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Awesome Hands - part 128 Discussion

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Awesome Hands – part 128

"That he be not as Korah"

January 19, 2018

It has been a common thread, in my recent studies, that we are all connected. We should be viewing the world through the eyes of God as He gives us the ability to do so.

I often do not know why the Lord is doing a work in others, and my natural tendencies are to judge them based on what I believe my personal standing with God is. The truth is, on a spiritual level, I am coming up against God in my thoughts a lot of the time.

I often find myself judging a matter based on the individual that is front of me versus the knowledge that God is working a work through them. We often read how God uses people to accomplish this will, and this includes the many people throughout the bible that are not of the household of God at that point in time.

My boss, my neighbor, my friends and my enemies are all examples of people who are used in my life to work the will of God. That vast majority have no clue what is happening in their lives and they chalk it up to the many things in the world that the world offers as reasons of why things happen.

In our study today, we are going to review the story of Korah and the men of renown, and how it is they came up against the people of God.

Memorial unto the children of Israel

While this story is very interesting as a history lesson, it has a very important lesson that we can all apply to our lives today. Our verse for consideration is found in Numbers 16:40.

Num 16:40  To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

This story is centered around the spirit which has come into the hearts of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. The following verses are from the ESV translation:

Num 16:2  And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.
Num 16:3  They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?"
Num 16:4  When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,
Num 16:5  and he said to Korah and all his company, "In the morning the LORD will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.
Num 16:6  Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company;
Num 16:7  put fire in them and put incense on them before the LORD tomorrow, and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!"

We aren’t told specifically why these three men stirred up the rest to rise up against Moses and Aaron, except for believing themselves to be as holy, but we do know that the Lord sends spirits to do His bidding. In this case, the spirit told Korah and the others that they were just as good as Moses.

This is the spirit I want to focus on in this study. I also caution everyone to beware of which person or which group you associate yourselves with before you consider how this story applies to you.

There are many times in our lives where we wonder to ourselves why the Lord has worked a work within someone else’s life or why we haven’t been placed in a position we think we should be in. I know this is true of me.

I have been in both Korahs and Moses positions, and I am sure you all can relate too.

The truth is, the Lord uses everyone according to His will. In this story, Korah and the group with Korah, were used to manifest to the children of Israel who was being drawn “near to the Lord”.

Aaron and his sons were all being used of the Lord for the priesthood, and Moses was being used “as a god” to Aaron as we were told earlier in bible. Yet, these all were just men in the flesh playing out various roles.

Jealousy is a very strong emotion as well as envy.

Numbers 16:7  put fire in them and put incense on them before the LORD tomorrow, and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”
Numbers 16:8  And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:
Numbers 16:9  is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them,
Numbers 16:10  and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also?

Moses poses a serious question to Korah and his gang of men when he asked them why they aren’t okay with their standing in the Lord. Moses didn’t ask them specifically this way, “why aren’t you okay with your standing,” but he asked them in a much stronger way.

Do you count it a small thing to yourself of the work the Lord is doing in your life? I am sure this is something we need to all consider from time to time.

We are all put in the body of Christ, in the kingdom of God and in the world we are in for very specific needs of the Lord.

If we consider ourselves being in these sorts of roles for specific reasons, we will indeed see just how alike we are to the Levites and to the priesthood.

Even though the Lord called and chose Aaron and his sons to be priests, they still had roles to fulfill within the job of being a priest. Likewise, the Levites all had specific things their particular group was responsible for doing.

So, do we count it a small thing the Lord is doing with and in us? If so, listen to Moses speaks to you and me when we think this way.

Numbers 16:11  Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

Indeed, who is Aaron or any other man woman that we grumble against them? Sure, people will given an account to God of how they are used in this life, but that never negates that it is the Lord holding them in His hand and using them as the tool that they have been created to be.

First we grumble, and then we outright disrespect what the Lord is doing in others lives. Once we know in our marrow that God is working in someone’s life, and we assume they are favored while ignoring how it is the Lord favors us, then we make accusations of others thinking they are better than we are.

Numbers 16:12  And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up.
Numbers 16:13  Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?
Numbers 16:14  Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”
Numbers 16:15  And Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

They all knew what the Lord had promised the children of Israel. They knew they were to inherent a land flowing with milk and honey. It had come by way of Moses mouth directly from the Lord. Yet, it is Moses they are murmuring against and angry with.

We don’t often see that Moses becomes angry. It is one of the moments of gravity where we can imagine that he was at the peak of his anger. After all, the holy spirit has seen fit that it be recorded for our history lesson here.

