has helped] the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas [Phinehas = mouth of brass] his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim. 

The Old Covenant resulted in blessings or curses by the hard ‘mouth of brass’ through the works of the law. If the Israelites did as they said, “The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey” that obedience always resulted in the fatness and riches of the land. Failure to diligently obey the Lord resulted in all kinds of wretched curses.

Deu 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 
Deu 11:27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 
Deu 11:28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 

The Lord’s purpose has never changed. It began with his first wife’s fickle examples before crossing the Jordan, and today spiritually with his Bride, ‘if we hear his voice’.

Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Since our Lord’s redemptive work on the cross, our yoke is incredibly light compared to ancient Israel’s since we have God’s spirit to intercede and provide our strength to resist evil if we ask.

Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

We can easily see that the book of Joshua is fundamental: milk and honey are instructions for young Israel who represents us when we are dragged out of Babylon.

Our Lord is gracious, tender and kind to His lovely ‘girl’ he found in her blood in the field of the world, enjoying every moment of her development into becoming the breathtaking beauty He has for Himself today.

This completes the study series in the book of Joshua. Amen.

Exodus 2:1–25 When She saw him that he was a Goodly Child, She hid him Three Months

[Study Aired March 14, 2022]

Exo 2:1  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 
Exo 2:2  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 
Exo 2:3  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. 
Exo 2:4  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 
Exo 2:5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 
Exo 2:6  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 
Exo 2:7  Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 
Exo 2:8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 
Exo 2:9  And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 
Exo 2:10  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. 
Exo 2:11  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 
Exo 2:12  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 
Exo 2:13  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 
Exo 2:14  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 
Exo 2:15  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. 
Exo 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 
Exo 2:17  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 
Exo 2:18  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? 
Exo 2:19  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. 
Exo 2:20  And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. 
Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 
Exo 2:22  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. 
Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 
Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 
Exo 2:25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

The previous chapter deals with the Israelites undergoing hard labor in Egypt and Pharaoh charging all his people to cast the sons born to the Hebrew women into the river but sparing every daughter born. As we indicated, a son represents the elect, and a daughter signifies the church – the physical churches of this world or Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all. Pharaoh here denotes the devil or the beast within, and Pharaoh’s people here are the false apostles and deceitful workers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was during this circumstance of the Israelites that Moses was born to a Levite couple as follows:

Exo 2:1  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 
Exo 2:2  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 

These verses talk about our predestination. It is significant to know that Moses’ birth was accomplished through two Levites. As we are aware, it is through the Levites that there is the priesthood and the work of the tabernacle in the wilderness. If Moses had been born outside the tribe of Levi, Moses would not have been qualified to act as an intermediary between God and the people of Israel. This is all to show us the fact that before the world began, we had been called and chosen just like Moses.

Our backgrounds and all that we have gone through to date, are all the Lord’s design to bring us to an expected end. This should give us the confidence that our Lord oversees our circumstances and will bring to pass that which is written of us according to His books. It is therefore not what we can do, but what the Lord will do for us!! All we must do is believe in Jesus whom our Father has sent!!

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Psa 139:13  For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother’s womb.
Psa 139:14  I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.
Psa 139:15  My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 
Psa 139:16  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.
Psa 139:17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

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

The fact that the parents saw Moses was a goodly child when he was born is all to confirm the called and chosen status of Moses who represents the elect. His parents hiding him for three months is to let us know that even though we are called and chosen, it is through the process of judgment that we become spiritually mature or complete. Hiding Moses for three months also means that our status as the Lord’s elect and the process we go through to become His Christ are all hidden from the world, including the churches of this world. In short, the world would never know us as we are hidden in the Lord’s quiver until that day, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ!!

Isa 49:2  and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me: and he hath made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he kept me close:

Exo 2:3  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
Exo 2:4  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

These verses are to show us how we should walk here on earth as the Lord’s elect. We must live above or insulate ourselves from the river of Egypt which consists of the water of this world and that of the physical churches of this world. The water of this world consists of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life and rudiments of this world. That which is of the physical churches of this world is the false doctrines of man’s wisdom.

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

Col 2:8  Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

Just as the mother of Moses ensured that Moses was kept afloat on the river Nile, the role of the church is to help us all stay above the waters of this world and that of Babylon through what every joint supplies. Verse 4 shows us that Moses’ sister was at hand to give a helping hand so that Moses is not drawn in the river. This is also to emphasize the role of the church in helping us live for Christ. Moses’ sister also represents all the fleshly assistance or provision that the Lord has made available to the elect in this life.

