The Parables of the “Marriage Supper” and the “Great Supper”

[Study Aired February 25, 2020]

In the last study we saw that the parable of the wedding feast is about how the body of Christ is to present ourselves as we come together. We are to present ourselves with humility and act as a child believing what God is saying. The parable of the “Great Supper” will expand on that same theme. Here are the parables of the “Marriage Supper” and the “Great Supper”.

Luk 14:7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
Luk 14:8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
Luk 14:9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
Luk 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
Luk 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Luk 14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
Luk 14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Luk 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luk 14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
Luk 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
Luk 14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
Luk 14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
Luk 14:19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
Luk 14:20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
Luk 14:21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
Luk 14:22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
Luk 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Luk 14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

As we learned last week, the “Wedding Supper” means the coming together of the body of Christ. Likewise, the dinner or supper means the same.

Let’s see what we can learn from this parable.

Luk 14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
Luk 14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Luk 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

When we make a “dinner or a supper” we are preparing a spiritual meal.

Deu 8:1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
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.
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
Deu 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Christ says we are not to call our friends, brothers, kinsmen and our neighbors to this dinner. Why can we not call on them? Which friends is Christ referencing?

1Co 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Here are two other translations of this section of the parable to help us see what is being said a little clearer.

Luk 14:12 (BBE) And he said to the master of the house, When you give a feast, do not send for your friends and your brothers and your family or your neighbours who have wealth, for they may give a feast for you, and so you will get a reward.

Luk 14:12 (GNB) Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors—for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did.

We do not desire the rewards of mankind. We seek the rewards of God.

2Jn 1:4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
2Jn 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
2Jn 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

Joh 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Joh 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Joh 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages [rewards], and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Joh 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

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.

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
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.

Continuing with the parable here is the next section.

Luk 14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Luk 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Why are we to invite the poor, maimed, lame and blind?

Isa 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Isa 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isa 35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

How are we recompensed?

Isa 58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

Psa 41:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

When are we recompensed?

Luk 14:14b …for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

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.

Now let’s finish the parable keeping in mind all we have been shown so far.

Luk 14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Luk 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man [Jesus Christ] made a great supper, and bade many:

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Luk 14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

Psa 116:16 O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Luk 14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
Luk 14:19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
Luk 14:20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

Heb 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Heb 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Heb 4:5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Luk 14:21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

Isa 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Isa 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isa 35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Luk 14:22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
Luk 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Isa 11:16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

Isa 35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

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

Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Luk 14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

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

I will end with these verses from 1John 3.

1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 107

“Breast and Wave Offering”

November 25, 2016

Exo 29:26  And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.
Exo 29:27  And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:
Exo 29:28  And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD.

During our next few studies, we are going to cover to several important offerings unto the Lord. These offerings are being implemented first in these verses and were supposed to be followed by Aaron, Aaron’s sons and the children of Israel “for ever”.

Tonight, we will cover the wave offering, and in particular, the breast portion of the offering. In the next study, I plan to cover the shoulder.

Breast and Wave Offering

It’s important to understand the wave offering because it is one which can easily be overlooked but also has a lot of meaning for Christians.

The first time we see a “wave” offering mentioned in English, is here in Exodus, but it is not the first time we see it mentioned in Hebrew.

Exo 29:26  And thou shalt take^{H3947 (H853)} the breast^H2373 of the ram^{H4480 H352} of Aaron’s^H175 consecration,^H4394 and wave^H5130 it for a wave offering^H8573 before^H6440 the LORD:^H3068 and it shall be^H1961 thy part.^H4490

H8573

tenûphâh
ten-oo-faw’
From H5130; a brandishing (in threat); by implication tumult; specifically the official undulation of sacrificial offerings: – offering, shaking, wave (offering).
Total KJV occurrences: 30

H8753 mentioned as wave offerings is rooted in H5130. The first time we see H5130 is in Exodus 20.

Exo 20:24  An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
Exo 20:25  And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Exo 20:25  And if^H518 thou wilt make^H6213 me an altar^H4196 of stone,^H68 thou shalt not^H3808 build^H1129 it of hewn stone:^H1496 for^H3588 if thou lift up^H5130 thy tool^H2719 upon^H5921 it, thou hast polluted^H2490 it.