There are certainly times when we see that the Lord is working in a situation which is not pleasant to go through and it indeed angers us.

The difference with us and Moses is that we know that the Lord our God is working all things after the counsel of His own will. We know that the Lord is working it all, yet we are to still to call evil, evil and good, we are to call good.

Jesus Christ came only to do the will of His Father, yet He became angry when the temple of the Lord was turned into a den of thieves.

I see these trials and tests as just that. They are tests for our hearts and minds to show us where we stand. They show us where are thinking is or should be. So, it is appropriate to have righteous anger depending on the situation.

Moses had done nothing wrong according to verse 15, yet these men were coming to him as if he had done some terrible thing to them all.

Numbers 16:16  And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the LORD, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.
Numbers 16:17  And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the LORD his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.”
Numbers 16:18  So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
Numbers 16:19  Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.

In the past, I seemed to have just read over this little piece of information. “The glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.” This certainly has escalated. Now, everyone is going to see the communion of the Lord with Moses. This indeed can and does invoke fear in the hearts of some. I say this confidently because now there is a change of heart for some.

Numbers 16:20  And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
Numbers 16:21  “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
Numbers 16:22  And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”

God pulls no punches. He simply sets out to honor Moses request of “do not accept their offering” by killing those who are causing all this ruckus. It isn’t Moses request that does it though. It is the fact that these men have directly challenged what the Lord has decreed is the way things are to be.

After all, how can those that were slaves, being set free by a miraculous act, take it upon themselves to now say they are in charge of what is going to happen from here on out?

Numbers 16:23  And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Numbers 16:24  “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
Numbers 16:25  Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
Numbers 16:26  And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.”
Numbers 16:27  So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.

The Lord is not playing around when He tells us to follow Him and to do His commandments. When we ignore and then challenge the things we know have been instructed to us, we do so at our own peril.

Not only are these men going to die, but their entire households are going to be wiped out from the children of Israel. In other words, their inheritance is gone. There are many scriptures that talk about us as being “houses” or “households”.

The reason being is that the Lord wants us to know this is an all or nothing game. We cannot and will not be caused to ride the fence for very long. We must be either cold or hot for the Lord, but He will not look kindly on human games.

Revelation 3:15  “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
Revelation 3:16  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:17  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

What happens next is recorded so that we can know what it is when we let our thinking cloud the commandments we know the Lord has given us.

When we chew the cud for too long, by mixing our own carnal reasoning with the commandments the Lord has given us, we are playing a very dangerous game. When we try to reason things out according to the ways of our own hearts, we will be swallowed up “by the earth”, just as these men are.

Anything that remains, will be judged and consumed in fire.

Numbers 16:28  And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.
Numbers 16:29  If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me.
Numbers 16:30  But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD.”
Numbers 16:31  And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.
Numbers 16:32  And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.
Numbers 16:33  So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
Numbers 16:34  And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
Numbers 16:35  And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

The message here is loud and clear.

Numbers 16:38  As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the LORD, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.”
Numbers 16:39  So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar,
Numbers 16:40  to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the LORD said to him through Moses.

No outsider can do the work the Lord has only given to certain people to do. Does that sound treacherous or inflammatory? Does it sound high and mighty or as if I think of myself more than I should?

If you think that now, then you have missed the point. When we, as the body of Christm have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, as the BRIDE OF GOD, we do not SULK at the role the Lord has given us in His body.

We do not complain about the needs the Lord has for us in our lives, in the world and in our individual environments. We are ALL being raised up as kings and priests and our individual lessons are custom made for us individually, so that we can COLLECTIVELY do the work of the Lord.

Oh, how we do not learn our lessons easily! We seem to need lessons to be beat into us instead of spoken softly.

Numbers 16:41  But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.”
Numbers 16:42  And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
Numbers 16:43  And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting,
Numbers 16:44  and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Numbers 16:45  “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
Numbers 16:46  And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun.”
Numbers 16:47  So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
Numbers 16:48  And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
Numbers 16:49  Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.
Numbers 16:50  And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.

Our jobs in the body of Christ should come with thanksgiving always.

Before we end this study I want to encourage us all to fully understand what we are doing in this life we now live. When I say we have jobs in the body of Christ, I am of course speaking about the direct body of Christ internally, but I am also speaking externally.

My physical body is made up of many parts, yet I myself am seen as “Steven Crook” to the world. My physical body needs to function wholly, so that I can effectively live my life in the world as a productive citizen of my environment.