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

On a positive note, this river represents the word of the Lord. When we are children in Christ or have just started our walk with Christ (represented by Moses being a child), we only float on the surface and are confined to the brink of the water which represents the letter of the word. We are not given to know the spiritual reality of the word of Christ. In that case, Moses’ sister negatively represents Babylon whose role is to confine us to the letter of the word.

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Exo 2:5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

As indicated in the comments on the previous verses, the river of Egypt has also a positive connotation of being the word of Christ. It is in this river that the daughter of Pharaoh goes down to wash. The daughter of Pharaoh here stands for the New Jerusalem or Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all, and we are cleansed or washed by the river of life. The maidens walking by the river side lets us know that we are called to the lost house of Israel or Babylon to fetch them from floating on the river surface or living at the brink of the river.

Mat 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Exo 2:6  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 

One of the qualities the Lord is inculcating in us in this life is having compassion for others. This was the quality that enabled the daughter of Pharaoh to make Moses her son. This is what the Lord has to say to us about this:

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

Exo 2:7  Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 
Exo 2:8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 

As indicated earlier, on a positive note, Moses’ sister is a symbol of all the fleshly assistance or provision that the Lord has made available to the elect in this life so that we end up in Pharaoh’s house or the New Jerusalem. The same is true of Moses’ mother.

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Exo 2:9  And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

Before we end up in the King’s house or in the New Jerusalem, we, the elect, are taken care of by the physical fleshly churches of this world symbolized by Moses’ mother.  A significant fact about this is that this caretaker role of Babylon regarding the elect is not free. The churches receive wages as indicated by Pharaoh’s daughter giving wages to Moses’ mother to take care of Moses. As we know, freely we have received and freely must we give. However, that is not what happens in the churches. Every service offered must be paid for. As the Lord said, they have received their reward already!!

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 

Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Exo 2:10  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Moses’ life in Egypt is recounted as part of Stephen’s speech when he was brought before the council to answer the false charges brought against him. Thus, to understand these verses, there is the need to put the account by Stephen side by side to this Exodus account as they reveal certain details not found in the Exodus account. This is Stephen’s account:

Act 7:21  And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 
Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

On a negative note, we grow up in Egypt learning all the wisdom of this world or Egypt and become mighty in words and in deeds thinking we hold our destiny in this life in our own hands. However, we are no match to the devil or the beast within.

On a positive note, we are rescued from the river of Egypt and brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter who signifies the New Jerusalem. Also positive, the wisdom of the Egyptians that we learn is the wisdom the Lord has given us in this world, which is the fear of the Lord. Through this fear of the Lord which becomes our portion through the word of Christ, we become mighty in opposing the works of darkness in our lives.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Exo 2:11  And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 
Exo 2:12  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

Stephen’s account of these verses is as follows:

Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 
Act 7:24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 
Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

The statement in Exodus chapter 2 verse 11 that it was when Moses had grown that he went out unto his brethren lets us know that it was when Moses was forty years that he visited the Israelites knowing that God had called him to deliver them from the hands of the Egyptians. Moses being forty years was significant because forty in the negative context symbolizes the period in our lives where we manifest the works of the flesh.

1Sa 17:4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 

1Sa 17:16  And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

This is all to let us know that even while we were manifesting the works of the flesh, our Lord had penciled us out to be the source of salvation for many. The Egyptian smiting the Hebrew here signifies the old man or the beast’s dominance over us. Moses slaying the Egyptian is another way of saying that one of the heads of the beast within was wounded to death. Hiding the body of the Egyptian in the sand is to let us know the temporariness of the wound meted out to the beast within. This deadly wound heals, and we are back to square one. This narrative is also to make us aware that Moses was relying on his own fleshly strength (signified by forty years) to deal with the beast within and all his efforts were in vain as we shall see the story unfold. However, it is the work of the Lord to deal with the beast within permanently on our behalf. As indicated earlier, all we have to do in this battle against the flesh is to believe in Jesus whom the Father has sent!!

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? 

Exo 2:13  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 
Exo 2:14  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 

These two verses show us the fiery word of the Lord which set into motion our (Moses’) exit from Egypt. Our exit from the world to start serving the Lord is not achieved by our own decision at ease. We all rush to leave because of tribulation and persecution of the word of Christ.

