Thousand Years – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word

The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God, Part 7B

Mike Vinson — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 21:34:28 +0000

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The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God, Part 7B

Tabernacles: “The Kingdoms of This World Are Become The Kingdoms of Our Lord and His Christ”

This is how we ended our last study:

Here is the holy spirit itself giving us the correct order of events as they are preordained to take place after “the marriage supper of the Lamb” which takes place at the beginning of the thousand-year reign (Rev 19:7):

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 [who were not reigning with Christ for a thousand years] lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [reigning with Christ for a thousand years] is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. [“A great multitude which no man could number”, (Rev 7:9)]

We will resume with our study of the spiritual significance of the sixth festival which reveals the sixth step we must take in our study of The Overview of the Plan of God-The Feast of Tabernacles-7B

It is of utmost importance that we remember that Christ and His Word are not just “is and was”. He and His Word are also that “which is to come”:

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him [future tense], and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail [future tense] because of him. Even so, Amen.
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Christ Himself emphasized this characteristic of His Word which words are the words of the holy spirit:

Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [Things which “Ye cannot bear… now”]

When we internalize and spiritualize every word of God we are denying the expedient and integral part which the physical realm plays in the plan of God. If we internalize and spiritualize our promised reward of ruling with our Lord over the nations of this world for a thousand years we are essentially saying this present age will never end and death will never be destroyed.

It is common for many to say, “The Word of God is not just ink on paper. It is spirit and it is life.” That certainly is true, but that is not the sum of the Lord’s words concerning the nature of His Word. This part of His Word is also true:

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

‘Ink on paper’… “that which is written” has its place because it keeps us from leaning to our own understanding as the holy spirit gives us the discernment to rightly divide the sum of ‘that which is written’:

The thousand-year reign will be done through reigning “kings and priests”, and the purpose for that period of rulership “with a rod of iron” is to lead all of mankind into the “short season” of Satan’s deception of the nations, in which “short season” He will persuade them to rebel against Christ and His Christ. This rebellion following a thousand years of being ruled by the Lord’s elect will demonstrate all that is in the hearts of all men and it will give God the occasion He is seeking to destroy death via the annihilation of all flesh, signified by “the nations in the four quarters of the earth” (Rev 20:9). Death simply cannot be eliminated from this earth while physical flesh exists and continues to multiply.

Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. [“The nations which are in the four quarters of the earth”]

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

This “occasion” God is seeking to destroy (death) is symbolized by the feast of tabernacles and the last great day. It is the events that take place in these last two steps in the overview of God’s work with mankind in vessels of clay which provide God with that ‘occasion’. He is seeking to harvest all the rest of mankind who were not part of the first two firstfruit harvest offerings, Christ, the first of the firstfruits, as signified by the Passover, and His Christ, the firstfruits of the summer wheat harvest, as signified by Pentecost and the two leavened loaves. It is an unbreakable Biblical principle that God always gives Himself “an occasion” to do what He has already “determined before to be done.” Here is are just a few examples of God doing just that:

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

Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines [signifying the flesh of all men] had dominion over Israel. [“The sins of the (Philistines) was not yet full”]

Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. [Christ and “His Christ”]
Act 4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

God already knows what He is in the process of doing, and it is simply a matter of waiting on him to do what He wills to do:

Job 23:13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

Isa 48:14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.

Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Tabernacles is in the seventh month and is at the time of the third and final harvest “at the year’s end”:

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

Exo 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks [Pentecost, seven weeks after the first spring harvest] and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

Tabernacles is called “the feast of ingathering at the year’s end” because Tabernacles signifies the time the Lord takes to lead mankind to rebel against the reign of Christ and His Christ, and to “compass the camp of saints about [at which point] fire will come down from God out of heaven and it will devour the nations in the four quarters of the earth.”

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

In the third and last harvest “in the year’s end”, it is in God’s counsel and His “foreknowledge” (Act 2:23) to begin harvesting “all in Adam.” It is the feast of tabernacles with its attendant last great day in which His soul desires to start that final harvest process through which He has declared that He will “destroy death” (1Co 15:26).

Exo 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours [Pentecost], which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering [Tabernacles], which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

Tabernacles is at a time of harvest, and it is at the time of the final harvest.