I mention this to point out that the Lord started out telling Israel from the beginning that if they build a stone altar to Him it was not to be polluted. This has always been a “rule” with God. This happened as Moses was speaking with the Lord when the rest of Israel didn’t want to approach Him.

When we meet the Lord at His altar, we cannot bring pollution with us, and the only way this is accomplished is that we have Christ in us covering our nakedness. It is from this premise, as Christians, that the wave offering is acceptable to the Lord. As a result we are given to partake of the alar with the Lord be receiving certain items from the Lord.

In different places in Leviticus, we see more details mentioned as it pertains to the wave offering.

Lev 10:12  And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy:
Lev 10:13  And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons’ due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for so I am commanded.
Lev 10:14  And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons’ due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel.
Lev 10:15  The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons’ with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD hath commanded.

Here in Leviticus we see that wave breast and the heave shoulder shall be eaten in a clean place, but the meat offerings were to be eaten without leaven and beside the altar.

Then, we are told that the wave breast and heave shoulder are to be eaten in a clean place but also that “thy sons and daughters with thee” may eat these offerings because these offerings are “thy and thy son’s due”.

There is an obvious distinction that is being made between where these offerings can be eaten and who can partake of each offering. In this study, we are only going to briefly be able to cover these distinctions, but we will cover them in depth as we move through the next few studies.

Lev 7:28  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 7:29  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.
Lev 7:30  His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.
Lev 7:31  And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.
Lev 7:32  And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
Lev 7:33  He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.
Lev 7:34  For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
Lev 7:35  This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office;
Lev 7:36  Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.

Reading above we see that “he that offers the sacrifice ….. ‘with his own hands’ shall bring forth the offerings of the LORD made by fire”. Then, the priest shall burn the fat, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons.

Next, the right shoulder goes to the son of Aaron who offers the blood offering of the peace offering. These are all taken from the offerings made by fire.

Breast offering

So, what is the spiritual significance of the breast and shoulder? We will cover the breast offering today and the shoulder in the next study.

H2373
châzeh
Total KJV Occurrences: 13
breast, 11
Exo_29:26-27 (2), Lev_7:30-31 (3), Lev_7:34, Lev_8:29, Lev_10:14-15 (2), Num_6:20, Num_18:18
breasts, 2
Lev_9:20-21 (2)

H2373

châzeh
khaw-zeh’
From H2372; the breast (as most seen in front): – breast.
Total KJV occurrences: 13

The Hebrew word used for breast is straight forward since it means “as most seen in the front”. What then is the root of “breast” in Hebrew?

H2372

châzâh
khaw-zaw
A primitive root; to gaze at; mentally to perceive, contemplate (with pleasure); specifically to have a vision of: – behold, look, prophesy, provide, see.
Total KJV occurrences: 54

H2372
châzâh
BDB Definition:
1) to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to see, behold
1a2) to see as a seer in the ecstatic state
1a3) to see, perceive
1a3a) with the intelligence
1a3b) to see (by experience)
1a3c) to provide
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 633

Well, that is interesting, isn’t it? A verb meaning, “To perceive or contemplate …. specifically, to have a vision or prophesy”.

Where is this root of “breast” found in the Old Testament?

H2372
châzâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 51
see, 15
Job_19:26-27 (2), Job_24:1, Job_34:32, Job_36:25, Psa_58:8, Son_6:13, Isa_13:1, Isa_26:11 (2), Isa_33:17, Isa_48:6, Eze_13:23, Eze_21:29, Hab_1:1
seen, 9
Job_15:17, Job_27:12, Psa_63:2, Lam_2:14 (2), Eze_13:6-8 (3), Zec_10:2
saw, 8
Exo_24:11, Num_24:4, Num_24:16, Pro_24:32, Mic_1:1 (4)
behold, 7
Job_23:9, Psa_11:4, Psa_11:7, Psa_17:2, Psa_17:15, Psa_27:4, Psa_46:8
look, 3
Son_6:13, Isa_33:20, Mic_4:11
seeth, 3
Job_8:17, Psa_58:10, Eze_12:27
prophesy, 2
Isa_30:10 (2)
seest, 2
Pro_22:29, Pro_29:20
provide, 1
Exo_18:20-21 (2)
sawest, 1
Isa_57:8

I obviously do not have time to read all the entries listed here, so I will read a few to give a good comparison of the root of “breast” in Hebrew.