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

The second day that Moses went to visit the Israelites served as a witness to confirm to Him that the Lord had indeed made him a deliverer, that is, prince and a judge over the Israelites as spoken by the Israelite who was striving with his neighbor.

Act 7:27  But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

This verse affirms to us the reward awaiting us!! Indeed, when this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, we shall become rulers with Christ. Later in the lake of fire age, we shall sit on thrones to judge the whole 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.

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.

Exo 2:15  Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

As we indicated, Pharoah here represents the beast within, and Moses signifies the saints or the elect. It is when the deadly wound of the beast (the killing of the Egyptian) is healed that he makes war with the saints to overcome them.

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 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

It is significant to know that Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to the land of Midian. Midian means ‘strife’. Thus, our long, drawn-out war or strife with the beast does not stop when we leave Egypt or the world. Rather, our leaving Egypt signals the intensity of this strife. It is also insightful to know that when Moses went to the land of Midian, he sat down by a well of water. Our refuge in these times of strife is Christ or the word of Christ. That is what will ensure our victory over Pharaoh (the beast)!!

Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Exo 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.

This is the second time that a priest is named who is not an Israelite. The first one was in Genesis where Abraham met Melchizedek, and this priest of Midian is the second one. This second priest, who became the father-in-law of Moses, is a witness to us that our Lord’s plan of salvation includes us, the gentile, right from the very onset. It is also to let us know that the Lord will save all humanity as He always starts with few people (the nation of Israel) and through these few people (Israel), extends His salvation to cover all nations.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

The seven daughters represent the complete churches of this world. The verse here talks about the role of the church. That is, to draw water to quench the thirst of our father’s flock. As we are aware, the water is the word of Christ and our role is to give the flock the water of the word.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Exo 2:17  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 

These shepherds signify pastors and leaders of the physical churches of this world called Babylon. Instead of helping quench the thirst of the flock with the word of Christ, which is able to save us, they rather prevent the flock from accessing the living water. This is what the Lord Jesus had to say about these shepherds:

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. 
Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 

Mat 23:13  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Again, this is what Peter and Jude had to say about these shepherds:

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 
Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 
Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 
Jud 1:13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Moses symbolizes the elect. After escaping from Egypt or the world, we had so much zeal to help quench the thirst of the churches as we saw Moses help water the flock of the seven daughters and stood up against the shepherds. In this case, our zeal was without knowledge as we had not yet had an encounter with the Lord, just like Moses. In Babylon, we begin to see that these shepherds are not doing the right things and so we stand up against them. In the fullness of time, however, this standing up against these shepherds will facilitate our exit from Babylon.

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 
Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 
Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 

Exo 2:18  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
Exo 2:19  And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
Exo 2:20  And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

Moses here is described as an Egyptian, as he was likely wearing an Egyptian cloth. This Egyptian cloth is the world’s standard of righteousness based on the law. In another perspective, what these seven daughters, who represent the churches of this world, said about Moses being an Egyptian is to let us know how the churches regard us. They think the Lord’s elect are spiritually dead as being an Egyptian means being of the world.

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.

The father of the seven daughters, Reuel, in these verses signifies Christ who is inviting us to come and eat bread, which is His words immediately after leaving Egypt. Unfortunately, because at that stage of our walk we have not had an encounter with the Lord to know His voice, we are not able to decipher between the true word of the Lord and false doctrines of man’s wisdom. In our hunger, we come into the churches of this world imbibing all the false doctrines given to us.

Exo 2:21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
Exo 2:22  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

On a positive note, as Christ comes to dwell in us, His gift to us is the body of Christ or the church of the first born, which is represented here by Zipporah who was given to Moses as wife. It is through the church that we can give birth to the new man in us who is after the image of Christ. It is the birth of this new man in us that we come to see that indeed, we are strangers here on earth.

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

Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

If we are called and chosen, then in the fullness of time the king of Egypt, signifying one of the horns of the beast within, will be uprooted. However, we continue to be under the dominance of the beast within. This verse is to let us know, therefore, that the death of the old man is a process and during this period of being under the burden of sin, we groan. The good news is that in all of this, our Lord hears our groaning which means He is working out a great deliverance on our behalf.

2Ki 20:5  Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.

Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Exo 2:25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

The Lord hearing their groaning and remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is another way of saying that because He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, we should be holy and without blame, He hears our cry of desperation from bondage to sin.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

In verse 25, it is stated that the Lord looked upon the Israelites and had respect for them. A better rendition of this verse is:

Exo 2:25  and because he knew what was happening to his people, he felt sorry for them. (CEV)

Our Lord feels what we go through. To be our High Priest, He experienced all that we were to go through first except sin, so that He can be merciful to us as we strive under the burden of sin.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 88

“The River and the banks”

October 7, 2015

Up until this point, we’ve been studying Genesis and Exodus and the various mentioning of the word “hand” or “hands” so that we could learn more about how the Lord works His will into our lives.

In our last study, we saw that God takes seriously His commands to keep His commandments and also where it is He dwells. We saw that the Lord calls Moses, typifying Christ, to the top of the mountain and also sends Moses forth from the mountain top to deliver His will to the people of Israel.

Clouds were used to show the connection between where it is God’s true body dwells and what role the people of God have in delivering His message.

In the study today, we are going to a see another analogy of who we are in Christ but also addressing the same topic of who we are in Christ Jesus and what is expected of us as His body.

Willingly Offering

The focus of the study today is going to come from the first few verses of Exodus 25.

Exo 25:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 25:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
Exo 25:3  And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 25:4  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Exo 25:5  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
Exo 25:6  Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
Exo 25:7  Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
Exo 25:8  And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9  According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Act 7:47  But Solomon built him an house.
Act 7:48  Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
Act 7:49  Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Act 7:50  Hath not my hand made all these things?
Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

One of the most often mis-understood and confusing topics in all of the bible is the doctrine of free will. In the verses we just read, God clearly has inspired for it to be pointed out that it indeed is HIS HANDS that make “all these things”. We covered last study that the NO ONE has seen the Father’s shape nor heard His voice, so the conclusion is obvious that the Lord MUST be using means to “make all these things” that we do not fully grasp nor see on the surface.

Exo 25:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 25:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

In Exodus 25 today, we start out by the Lord telling Moses to tell the people that they are to bring an offering, but the offering must be willingly. This may seem odd considering all throughout scripture we learn and know that the Lord’s will is sovereign over all. So, how are we to understand how the Lord can command that the Israelites give and offering willingly?

There are many examples I could use, but I will refer again to Acts 7.

Act 7:22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Act 7:23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

Before all of the book of Exodus ever transpired, it suddenly came into the heart of Moses to visit the children of Israel. How do you suppose it came into his heart to do this? If your supposition is that this is an act of God, then you’d be correct, but then one must wonder if this happens with the children of God today?

Do we get seemingly random ideas and thoughts which will be acted upon one way or another either with action or by ignoring them? Hopefully this study will bring an answer to that question.

After it “comes into Moses heart” to visit his brethren, we continue to see how Stephen expounds to the audience what God’s manifest will was for all of those involved.

Act 7:25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

It is revealed to us that even Moses understood that God uses symbology to show what He is going to do with His people.

Act 7:35  This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

Moses, like Christ and His body, are refused initially by those they are sent to and this is all a part of the great mystery. I am here to witness to you today that YOU are the body of Christ and have all His power in you, and you are “this Moses” who will be used to rescue all of God’s creation.

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

I am building upon the concept that there is a hidden message all over scripture that tells us what we are to do and BELIEVE about “free will” and how God works His will in all of creation while at the same time creating in us the ability to choose and to have our own will within the confines of being caused to do all things according to His will.

Act 7:44  Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Act 7:45  Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
Act 7:46  Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of   Jacob.
Act 7:47  But Solomon built him an house.

If we consider that it suddenly came into Moses’ heart to visit the children of Israel, and that there was a desire placed “in those” who desire to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob, then we will be able to start to see how an offer “willingly” can be made.

To show the sovereignty of God in all things, I am going to read a little more out of the book of Acts and then show how it is we can all be deceived and blinded BEFORE being given sight.

Stephen just witnessed that those “in the wilderness” were given a tabernacle of witness, the same tabernacle which is being talked about starting in Exodus 25.

Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Act 7:52  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Act 7:53  Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Act 7:54  When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
Act 7:55  But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
Act 7:56  And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Act 7:57  Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
Act 7:58  And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
Act 7:59  And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Act 7:60  And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Who is the cause of being stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears? Who is the cause of someone always resisting the Holy Ghost?

“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart,” has a root source and that source is God the Father. Likewise, when the heavens are opened up it is due to the Lord causing a person to be in a position to “look stedfastly into heaven”. Stephen called this “seeing the heavens opened”.