So, our role in the body of Christ is not only needed for the body of Christ, but it is needed for us to be lights in this world we live in. We are desperately needed by others just the same as we desperately need Jesus Christ, the Light of OUR WORLDS, to shine in us.

When we fully understand this bit of Truth in the core of our being, we will understand that just being a part of the body of Christ is immensely important for others.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 59 Discussion

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Isa 14:12-15 How [We] Are Fallen From Heaven

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Yes, it is true. The Bible teaches that we all "fall from heaven". It also teaches that we 'fall from grace'.

Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

What the scriptures do not teach is the fall of man in the garden of Eden. Our 'falling from heaven' here in Isaiah 14 and our 'falling from grace' in Galatians 5 are both experienced only after we have been shown the Lord's grace, and this "king of Babylon" is the picture of us having been shown the Lord's grace. Like Job, we take credit for our works after coming to Him and after receiving His grace.

Our first verse today is the oft-quoted verse which supposedly turns what we are clearly told is a "parable about the king of Babylon" into a false doctrine about the fall of Satan from his exalted heavenly position down into the fabled flames of an eternal hell, where most humans are predestined by God to spend endless ages in excruciating torment in literal flames of fire.

Here is that verse which has been so sadly twisted and distorted by those whose only goal is to control the laity of the churches which still teach this heinous and monstrous false doctrine of a place of eternal torment.

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

But to whom is this entire proverb addressed? Is this not said to be a "proverb"? Are we not commanded neither to add to nor take away from the Lord's words?

This is what is the stated subject of this parable.

Isa 14:3  And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
Isa 14:4  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
Isa 14:5  The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
Isa 14:6  He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
Isa 14:7  The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

Deu 12:32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

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

Because we tremble at those words (Isa 66:2), we want to be very careful to speak only "that which is written" (1Co 4:6), and not "add unto these things". We will take a very close look at the words in this 12th verse of Isaiah 14.

So who or what then is this "Lucifer"? Note that the translators have capitalized this word 'lucifer' as if it were another person, rather than an attribute assumed to himself by the king of Babylon. Capitalizing the word  'lucifer' in itself leads some to conclude that this word is a name instead of something this king thinks of himself, which is exactly what we are told is true of the king of Babylon in the very next two verses:

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

If we insist that the words 'O Lucifer' are bringing Satan into this narrative, then all of a sudden we are making this parable about Satan instead of "the king of Babylon", who we are specifically told by Babylon is the subject of this parable.

Isa 14:4  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

If we make this parable about Satan, and if we make the king of Babylon anything more than the seed of the serpent, then we are robbing the Word of God of any personal application.

Here is what e-sword reveals is the meaning of this word 'lucifer':

H1966
הֵילֵל
hêylêl
hay-lale'
From H1984 (in the sense of brightness); the morning star: - lucifer.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

This is the only entry in the Old Testament for this Hebrew word 'heylel', but we are told it is "from H1984" which is "a primitive root" which means:

H1984
הָלַל
hâlal
haw-lal'
A primitive root; to be clear (originally of sound, but usually of color);to shine; hence to make a show; to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively to celebrate; also to stultify: - (make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool (-ish, -ly), glory, give [light], be (make, feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, [sing, be worthy of] praise, rage, renowned, shine.

This word appears 166 times in the Old Testament, and here is the breakdown of how that word is translated in the King James:

H1984
הלל
hâlal
Total KJV Occurrences: 166
praise, 92
1Ch_23:4-5 (2), 1Ch_23:30, 1Ch_25:3, 1Ch_29:13, 2Ch_8:14, 2Ch_20:19, 2Ch_20:21, 2Ch_23:13, 2Ch_29:30, 2Ch_31:2, Ezr_3:10, Neh_12:24, Psa_22:22-23 (2), Psa_22:26, Psa_35:18, Psa_56:4, Psa_56:10 (2), Psa_63:5, Psa_69:30, Psa_69:34, Psa_74:21, Psa_102:18, Psa_104:35, Psa_105:45, Psa_106:1, Psa_106:48, Psa_107:32, Psa_109:30, Psa_113:1 (5), Psa_113:9, Psa_116:17-19 (3), Psa_117:1-2 (2), Psa_119:164, Psa_119:175, Psa_135:1 (3), Psa_135:3, Psa_135:21, Psa_145:2, Psa_146:1-2 (3), Psa_146:10, Psa_147:1, Psa_147:12, Psa_147:20, Psa_148:1-5 (9), Psa_148:7, Psa_148:13-14 (2), Psa_149:1, Psa_149:3, Psa_149:9, Psa_150:1-6 (13), Pro_27:2, Pro_28:4, Pro_31:31, Isa_62:9, Jer_20:13, Jer_31:7, Joe_2:26
praised, 19
Jdg_16:24, 2Sa_14:25, 2Sa_22:4, 1Ch_16:25, 1Ch_16:36, 1Ch_23:5, 2Ch_5:13, 2Ch_7:6, 2Ch_30:21, Ezr_3:11, Neh_5:13, Psa_18:3, Psa_48:1, Psa_96:4, Psa_145:3 (2), Pro_31:30, Son_6:9, Isa_64:11
glory, 12
1Ch_16:10, Psa_63:11, Psa_64:10, Psa_105:3, Psa_106:5, Isa_41:16, Isa_45:25, Jer_4:2, Jer_9:23-24 (4)
mad, 8
1Sa_21:13, Psa_102:8, Ecc_2:2, Ecc_7:7, Isa_44:25, Jer_25:16, Jer_50:38, Jer_51:7
boast, 6
1Ki_20:11, Psa_34:2, Psa_44:8, Psa_97:6-7 (2), Pro_27:1
praising, 4
2Ch_5:13, 2Ch_23:12, Ezr_3:11, Psa_84:4
boasteth, 3
Psa_10:3, Pro_25:14 (2)
commended, 2
Gen_12:14-15 (2), Pro_12:8
foolish, 2
Psa_5:5, Psa_73:3
fools, 2
Job_12:17, Psa_75:4
rage, 2
Jer_46:9, Nah_2:4
shined, 2
Job_29:3, Job_31:26
sing, 2
2Ch_23:13, 2Ch_29:30
boastest, 1
Psa_52:1
celebrate, 1
Isa_38:18
foolishly, 1
Psa_75:4
gloriest, 1
Jer_49:4 (2)
glorieth, 1
Jer_9:24
marriage, 1
Psa_78:63
praises, 1
2Ch_29:30
praiseth, 1
Pro_31:28
renowned, 1
Eze_26:17
shine, 1
Job_41:17-18 (2)

So the primitive root of the Hebrew word 'heylel' which is found only here in Isaiah 14:12 is the Hebrew word 'halal'.

H1984
הלל
hâlal
Total KJV Occurrences: 166
praise, 92
1Ch_23:4-5 (2), 1Ch_23:30, 1Ch_25:3, 1Ch_29:13, 2Ch_8:14, 2Ch_20:19, 2Ch_20:21, 2Ch_23:13, 2Ch_29:30, 2Ch_31:2, Ezr_3:10, Neh_12:24, Psa_22:22-23 (2), Psa_22:26, Psa_35:18, Psa_56:4, Psa_56:10 (2), Psa_63:5, Psa_69:30, Psa_69:34, Psa_74:21, Psa_102:18, Psa_104:35, Psa_105:45, Psa_106:1, Psa_106:48, Psa_107:32, Psa_109:30, Psa_113:1 (5), Psa_113:9, Psa_116:17-19 (3), Psa_117:1-2 (2), Psa_119:164, Psa_119:175, Psa_135:1 (3), Psa_135:3, Psa_135:21, Psa_145:2, Psa_146:1-2 (3), Psa_146:10, Psa_147:1, Psa_147:12, Psa_147:20, Psa_148:1-5 (9), Psa_148:7, Psa_148:13-14 (2), Psa_149:1, Psa_149:3, Psa_149:9, Psa_150:1-6 (13), Pro_27:2, Pro_28:4, Pro_31:31, Isa_62:9, Jer_20:13, Jer_31:7, Joe_2:26
praised, 19
Jdg_16:24, 2Sa_14:25, 2Sa_22:4, 1Ch_16:25, 1Ch_16:36, 1Ch_23:5, 2Ch_5:13, 2Ch_7:6, 2Ch_30:21, Ezr_3:11, Neh_5:13, Psa_18:3, Psa_48:1, Psa_96:4, Psa_145:3 (2), Pro_31:30, Son_6:9, Isa_64:11
glory, 12
1Ch_16:10, Psa_63:11, Psa_64:10, Psa_105:3, Psa_106:5, Isa_41:16, Isa_45:25, Jer_4:2, Jer_9:23-24 (4)
mad, 8
1Sa_21:13, Psa_102:8, Ecc_2:2, Ecc_7:7, Isa_44:25, Jer_25:16, Jer_50:38, Jer_51:7
boast, 6
1Ki_20:11, Psa_34:2, Psa_44:8, Psa_97:6-7 (2), Pro_27:1

This is what the Lord admonishes all men:

Pro 27:2  Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

When we simply remember this is a proverb in which God's elect are speaking all these words against the dead "king of Babylon"...