Eze 13:23:
Eze 13:1  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 13:2  Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
Eze 13:3  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

Eze 13:23  Therefore ye shall see^H2372 no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Num 24:4:

Num 24:2  And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.
Num 24:3  And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
Num 24:4  He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw^H2372 the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

Isa 30:10:

Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy ^H2372 not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy^H2372 deceits:

Exo 18:21:
Exo 18:20  And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Exo 18:21  Moreover thou shalt provide^H2372 out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
Exo 18:22  And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

As you can see from these verses above, there are some significant spiritual concepts that are linked to the breasts of the offerings that are given BY GOD to those whom He is using in His tabernacle and priesthood.

Given that these verses speak about slightly different aspects of the root of the breast, what can we conclude as we put them altogether?

Remember, breast itself is “as most seen in front”. The breast offering is given to those who are given sight or taken from those who have no sight!

Just as Moses, Aaron and Aaron’s sons, none chose to be chosen for the work of the tabernacle, those who are in Christ do not choose of themselves to be the prophets or prophetesses of the Lord.

Who are these prophets or prophetesses?

Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

These prophets and prophetesses have the SPIRIT of PROPHECY!

We know that Christ has wrapped all of these offerings in Himself, but what is the significance of the breast being given out of the offerings?

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.

There is nothing more concise in the New Testament than Hebrews 10 in explaining what all the offerings represent to us, but I submit that one of the most hidden messages of who we are to Christ is hidden in plain sight in this chapter.

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

“But a BODY hast thou prepared for me….” What a profound statement to consider! Obviously, the flesh of Christ was offered up on the cross and was crucified. Christ, Himself was offered!

However, knowing that Christ’s flesh was still flesh, what could Christ also be saying about His body being prepared for Him?

Consider this question as we read some more in Hebrews 10.

Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Do you see it? It’s there in “plain sight”. He that has eyes let him see.

1Ti 1:8  But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

Christ came to do the will of God, but does this only pertain to Jesus Christ, or does His mind EXTEND to His body?

If the old testament is for the lawless and disobedient, and it is, and the first is taken away that the second may be established, can we see that the flesh of Christ contained within His personal flesh was taken away that the SECOND, in HIS BODY, is ESTABLISHED in US?

In other words, Jesus came as a bridge from the Old to the New Testament. He came in the flesh to establish the NEW. What then is the new testament?

Mat 26:26  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Mat 26:27  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

Luk 22:15  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Luk 22:16  For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
Luk 22:17  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Luk 22:18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Even while in the flesh, Christ spoke of His body in the SPIRIT. Can His body, in the SPIRIT, be seen right now?

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Consider this following statement. Jesus Christ pointed out, right after telling us what His blood and body are in the new testament, who it is who would betray Him. Of course, He was speaking immediately of Judas, but did anyone else betray Him?

Luk 22:21  But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.
Luk 22:22  And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

I humbly submit to you that EVERYONE who partakes of the blood and body of Christ has betrayed Christ and sits with Him at this spiritual supper.

However, do not despair because this MUST be the case. This is also how and why we are able to have the testimony of Jesus Christ while in the flesh.

For the study today, we are able to receive the breast of the offerings because we have been chosen to offer up ourselves in sacrifice on the cross with Christ. Thereby we fulfill the command to pick up our cross and follow Christ.

Of course the breast is not the only thing to consider in all of these offerings, but it is another layer of the spiritual onion which reveals to us who and what we are to Jesus the Christ.

In our next study, we are going to continue to look at what the shoulder reveals to us about our calling in Jesus Christ.

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Rev 19:6-10

The Marriage Supper of The Lamb, The Bride, and The Angel

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [ are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [ thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Introduction

In last week’s study we were told that the four beasts and the four and twenty elders rejoiced along with “a great voice of much people in heaven” at the fall and the judgment of Babylon.

Rev 19:1  And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
Rev 19:2  For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Rev 19:3  And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Rev 19:4  And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
Rev 19:5  And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

Last week we reviewed the revelation which we were given concerning the symbolic significance of the four and twenty elders and the four beasts which are said to be “in the midst of and round about the throne of God… in heaven”.