It is Christ Himself who has revealed to us that “The field is the [whole] world”:

Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Christ’s crucifixion is signified by the first firstfruit barley harvest. Here are the other two harvests as they are presented to us in “the Revelation of Jesus Christ”:

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, [The gospel which has been preached since Christ]
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. [This is the judgment which “begins at us… at the house of God”, (1Pe 4:17)].
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. [God’s elect come out of Babylon, (Rev 18:4)]
Rev 14:9  And the third angel [3^rd signifying the process of judgment] followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, [The previous chapter tells “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond… receive a mark in their right hands and in their foreheads”, (Rev 13:16)]
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: [God’s elect suffer the torment of the seven last plagues. That torment is signified by the same “fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” which those in the lake of fire endure. The difference between these two groups is a matter of timing and a matter of reward].
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. [What are these verses, 6-11 telling us? Here it is:]
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

This “wrath of God” mentioned in Revelation 14:10 which is poured out as “fire and brimstone” upon those who have “the patience of the saints… that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” is reiterated in the last verse of the very next chapter of Revelation:

Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple [1Co 3:15-16] was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. [Aorist tense… ‘being fulfilled’]

Those who are fulfilling the seven plagues of the seven angels are the same “blessed and holy… few” who will “have part in 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.

In this same 14^th chapter we also have the final harvest “at the year’s end”. This is the harvest of those who are called “a great multitude which no man could number, those who had not yet “died in the Lord”, but who also must “come up through great tribulation [in the lake of fire], and wash their robes… white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:14). Here is the harvest of the feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, which is contrasted with the Pentecost harvest of verses 6-13.

Rev 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man [Christ the first firstfruit], having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. [The Word of God, also called “fire from God out of heaven”, (Rev 20:9)].
Rev 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev 14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Rev 14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. [Grapes are the third and last harvest “in the end of the year”].
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. [“The lake of fire”]
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. [“Fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Rev 20)]

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.

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.

Revelation 19:15 demonstrates that “the winepress” signifies “the wrath of Almighty God.” That wrath is on display for all men in both resurrections.

Does any of this sound anything remotely like a doctrine which teaches that “at the beginning of the millennium only believers will be alive… it will be a time of peace unparalleled in history… a time of “heaven on earth”??? Nothing is farther from the Truth. At the beginning of the thousand years the ten kings signified by ten horns on the beast will be at war with Christ and He will dash them to pieces as a potter’s vessel:

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

Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

That is how the thousand year reign begins and the “rod of iron” continues its work throughout the thousand years in the hands of the Lord’s elect.

That is not how many Christians think of the one-thousand-year reign of Christ. They can see the words “He shall rule them with a rod of iron”, but they cannot perceive nor understood nor teach in the churches of the great harlot that Christ and His Christ will rule the nations with a rod of iron throughout the thousand years. The ministers of Babylon are convinced of the false doctrine of a thousand years of great revival and of peace and prosperity. Many acknowledge the rebellion at the end of the thousand years, but they do not see that “the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth” are annihilated by the fire that comes down from God out of heaven:

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

Here is a typical example of what is generally taught in the churches of this world:

“At the beginning of the Millennium, only believers will be alive (Revelation 19:17-21), some who live through the Tribulation Period, and some who come back with the Lord at His second coming. It will be a time of peace unparalleled in history (Isaiah 2:4; Joel 3:10; Micah 4:3). Jesus will be ruling on the throne of David, imposing a benevolent theocracy on all of His creation. Jesus will ensure that everyone has every need fulfilled, while not tolerating the sin so prevalent in today’s society (Psalm 2:7-12; Revelation 2:26-29; 12:5; 19:11-16). We can only imagine such a time of “heaven on earth.”

“The believers who live through the Tribulation will be mortal. They will live and repopulate the earth during the Millennial Kingdom. Without the devastation of sin taking its toll, we can imagine the population increase during the Millennium will be enormous, almost incomprehensible. All those who are born during the Millennium will enjoy the benefits and blessings of Christ’s reign on the earth, but they will still be born with a sin nature, and they will still have to freely repent and believe the Gospel, personally choosing Christ as Savior and Lord.

“Yet, at the end of the Millennial Reign, Satan is loosed and is able to deceive a vast multitude to follow him in one final rebellion against the Lord of glory and His saints! It seems that the further humanity gets from the end of the Tribulation and the start of the Millennium, the more they will “take for granted” how good they have it, and some may even harbor doubts about the goodness of God. Even though the number who rebel with Satan are said to be “as the sand of the sea” (Revelation 20:7), they may still be a minority compared to the number who do not rebel. It will still be a large number of souls who join Satan. Undoubtedly, one of the primary reasons God gives us this picture of what will happen in time is to demonstrate the deep-seated sin nature inherent in all of humanity (Jeremiah 17:9).