Isa 14:3  And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
Isa 14:4  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
Isa 14:5  The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
Isa 14:6  He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

...and we remember that Nebuchadnezzar built a golden image for himself, and demanded that all men worship his image (Daniel 3), that he spent seven years eating grass like an ox for taking God's glory and praise to himself (Dan 4), then it makes perfect sense that God's elect would remind us that it was the king of Babylon who has "said in [his] heart" that he is "like unto God".  Now it makes perfect sense that God's elect would speak of him according to the idols of his heart:

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [sheol - the grave], to the sides of the pit.

Knowing the meaning of the root of the Hebrew word 'heylel', we could paraphrase verse 12 in these words:

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O you who demand the praise of others and who praises himself with his own mouth and his own lips, you who call yourself 'son of the morning'! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

The words 'O Lucifer, son of the morning' are not a statement of fact, rather that is what the king of Babylon, without and within, vainly thinks of himself, and God's elect are speaking this proverb to him in his grave repeating to him his own exalted thoughts of himself as the next verses demonstrate:

Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

These words against the dead king of Babylon of verse 12 are spoken for our benefit because of what the now dead king of Babylon, without, in an historical sense, and within, spiritually, "has said in [his] heart". Here is Isaiah 14 in the spiritual words of the New Testament:

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

"The king of Babylon" of Isaiah 14 is an Old Testament 'tupos', a type of this "man of sin... the son of perdition", and as the very next verses inform us, this "man of sin" meets the same fate as the king of Babylon:

2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [withholds] will let [withhold], 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:

These verses of Isaiah 14 have nothing to do with the verses in the New Testament which the churches of this world have forced upon this proverb against the king of Babylon, who is an Old Testament type of "the man of sin, the son of perdition" who sits upon the throne of God within our hearts and minds, the very temple of God.

For the purpose of demonstrating the attempt to turn a man into a spirit being, here are those New Testament verses which are now manifested to have nothing at all to do with either the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14 or with the king of Tyre in Ezekiel 28:

Luk 10:17  And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
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.

Here Christ informs His disciples that casting devils out of people is the same as casting Satan out of heaven. So in the sense that the beast within us gets his power and his throne from the dragon, and in the sense that we are all "of [our] father the devil" before we become the children of God, in that sense the man of sin within us is indeed cast out of heaven, but this has nothing to do with a supposed fallen arch-angel called 'Lucifer', but rather refers to "a man... [who] goes down to the grave".

The fact is that the first word of Isa 14:13, the word, 'for...', meaning 'because' you, a mere man, have said in your heart...." connects the words, "O Lucifer, the son of the morning" in verse 12, with the the words of verses 13-15, which tell us just how stuck on ourselves we are.

Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [sheol - the grave], to the sides of the pit.

Verses 13-15 tell us that all of this is in our vain imagination. We will not exalt our throne above the stars of God. We do not sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. We do not ascend above the heights of the clouds, and we certainly are not "like the Most High". Rather we are:

Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

This entire parable is about a mere man who has been "brought down to hell". The Hebrew word is 'sheol'- the grave. It is "the king of Babylon who is brought down "to the sides of the pit", to the sides of the grave. Nowhere do the scriptures ever teach that Satan goes down to the grave.

What we are told about Satan's fate is that "age lasting fire [is] prepared for the devil and his angels", and we are told "the great dragon... and his angels [are] cast out [of heaven] into the earth":

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

In the end, the devil is cast into the lake of fire, but again this is not the grave into which 'Lucifer... the king of Babylon" descends here in Isaiah 14.

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [The ages of the ages]

Next week, Lord willing, we will find out what is the message for us, concerning this parable against the dead "king of Babylon" in this 14th chapter of Isaiah.