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.

In today’s study we will have the principle of “the dream is one” reaffirmed to us. We will see the symbolism Christ’s Christ, as the four beasts and the four and twenty elders, given to us once again in the form of “the wife of the Lamb” and then again in the form of the angel who is showing these things to John. In the end we will see just a little more of the depth of what is meant by the phrase “the Christ”.

Eph 1:10 For an administration of the fulness of the seasons, to reunite for himself (under one head) the all things in the Christ, the things upon the heavens, and the things upon the earth, in him: (REV)

…is this same verse according to the Young’s Literal Version:

Eph 1:10  in regard to the dispensation of the fulness of the times, to bring into one the whole in the Christ, both the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth– in him; (YLT)

Now none of this entire revelation of Jesus Christ will mean anything at all to us if we forget that this revelation of Jesus Christ includes His Christ and that this entire revelation all takes place “in heaven”.

Let’s note just a few of the verses which tell us this is so.

Eph 2:6 And raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenlies, in Christ: (REV)

Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

Rev 8:1  And when he had opened the seventh seal,there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

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

Rev 11:19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Rev 12:1  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Rev 12:3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Rev 15:5  And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

Rev 19:1  And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

So this all takes place “in heaven”, but none of this revelation of Jesus Christ will mean anything to us if we don’t know where “the heavens themselves” are. Flesh and blood cannot reveal this to us. Only our Father in heaven can keep us focused on the Truth of these verses, as we study this revelation of Jesus Christ.

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

“The true heavens, the heavenly things themselves and the heaven itself” are what the temple in Jerusalem and the things concerned with that temple symbolized. That physical temple with all of its furniture, implements and daily sacrifices, its three sweet savor offerings and its two offerings which are not sweet savor offerings, were all “the figures of the true”. But “the heavenly things themselves and the heaven itself” is within the hearts and minds of the people of God. That is where His temple is located, and that is where God Himself dwells.

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

Spirit is not confined to physical buildings or even physical planets. There is no such thing as ‘planet heaven’ with a capitol named New Jerusalem. Spirit is the invisible power of God, out of which all things which are seen, are made, and God wants us to know that He is spirit, and He wants us to know that it is as such He dwells within those who are given to receive that spirit and live by the precepts of that spirit, which spirit is His Word.

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.

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

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

So all seven seals with their four horses, the souls under the altar of the fifth seal, and the great earthquakes and heavenly signs of the sixth seal, all take place “in the heavens”.

The seven trumpets of the seventh seal, the seven last plagues of the seventh trumpet, the vision of the open heavens with the throne of God, the four and twenty elders, and the four beasts around the throne are all “in the heavens”.

The 144,000, the great innumerable multitude, the little book that is sweet in our mouth but bitter in our belly, the two witnesses lying dead in the streets of the great city where our Lord died, the woman and the manchild, the great red dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, the three frogs out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, all take place within the heavens.

The seven last vials, the fall of Babylon, the judgment of the great whore as the place of the death of all the prophets, saints, and “all that are slain upon the earth”, takes place “in heaven”. And now in this 19th chapter, the rejoicing of the four and twenty elders, and the four beasts, at the judgment of the great whore, are all spiritual description of the struggle for control of “the heavens themselves” within you and me and all those who are the object of these verses of our study today.

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

This “great multitude” is also “in the heavens” where all of this revelation of Jesus Christ is taking place. This “multitude” is  the same “much people in heaven” which rejoiced within us at the judgment of the great whore within us.

Rev 19:1  And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

It is comforting to know that all heaven rejoices with us at the victory we are given over this great whore who is the murderer of “all who are slain upon our earth”. It is this harlot who caused you and me to hate those who first brought God’s Truth to you and me. It is this same harlot who causes us to be “hated of all men” when we are finally given to see the these great Truths.

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

God alone is capable of working with each and every human being first as “the earth”, and then He works within our heavens when He reveals to us that “the kingdom of God is within you”.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

It is “in earnest” (Eph 1:13-14), that we are placed into this “Kingdom of God within you”, and it is within us, in down payment form, that we are said to be of “Jerusalem above 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.

But just as Christ was “born of the holy spirit”, and was then given that same spirit with which to beget many sons, we too, are begotten of “Jerusalem above”, and then we become “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” who brings forth the rest of mankind.