“Additionally, God is trying to tell us something about His nature as displayed during the Millennium. His grace and goodness will be on display continually. But at the end of the 1000 years, He will have zero tolerance for rebellion. When it happens, He will show no mercy and offer no “second chances.” At that time He will be quick to judge, and the final rebellion of Satan and sinful man will be over in a flash of fire. After this, the final judgment of the dead takes place (the Great White Throne Judgment, Revelation 20:11-15). Eternity can thus begin with every aspect of sin gone for all time.

“Finally, God is trying to reinforce some very important lessons concerning Satan himself, especially for believers. First, that he has been and always will be the enemy of humanity. As God has fixed His love on us, Satan has for us a special hatred. Ever since Satan’s fall (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28), he has been the adversary of believers, and he is aptly described as the ultimate deceiver of mankind (John 8:44; 1 John 2:22). All he can give or promise man is death and destruction (John 10:10a). Satan is also shown here to be a truly defeated foe, and his ultimate doom is certain, along with the doom of all who follow him. God is trying to remind us that Satan is a created being who is powerless before Him (2 Corinthians 12:7). All this should encourage believers today to take God at His Word concerning our position in Christ with respect to the devil (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 4:1-7; James 4:6-8; 1 John 2:15-29; 1 John 4:1-3), especially as we remember this grand truth: “…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).” [This excerpt is taken from this link:

http://www.gotquestions.org/release-Satan.html#ixzz3Kr4TUNoo]

Here are the verses that were given to prove his statement that “At the beginning of the Millennium, only believers will be alive (Revelation 19:17-21), some who live through the Tribulation Period, and some who come back with the Lord at His second coming.”:

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.

You have to be spiritually blind if you fail to see that this is the last half of Revelation 19 which manifestly tells us it is speaking of the lake of fire which is first seen only after the thousand-year reign is finished.

This “supper of the great God” takes place after the thousand-year reign, and it is contrasted with “the marriage supper of the Lamb” in the first part of Revelation 19. ‘The marriage supper of the Lamb takes place at the first resurrection at the beginning of the thousand years.

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. [“For a thousand years]
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.

“The supper of the great God” is referring to the destruction of “the nations in the four quarters of the earth” and the casting of the beast and the false prophet “into a lake of fire… when the thousand years are expired” as is demonstrated in the following 20^th chapter:

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
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 entire thousand-year reign separates these two contrasting “suppers”, yet this commentator is telling us that “the supper of the great God” at the time of “the lake of fire” proves that “only believers will be alive at the beginning of the millennium”.

So there it is. We have seen what the Bible says about the last two steps of the plan of God for all men of all time, and we seen how the scriptures are contrasted with what the churches of this world tell us the Bible says.

We did not get to what the scriptures reveal about why the leaders of this world will be made to hand over their rulership to us, and we did not get to what leads up to the rebellion against our rulership at the end of the millennial rule signified by the diminishing number of bullocks being offered throughout the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles.

In our next study we will examine the spiritual significance of the fact that seventy bullocks are offered and the fact that the rams, lambs and a goat for a sin offering remain constant while the number of bullocks decline throughout the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles.

In everything God is doing we will find that He is doing it “through Christ… by the church”:

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

The Biblical Overview of the Plan of God, Part 7

Mike Vinson — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 19:42:14 +0000

Audio Download

The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God – Part 7

The Feast of Tabernacles-A

“The Kingdoms of This World are Become The Kingdoms of Our Lord and His Christ”

[Study Aired September 19, 2025]

Introduction

Thus far we have covered the spiritual meaning and the spiritual functions of the first five of the seven festivals which God gave to ancient Israel. The Feast of Tabernacles is the sixth of the seven holy days the Lord ordained to be observed by ancient Israel. In our last study we saw that the three annual holy days that follow the Passover and the days of unleavened bread… Pentecost, Trumpets, and Atonement all foreshadow the next three steps in the overview of the plan of God as well as revealing the three functions which are being performed by Christ’s ‘firstfruits’. These firstfruits, unlike Christ our sinless Savior, are repentant sinners and as such are symbolized by a firstfruit-offering that is leavened, a Biblical symbol which in its negative application typifies sin. Christ’s firstfruits are also symbolized by the scapegoat which is another symbol for sin.

Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him [with the Lord’s goat], and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Unlike Christ, who is signified by “the Lord’s goat”, which is a slain sacrifice, Christ’s firstfruits are symbolized as “a living sacrifice” which is accepted as such only upon the sacrifice of the passover lamb Himself. So the passover Lamb symbolizing the first of the firstfruits, is the same in symbol, and in type as “the Lord’s goat”, which is first slain and offered to God on the day of atonement, before the scapegoat, which is “let go in the wilderness. Both are “for a sin offering”. (Rom 12:1)

Lev 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

We are told both goats are part of “a sin offering…. [to] make an atonement [for] all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins”:

Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

The first goat signifies Christ in His not yet perfected, corruptible, yet not corrupted, flesh, while the “living sacrifice” signifies us as the scapegoat of the day of atonement and as the two leavened loaves of the feast of firstfruits.

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

“The third day” symbolizes the completion of the process of judgment which had to be completed in Christ’s Adamic flesh, which is indeed traced all the way back to Adam through His mother. The connection of Christ’s flesh to the flesh of Adam is the very purpose for giving us His long genealogy which ends with these words:

Luk 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

That is also the reason Christ is symbolized by a goat in the sacrifices of the day of Atonement. So there we have it. The first Adam is as much a “son of God” as is the last Adam. Both had bodies of sinful flesh, and there is no other way Christ could possibly offer Himself up to His Father as a “sin offering.”

The negative symbolism of goats in scripture is the flesh and the carnal mind of the flesh, which is unworthy to be part of the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50):

Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

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

Making an atonement for sin is the purpose for offering both goats. The two goats symbolize two separate functions of that atonement process, and those differences are qualified and delineated for us. The first, “the Lord’s goat”, is slain, and then, after and upon the blood of the first goat, the second goat is released alive in the wilderness. This second goat also symbolizes the sin offering, but this second goat is capable of also being a trespass offering, which our sinless Savior could not be because though He was in a body of sinful flesh He had never sinned nor trespassed His Fathers will:

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we [we who have trespassed, are therefore, through Christ, now becoming a living trespass offering which] might be made the righteousness of God in him.

That is why these two goats are sacrificed on the day of atonement, when God’s elect as a living sacrifice, must afflict their souls, “to make and atonement… for His body which is the church.”

Lev 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

2Co 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

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

The priest “mak[ing] an atonement for you” typifies Christ as our high priest, and if we are in Him and He is in us, then we, too, are now priests who are also making an atonement for others:

Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. [God has glorified Christ to be our high priest].

Heb 5:9 And being made perfect [“on the third day”], he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec

What made “the order of Melchisedec” different from the Aaronic order? The two differences we are given is that Melchisedec was before Aaron, and therefore not of Aaron, and Melchisedec was both a king and a priest as Christ is:

Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Heb 7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
Heb 7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

If we fail to see ourselves as also being kings and priests in the Lord’s service, then we will never completely understand how we can serve as kings and priests during the thousand year reign which is signified by the feast of Tabernacles.

One of those “many things [which are] hard to be uttered” (Heb 5:11) about Christ as our high priest is that in Him we, too, become “saviors” who are also kings and priests. Paul could not utter that fact to the Hebrews at the time of this writing of Hebrews 5:11, but as we have noted, he did tell the Colossians that we are to “fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of the Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24), and as we just noted, he also told the Corinthians that our afflictions are ‘for the salvation of others.’

2Co 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

Paul wants us to know that we are expected to “endure the same suffering which [he] also suffers”.

It was given to the apostle John, in the book of Revelation, to come right out and tell us that we, too, are priests who, like Melchisedec, are now both “kings and priests… unto our God.”

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

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

These spiritual positions are not just some distant spiritual promise, though they certainly are not yet ours in their fullness. Nevertheless all these promises are already ours in what the scriptures call “the earnest of our inheritance”:

Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first [as in “firstfruits”] trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest [Greek: down-payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession [meaning our resurrection to rule and reign with Him], unto the praise of his glory.

So Christ has already given to us a down-payment of our inheritance by giving us His Father’s spirit. In that position we can and must claim and confess who we are in Him and where we stand as His emissaries on this earth. If we deny who we are in Christ, He will deny us before His Father:

Mat 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Because that is true here are six verses which bear repetition. These verses tell us why our heavenly Father sent Christ into this world as His emissary, and they also tell us what is the commission which Christ, in turn, has placed upon us as His emissaries.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Joh 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

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

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.