Here are the verses for our next study:

Isa 14:16  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
Isa 14:17  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
Isa 14:18  All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
Isa 14:19  But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
Isa 14:20  Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
Isa 14:21  Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
Isa 14:22  For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.
Isa 14:23  I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

Hi Mike,

I enjoy reading your messages on the website….. I am studying things concerning sheol/ hell and aion/ eternal, and was wondering if you could offer any insight as to where and when the translators really began using hell more along with eternal (rather than age)? I couldn’t find anywhere where Paul preaches about hell, which you would think if it was so important, he would? I also read somewhere about Augustine changing the church’s viewpoint on hell. In what ways has he modified the original church doctrine when speaking of hell? Wasn’t there also men’s lives threatened during the middle ages when translating, where they HAD to make it read a certain way for the king?? I keep falling back to Mat 25 – the sheep and the goats. There are powerful words used there by Christ when He says “depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Seems very strong language that is pretty straightforward. If you could shed some light on these few areas, it would GREATLY help my studies and lack of understanding. I was referred to your website by my friend J____, who is a part of my bible study.

Thank you, Mike!

M____

Hi M____,

Thank you for your question.

I am sure you are aware that Augustine was simply repeating what he had been taught as the Pagan that he originally was. The blasphemous doctrine of eternal torment had crept into many church congregations long before Augustine. The Truth had not yet been extinguished in the churches as it is today, but it was greatly helped along in that direction by the efforts of Augustine.

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

I challenge you to point out to me one doctrine of orthodoxy that is true. It is all perverted! If you are studying with J____, then you know that the word translated ‘forever’ and ‘everlasting’ and ‘eternity’ and about fifteen other English variations and distortions, is the single Greek word ‘aion‘ and its adjective ‘aionios.’

There is not one orthodox scholar who can make an adjective exceed its noun in force of meaning without displaying himself for the hypocrite that he is. The adjective of hour is hourly. And the adjective for aion, which all scholars admit is age, is aionian. It is not eternity. The ‘goats’ do indeed “depart into aionian fire.” But what does that mean in scriptural phraseology? Do people “enter into life without their hands and feet?” Let us be consistent. If the fire is physical, then why are the very people saying it is still walking around with hands and feet. Have they never sinned?

The entire Bible is a parable. There is a spiritual lesson behind every historical event recorded and behind every type and shadow. Between those two categories you have all of God’s Word. It is all a parable. That is why “the natural man receives not the things of the spirit, for they are foolishness unto him.” If all we needed was a dictionary and a concordance, and we were careful to always consider the context; if that were all that was involved in “the things of the spirit,” then the natural man could indeed understand the things of the spirit. But parables are for the purpose of concealing, not revealing. It requires the “mind of Christ” to understand the things of the spirit. “Not one of the princes of this world have known Him…”

I will try to remember to get back to you on the history of the word ‘aion.’ If you don’t hear from me soon, please remind me.

In the mean time, I hope this is of some help.

Mike

Hello Mike,

Can you comment on this? I got it from J. Preston Eby’s website. Sounds like Abraham and everyone that dies goes to this state of the spiritual unseen. Please explain hell for me!

“And our Lord spoke of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, linking their names together as all being in the same place, and also added that their God is “not a God of the dead, but of the living,” thus affirming that they were alive at that time, even though they were in the Hadean state. Indeed, they were all in Hades – the invisible world of departed spirits.

Some have contended that hell (Sheol and Hades) is never associated with the idea of suffering, pain or torment. That is far from the truth! A careful examination of the Hebrew and Greek words in context reveals that there is both the positive and negative aspects of hell, and there are those passages which connect hell, either literally or metaphorically, to darkness, restraint, distress, sorrow, suffering, pain, and torment.

Hell is certainly a place, a realm, a dimension of consciousness and existence, yet more than a place – it is a state or condition – in its negative application the inner state of depravity, perverted desire, burning lust and ambition, devilish emotions, mental anguish and despair – and because it is so twisted and warped it cannot obtain lasting fulfillment, being tormented by the fires of its own unsatisfied passions. Heaven and hell both are states of the soul rather than the body, whether it be the natural or the spiritual body. The spirit possesses the qualities of soul apart from the body, for the soul is so closely united to the spirit that only the sharp two- edged sword of the Word of God can separate between them (Heb. 4:12). These are realities transcending place and time.”

THANK YOU, MIKE!!

Hi again J____,

You will just have to decide who you will believe. Will you believe these assertions of J. Preston Eby and the serpent that “you will not surely die,” or will you believe the words of God:?

Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [ Hebrew- spirit]; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing…

And then Paul tells us that if there is no resurrection, then all who are dead have perished:

1Co 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1Co 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Mr Eby has not one verse of scripture behind his assertions. He is as deceived as anyone in orthodoxy.

Mike