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

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

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

This is not something yet future for those who are already espoused to Christ. The fact that this “city… comes down from God,  out of heaven” proves that this is a present application of this prophecy, while we are yet in these earthy, “vessels of clay”.

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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.

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

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

“To her it was granted” means that her “fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of the saints”, is given to her and it is not of herself.

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.
Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

But anyone who does not do good works, who does not believe that through Christ we do good works, and who teaches that we need not “be careful to maintain good works” does not have Christ within them, and they are not His bride because this is what the very next verse of Eph 2 teaches us:

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Tit 3:8  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

So the bride of Christ is given “righteousness, which is fine linen clean and white”. We are not told that she is given “filthy rags” of her own righteousness, nor is she granted to wallow in her own sins, as all those who do not understand the function and purpose of grace may have us believe.

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

Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Verse 8 tells us that “the righteousness of the saints” is the raiment with which the bride of Christ is arrayed. Once again “the dream is one, and the bride and her clothing are one. But so too, are those who are “called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb”. Being called to this event is the greatest honor which can be bestowed upon any man. It is described in our next chapter as “the first resurrection”.

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

Verse four has just revealed to us that those who are in this first resurrection are same as the people who we saw “under the altar” in Rev 6:

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

Rev 6:9  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

So “the souls under the altar” in the fifth seal are the same “souls of them who were beheaded for their witness of Jesus”, and our final verse in today’s study reveals that the angel who is showing all of this to John is the symbol for this very same group, because souls under the altar were slain “for the testimony which they held”, and the angel who is showing John this revelation is also the spiritual symbol of “our fellowservants and of our brother who have the testimony of Jesus”.

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Truly this entire prophecy is understood only when we remember that “the dream is one” and that “in all things Christ is preeminent”:

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

When we understand the depth of these verses, then we will know that the revelation of Jesus Christ is the revelation of Jesus Christ in all who “read, hear and keep the things written herein”.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

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

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

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will see that the “fine linen” which is given to Christ’s bride is also given to “the armies which are in heaven”. What we will see one more time is that “the dream is one and that all things are ours, and as He is so are we”.

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

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Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Rev 19:18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [ men, both] free and bond, both small and great.
Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Introduction

In our study of verse 9 we learned of a spiritual event called “the marriage supper of the Lamb”, and we learned that those who are called to that “marriage supper” were especially “blessed”.

Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

In today’s study we will be learning about “the supper of the great God”?

What is the difference between these two suppers? Is there one supper which we attend at a certain stage in our spiritual development, and then another supper which we attend at still another stage of our walk?

We already know that we are to “keep the things written” in this book (Rev 1:3). We already know that “all things present and to come are ours” (1Co 3:21-22). So we know these two suppers are our suppers.

Let’s look at what we are told about these two suppers and see if there is any difference at all between them.

Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

There are three principles at play in this verse. 1) An angel standing in the sun, 2) He cries with a loud voice to the fowls of the heavens to 3) gather themselves together unto the supper of the great God.

So let’s take each of these three principles and let the Word of God tell us what is their meaning.
1) What is “an angel standing in the sun?

To answer this question we must know what the sun symbolizes, because we have been told that this is a book of symbols which has been “signified” to us.

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

So what does the ‘sun’ signify? Who is this angel, and exactly where is he standing?

Here is what the scriptures reveal this angel symbolizes:

Rev 21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred [and] forty [and] four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

We have seen repeatedly, and in this very chapter, that the angels of this revelation of Jesus Christ are our fellowservants and those who keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book:

Rev 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him [the angel]. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

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.

So what is the ‘sun’? Where is this “man, that is… the angel” standing? Here is what the ‘sun’ symbolizes. Here is where he is standing.

Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

It is none other than our Lord who has “healing in His wings” and who as “the sun… tabernacles in [our] heavens”.

Psa 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Psa 19:2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
Psa 19:3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Psa 19:4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Psa 19:5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
Psa 19:6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Mat 9:14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
Mat 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

So this “angel” is “a man” standing within Christ, our Lord, and in Him he is proclaiming these words to “the fowls of the heaven”:

Rev 19:18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

It is you and I who hear the proclamation of the destruction of our own flesh.