Here within this very story is an example of God causing deception to happen to this very day.

Act 7:55  But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

G816
atenizō
Total KJV Occurrences: 23
stedfastly, 6
Act_1:10, Act_6:15, Act_7:55, Act_14:9, 2Co_3:7, 2Co_3:13
looked, 4
Luk_22:56, Act_1:10, Act_7:55, Act_10:4
earnestly, 3
Luk_22:56, Act_3:12, Act_23:1
beholding, 2
Act_14:9, Act_23:1
fastened, 2
Luk_4:20, Act_11:6
look, 2
Act_3:12, 2Co_3:13
behold, 1
2Co_3:7
fastening, 1
Act_3:4
looking, 1
Act_6:15
set, 1
Act_13:9

Act 10:4  And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

Act 23:1  And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

Act 6:15  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

Act 11:6  UponG1519 the whichG3739 when I had fastened mine eyes,G816 I considered,G2657 andG2532 sawG1492 fourfooted beastsG5074 of theG3588 earth,G1093 andG2532 wild beasts,G2342 andG2532 creeping things,G2062 andG2532 fowlsG4071 of theG3588 air.G3772

When Stephen “looked into heaven” the original Greek does not say he looked up. It says he looked stedfastly.

Act 7:55  But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
Act 7:56  And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

It may not seem like much, but that word up creates a certain solidification on the doctrine of “heaven and hell” being what orthodox Christianity says it is versus heaven BEING within YOU.

Where the River flows

You’ve probably picked up by now that God does a lot of dealing with “the heart” of the human race He has created. From the mighty to the weak, God directs the flow of the heart like the blood flowing to it from the blood vessels that traverse in and out of it.

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.

A river’s banks are very important to keeping the flow of the river going in the direction that it is intended to go. The banks of a river are often completely over looked due to the water that is flowing between them. However, without the banks of the river containing the water flowing between them, the results could be disastrous such as the many examples of horrendous floods happening throughout history.

Who then established the banks of the river? Who sends the water that FORMS the banks that contain that water?

The more water in the river the more formed the banks are.

There is a river that is so very important to all of humanity, but only a relative few have ever been given to know its importance. Knowing of and about this river is knowing the mind and will of God and knowing Life itself and also being able to grasp the who, what, when and where of this doctrine of “free will”.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

A willing heart is one that has been left desolate by the understanding that it does not understand anything. How is it that God the Father can tell us all things are worked out according to His will and then tell us we must choose this day whom we will serve? How can we choose anything if God is already working it?

I’ll answer that question with a question and then with scripture. How are the banks of a river formed? They are formed BECAUSE there is a river of water moving through them. Resist the water and the bank is destroyed and formed again. Willingly submit to the flow of the water and the bank is maintained.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

We are willing participants not because we have a free will but because we have already started to give an account of what the Lord is and has done in our lives. Fruit from the tree of life stands upon the banks that we are and feeds upon the water that flows between us.

Understanding that God is sovereign above all things is not enough, but understanding that God is sovereign above all things, AND has given us all things, helps us to understand what our part is in His kingdom.

We have been given all things to glorify and point out His sovereignty over all.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

My challenge to you all is to pray fervently that the Lord allow us all to be that Holy Jerusalem and to be the workman who descend out of heaven with the glory of God, like Moses and Jesus Christ, representing the power that we have ALL been given.

In the next study we are going to continue to build upon the premise of the offering that the Lord tells us to willingly offer.

We are to be teachers of His Word, works and will and to teach we must first DO. The true example is in the DOING.

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Exo 25:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
Exo 25:3  And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 25:4  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,

Exo 35:30  And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
Exo 35:31  And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
Exo 35:32  And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
Exo 35:33  And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
Exo 35:34  And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
Exo 35:35  Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

Video Links

Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Introduction

Who is this “river of life”? Who is this “tree of life”? And when do we “see the face of God”? We will see in our study today that this river of life is within you and me at this very moment, if Christ is in us. We will see that the tree of life is within you and me today, if Christ is in us today. And we will learn that if we “see Christ” and “know Christ”, then we see and know His Father.
There are no chapter breaks in the original Greek. This last chapter is simply a continuation of the description of “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”.
Last week we saw that this it is through this “foursquare” city with her 12 gates, and with the number 12 stamped all over it, that the glory of the nations of all time will, “in their own order,… come into this great city the holy Jerusalem”.