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The flesh must be overcome by the new man and must be destroyed before we can enter into the kingdom of God, which kingdom is within us.

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

If it is true that “the kingdom of God is within you”, and it is also true that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, what this means for us now is that we all must spiritually “die daily” (1Co 15:31) to our own flesh, and recognize that it is we who have been devoured by “the fowls of the heaven” all the days we were being devoured in our blindness by the false prophets of Babylon. This entire statement concerning “the supper of the great God” is but a recap of the judgment of Babylon the great of chapters 16-18, within us.

2) So who are these “fowls of the heaven” who are being called to this “supper of the great God”?

This symbol is explained for us by our Lord Himself:

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:

Now let’s skip down to verse 18, and let our Lord Himself give us the interpretation of these “fowls” which “devour them up”.

Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
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 way side.

The seeds which fell by the wayside were “devoured” by the fowls, which our Lord tells us signifies and symbolizes “the wicked one” and those who do the work of “the wicked one”.

So what does it signify to be devoured by the fowls of the heavens? Why are we told that the fowls of the heavens are called, “To eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great?”

If indeed, as our Lord informs us, the fowls symbolize “the wicked one” who “devours up” and “catches away that which is sown in his heart”, then that is why “the fowls of the heavens” are called to “the supper of the great God”.

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 way side.

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart.” Is there anyone who has not had this experience? Has anyone avoided drinking of the cup of the fornications of Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of abominations of the world”?

Jer 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
Jer 25:18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

It is this desolation “because of the sword”, which ‘sword’ is the Word of God, that “the great city [within us] is destroyed and made desolate. It is within us “where also our Lord was crucified”. It is the destruction of “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children”, by the Truths of the Word of God, which births within us “Jerusalem which is 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.

These two opposing ‘Jerusalems’ are nothing more or less that the enmity and the war, which God Himself has ordained from the very beginning to be fought, between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Gen 3:15 is just the earliest way of saying:

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

Revelation 19:19 where “the kings of the earth… gather against Him that sat on the horse” is simply a more mature revelation of that original prophecy.

Who are these “kings of the earth”? Let’s read of this very same event in the prophecy of Jeremiah:

Jer 25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
Jer 25:20 And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
Jer 25:21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
Jer 25:22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which [are] beyond the sea,
Jer 25:23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,
Jer 25:24 And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,
Jer 25:25 And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,
Jer 25:26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which [are] upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
Jer 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

This is “all in Adam” (1Co 15:22), and everything that was in Adam is in us all, and that is why we all experience the same event:

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

Is there any way we can avoid being the seed of the serpent before we become the seed of the woman? Not one of us has been able to do that. But what do the scriptures teach? Let’s just read on.

Jer 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.

Mat 20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Have we not shown that these nations of the earth are all just symbols of our lives in rebellion against the words of our Lord? Is not ‘the earth’ merely the spiritual symbol of those in whom His word has no place?

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

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

So this is the beast within us, and all the kings of the earth and their armies, being ridden by the great whore within us, who have gathered together to make war against our Lord sitting on the horse, and against his army.

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

However, the author and finisher of our faith has already written in His book the defeat of this beast and the kings of the earth and their armies and the false prophet within us. We were told back in chapter 16, in our study of “the pouring out of the sixth… vial” that the kings of the earth were “gathered together “to the battle of the great day of God Almighty… called… Armageddon”.

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

Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

3) Our last question is What is “the supper of the great God”?

The answer is that this supper is the symbolic meat or flesh, which is provided to the symbolic fowls of the heaven by the symbolic sword in the hand of Him that sits upon the symbolic horse.
The flesh symbolizes our attachment to the things of this world. The fowls of the heaven symbolize all the false doctrines of Babylon which keep us attached to the things of this world. The sword symbolizes the Truth of God’s Word which destroys all desires of our earthy, Babylonian flesh. The white horse is the symbol of the irresistible power of our God over His creation.

Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Where did the great whore Babylon go? What happened to her? Why is not this great whore being cast into this lake of fire?

The fact of the matter is that she is being cast into the lake of fire, but the holy spirit is revealing to us, that “the false prophet” and “Babylon the great… whore” are one and the same symbol for all the lies and false doctrines which make up this great whore and “the false prophet”.

So what is the difference between the marriage supper of the Lamb, where His wife hath made herself ready, and the supper of the great God, where the fowls of heaven eat the flesh of men?

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

The devouring of the flesh of men by the fowls of heaven is the dying of our old man. The answer is that it is by and through being fed to the fowls of heaven, through the desolation of the flesh, that the bride makes herself ready. She is not subjected to the purifying of the lake of fire, but endures fiery trials in this present age.

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

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

Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

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

Those who are cast into the lake of fire are said to “worship the beast”. What does that mean? It certainly does not mean that they are dying daily to the beast. What it means is that they feed their beast, and celebrate him and his power over them. They revel in their freedom from the words and the example of our Lord, and want to be “in bondage” to “the weak and beggarly elements of the world” (Gal 4:9-10).

In Galatians 4 we are told that Hagar is analogous to “Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.”

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.

To what are those in this great city in bondage? We are not left to speculate. We were told earlier in this same chapter what this bondage is:

Gal 4:1 Now I say, [That] the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Gal 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

There is no one alive who was not “made of a woman, made under the law”. It is in this condition that we are said to be “children [Greek: nepios, infants or toddlers]… in bondage under the elements of the world… made of a woman, made under the law.”

However, we are told that Christ came to redeem us from being in bondage to the elements of the world, from being under tutors and governors, from being under the law.

Now the question arises: are Gentiles ever “under the law”? What do the scriptures teach us?

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

“The Gentiles are a law unto themselves” and “do by nature the things contained in the law.” It is natural to love your own children and even your own neighbor, as both the law of the Gentiles and the law of Moses demand, but it is unnatural for any human to love his enemy. Nevertheless, it is that which is unnatural which delivers us all from “the bondage under the elements of the world.” It is “the law of Christ.”

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

No other law on earth commands us to “love your enemies”.

Luk 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

It is this great whore, as a false prophet, who claims she is the faithful wife of Christ who comes in His name but who has no place in her for His words, simply because the whore, who is the same as this false prophet, “cannot hear Him”.

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Does not the whole world teach the ten commandments? Did not Christ tell the rich young ruler to “keep the commandments”? Yes, both are true, but neither one is the whole truth or the sum of God’s word (Psa 119:160 [ASV]). Here is what makes the the ten commandments nothing more than “the elements of the world” which the Gentiles “do by nature” by comparison to this part which the rich young ruler could not do.

Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God.
Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mar 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
Mar 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

No one teaches against the ten commandments, but the whole world teaches against considering the law of Moses and those things which even the Gentiles do by nature to be “the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto we desire again to be in bondage”. This is the hold that Babylon and all of her harlot daughters have upon the whole world, within us and without.

It is those who deny the truth of Christ’s words and His example, and who deny the plain teachings of the apostles who are “the beast and the false prophet, who are cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

What is that fire? It is so very instructive to note that the Greek word translate fire here is ‘pur‘, from which we get our English word ‘pure’ or ‘purify’. What is it that purifies all men? Here is what it takes to be purified and made worthy to enter into the temple of God, undefiled.

1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire [Greek: pur]; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.

“The spirit of God dwells in you… you are saved by fire”. What is that spirit?

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.

Christ words are spirit, and what else does He call His words?

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

It is the few in whose mouths and hearts are these fiery words of our Lord who will comprise this thing called “the lake of fire”.

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;

Babylon is just another name for the false prophet we read of in chapter 14, where we are told that her doctrines have very great appeal to “all nations”:

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

There is one more symbol for the Words of our Lord, which is used to destroy this false prophet, harlot. That word is “a sharp sword”.

Rev 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The fire and the sword are both the same. Here is the effect of that sword upon all of us when we oppose the fiery words of Christ.

Jer 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

It is incredible how the words of Christ and following in His steps, just naturally makes those who oppose those words “mad” and causes you and I to “be hated of all men”.

Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

The fact is that if it is given us to endure the sufferings of our Lord “to the end” the sufferings of this time will not be worthy to be compared to the glory which will be revealed in us.

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.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will discuss the spiritual meaning of, and the function of, the millennium, the bottomless pit, the mighty angel with the great chain, who imprisons “that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan”, for the thousand year reign of God’s elect over the kingdoms of this world. Here are the verses we will cover next week.

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.