Rev 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Rev 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
Rev 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

Here is the Old Testament verse which proclaims that very same statement:

Isa 60:11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

We have been shown that “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” is “on a great high mountain; she has the glory of God, she is like a stone most precious, she is clear as a crystal, and she has a wall great and high”. She has twelve gates and twelve foundations. This city, the Lamb’s wife, lies foursquare, and her length is as large as the breadth, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. Her wall is like jasper, clear as glass, her twelve foundations are garnished with all manner of precious stones. Her twelve gates are of twelve pearls, each gate one pearl. She has no temple, no sun, nor moon, because God and the Lamb are all of these things within her. The nations of the saved bring their glory into her through her twelve gates. Her twelve gates are never closed by day, and there is no night there. The glory and honor of the nations is brought into “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”. Nothing that defiles, works an abomination or makes a lie, enters into her. Only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
That is why the world hates this woman so much that it wants her dead. But here in this final 22nd chapter we learn more about what our Lord thinks of those who He has espoused to Himself, and it is only Him that we are interested in pleasing.

Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Being pure and clear as crystal is of great importance to our Husband, Christ. He and His Father dwell within us, and because they do, out of His throne and the throne of His Father within us proceeds “a pure river of water life, clear as crystal.”

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

This river “proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb”. Where is this throne of God? Who makes up this throne? From whom does this “river of water of life” proceed?
Christ has already made clear where His throne is and who they are who are with Him in His Father’s throne.

Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 23:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
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.

“Heaven… is God’s throne… He that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God”, and these four beasts are “in the midst of the throne and round about this throne”. Who are these “four beasts”? As we saw in our study of chapter five, they too, are just another type of this city. They are just one more symbol of God’s overcoming elect, the Lamb’s wife, and that is what they tell us.

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.

God’s throne is in heaven (Mat 5:34); His throne is in this ‘city’, which we are told is the Lamb’s wife. Therefore the Lamb’s wife is ‘heaven’, and that is exactly what Heb 9 confirms to us:

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

As always the principle of “the dream is one” is in play throughout this Revelation of Jesus Christ, within us.

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

It is Christ Himself who revealed to us from whom this river of living water proceeds and flows.

Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Since this river of living water flows from the belly of those who believe on Christ, it is therefore not at all adding to what is written to conclude that God’s throne is this city itself. God’s throne is the Lamb’s wife herself. God’s throne is the four beasts in its midst. God’s throne is you and me who have been ‘espoused to Christ, as the Lamb’s wife’.

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.

Being the instrument of God through which this “river of water of life” flows, is simply part of being the channel through which life will be given to every man, woman and child who has ever lived. Being the “four beasts in the midst of and round about the throne” from which this “river of water of life” flows, is just one more accolade Christ places upon His bride, His wife.
But if we are this city, and if we are Christ’s wife, then Christ wants to honor us even more.

Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Where does God reveal to us this tree of life to originated?

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

We are God’s “house… His temple… His vineyard… His field…” and we are His “garden’. But they all begin in the earth, or “out of the ground… the tree of life also”. That is why Christ had to “empty Himself” and become a man, in a vessel of clay, “out of the ground”, who could atone for the sins of all men.

Php 2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;
Php 2:8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name;
Mat 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

How are we to get to this “tree of life”?

Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

The way of this Tree of Life is only through these Cherubim, and a flaming sword. That sword is of course, the Word of God, and these Cherubim are those in whom that Word dwells. Here is another way of saying all of this:

Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

If “Christ is in us”, then we are His sword:

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

If Christ is in us, the “rivers of living waters flow from our bellies”:

Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

If Christ is in us, we are these Cherubim who hold the flaming sword which guards the way of the tree of life.
If Christ is in us, we are these same Cherubim in the midst of and round about the throne of God. We are the twelve gates to this city. We are the twelve foundations of this city, garnished with many precious stones. We are the pure gold and the pure jasper, out of which the city is composed. We are this city itself.
We are told this ‘tree of life’ is in the midst of the street of this city, and on either side of the river of life. Where else are we told we will find this “tree of life”? Here is where the tree of life is to be found:

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it [ the New Jerusalem], and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Here we have it. Here are three verses which tell us where the tree of life is to be found. Rev 2:7 tells us that the tree of life is “in the midst of the paradise of God” and Rev 22: 2 and 22:4 tell us that the tree of life is in the midst of the street of the New Jerusalem, and on either side of the river of life which proceeds out of the throne of God in the New Jerusalem. Rev 22:14 tells us that the tree of life is within the gates of the New Jerusalem. It should thus be obvious that “the paradise of God” is the third heaven and the New Jerusalem.
Now that we know where the tree of life is located, let’s see who is given to enter therein:

Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him [ the thief on the cross], Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Here is what Paul tells us about this “paradise”, also called New Jerusalem, (Rev 2:7; 22:2, and 22:14), where we are told the tree of life is located:

2Co 12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
2Co 12:3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
2Co 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Paul is speaking of himself in the third person because he is dealing with the subject of his glorying in his revelations. Here is what he says in verse one:

2Co 12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

And this is what he says in verse five:

2Co 12:5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
2Co 12:6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul is speaking of himself boasting only in the spirit of Christ within him, instead of boasting in his own carnal mind, and in his flesh. It was inthe spirit that he was caught up to this New Jerusalem where “the tree of life is in the midst of the paradise of God”.
And of course Rev 2:7 tells us that only overcomers are given to enter into this “paradise of God”.

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

So it should be apparent that in scriptural terms “the paradise of God” is “Jerusalem above which is the mother of us all”.

Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Our mother, like our Savior, is who we are for those who will come to God through us when we become part of that city.

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

Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

“The throne of God and of the Lamb are in it.” The honor bestowed on those who first make up this city, which is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”, is the single greatest honor that can be bestowed on any man. Here is what Christ tells us of those who are this city:

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 those who have been through the fire of the Word of God in this age who will be in that “blessed and holy first resurrection”, who will also be the channel for showing God’s goodness and mercy to all the rest of mankind who are not part of that “blessed and holy first resurrection”. And while it does not say so here, these are the same people who will be at home “in the everlasting burnings” of the lake of fire, which will cleanse and purify all the rest of mankind who are not part of that blessed first resurrection:

Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

If “the throne of God and of the Lamb” are in us, then surely “there shall be no more curse… in it”. Those who “go no more out” are those who will be used by God to bring all men into this “paradise of God”; this “mother of us all”.

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

As we saw above “God and the Lamb are the temple of it”. Because they dwell within us we need no outward temple. We will then “know God and Jesus Christ who He has sent”. That is the very meaning of having the name of our God written upon us.

Rev 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

“They shall see His face”. The spiritual meaning of all of this is explained clearly in these words of our Lord to his apostles Thomas and Philip.

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Joh 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

” Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” was certainly speaking of things that are not as though they were already accomplished. The disciples, at this moment, were just hours away from denying their Lord and forsaking Him and leaving Him to His fate upon the cross.

Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

“My Father’s house” is this New Jerusalem:

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

It is in this “great city of God, the holy Jerusalem” that the “many mansions” are found.

Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

We have already seen why “there shall be no night there”.

Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Here is the Concordant Literal Version of these words “for ever and ever”:

Rev 22:5 And night shall be no more, and they have no need of lamplight and sunlight, for the Lord God shall be illuminating them. And they shall be reigning for the eons of the eons.

And this is Young’s Literal Translation:

Rev 22:5 and night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and light of a sun, because the Lord God doth give them light, and they shall reign– to the ages of the ages.

Because both ‘ages’ are plural, this tells us that all the ages of all men of all time are included in this time of the reign of God’s elect. In other words, “the righteous… will dwell in the everlasting burnings and the devouring flames” of God’s Words in their mouths as the mouth of His elect. They are this city which is the bride the Lamb’s wife, by which all those who are not in that blessed and holy first resurrection, will be brought to God.

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

This is the harvest at “the end” spoken of in 1Co 15:

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.
1Co 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

“Then comes the end” means “the harvest at the end of the year”.

Exo 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Exo 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

As long as one soul who has ever been born is still dead, then death has not yet destroyed. But death will be destroyed through this thing called “the second death… the lake of fire” which will bring all in Adam to be made alive in Christ.
So we have seen in our study today that this river of life should be flowing out from within you and me at this very moment, if Christ is in us. We have seen that the tree of life is within you and me today, if Christ is in us today. And we saw where Christ told us that if we “see Christ” and “know Christ”, then we have already seen and already know Him and His Father, heretoday, in these “vessels of clay”.

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.

Next week, Lord willing we will cover these verses:

Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
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.
Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.