Our old man cannot receive the depth of what Christ means when He tells us that He has sent us into the world “as [His] father has sent [Him].” We cannot, in our flesh, comprehend the depth of “as He is, so are we in this world.” What is Christ “in this world”? The answer is, “He is the propitiation for our sins, not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” It is as spiritual kings and priests, in “earnest” meaning in down-payment form, that we as the anointed of Christ fulfill the functions of the three steps that follow the passover which we have covered thus far. In Christ as our passover we are 1) the feast of weeks (Pentecost), also called the feast of firstfruits. We are the two leavened loaves offered to God at Pentecost. If there were any difference in these two loaves, we would have been told so as we were with the two goats at atonement. But we are not told that ‘one loaf is Christ and the other is us’ as so many claim. Those two loaves are both Christ within His “two witnesses”, witnessing to and lying dead in the streets of Babylon (Rev 11). In Christ it is we who are the “seven priests” (Jos 6, and Rev 8-11) who fulfill 2) the day of blowing of trumpets, and in Christ, it is we who fill up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of the Christ as portrayed in 3) the fasting and afflicting of our souls, as the living scapegoat sin offering on the day of atonement.

The last two steps in the overview of the plan of God

There are yet two more annual holy days that fill out and finish the overview of God’s plan for all mankind of all time. These last two holy days continue to be “types of us”, and they continue to reveal how Christ through us, as “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb”, will effectuate the salvation of all men of all time.

Num 28:26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your [seven] weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:

This study does not deny that mankind must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Mat 4:4). Rather this study confirms that ‘living by every word’ means believing and teaching every word. That is why in these studies we are declaring that there is an order to God’s plan for the salvation of all and the destruction of death, and that we are focusing on that order in this overview of that plan.

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: (1^stharvest) Christ the firstfruits; (2^ndharvest) afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.[The 2^nd harvest and yet it is called “the firstfruits of your (summer) harvest”, signifying the “first resurrection”, (Rev 14:4, Rev 20:6)]
1Co 15:24  Then [after the first two harvests] 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.

These last two holy days are the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, and “the eighth day, the last great day of the feast” are shadows and types of how we will be used by Christ to bring the ages to their predestined consummation via the agency of “the church, which is His body, [becoming] the fulness of Him that fills all in all”, by bringing all men to Christ (Eph 1:22-23).

Here we read of the work of those two leavened loaves as they are revealed to us again, in the book of Daniel:

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

Here is this same message concerning God becoming all in all in the New Testament:

Luk 13:20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
Luk 13:21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. [“God… all in all”]

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.

Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world [G165: ‘aion’, age], but also in that [world, aion] which is to come: [“Ye shall rule the world… and angels”, (1Co 6:2-3)]
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

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

Christ has been granted by His Father to be the head of the church, which is His body, [which church is] “the fulness of Him that fills all in all”. God being “all in all” is the goal, the ‘telos‘, of His plan. That which “fills [God]” and brings about the goal of God’s plan for all men is Christ and the church. It is we who are the firstfruit fullness of Him that fills all in all.”

Before this can be accomplished, Christ and His body must first destroy death because we are informed that death is “the last enemy to be destroyed.”

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 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, [when death is destroyed] then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

This brings us to a revelation from which our old man recoils in utter disgust. I have yet to find a commentary which understands the meaning of:

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

The simple fact is that to destroy death, you simply must annihilate all flesh that is upon the earth, and it is with the destruction of death in view that we are given to rule the nations of this world for a thousand years. That is the spiritual significance of the feast of tabernacles and the last great day. The seven days of the feast of Tabernacles symbolizes the millennium, and the last great day symbolizes the “short season” which follows the millennium, in which Satan is released from his prison and is sent out “to deceive the nations in the four quarters of the earth”, leading to the destruction of all flesh.

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 [who were not reigning with Christ for a thousand years] lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [reigning with Christ for a thousand years] is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

We will pause at this point and resume our study of the Overview of The Plan of God in our next study on the spiritual significance of the Feast of Tabernacles-B.

Rev 20:1-6 Those Who Have Part in the First Resurrection, Part 1

Mike Vinson — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 21:49:11 +0000

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Rev 20:1-6 Those Who Have Part in the First Resurrection, Part 1

[Study Aired June 13, 2025]

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Introduction

Chapter 19 begins by informing us that the Lord’s judgments include the fall of Babylon (Rev 19:2). As the smoke of her destruction ascends, we are informed of an event called “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:7). Putting Revelation 12:5, where the Lord’s elect are called “a manchild who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron”, together with Revelation 19:12 it is very clear that “as My Father hath sent me, even so send I you” to rule the nations of this world with a rod of iron.

Just like the last parts of chapters 7 and 14, without any notice or explanation, the last part of chapter 19 skips past the thousand-year reign and brings us to an entirely different ‘supper’ called “the supper of the great God” which deals with “the flesh of all men.”

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.

This “supper of the great God” does not occur when the ten horns which hate the whore also hate Christ and His Christ and make war with Him before the thousand years begin. There is no mention of “the flesh of all men” at that event:

Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest [on the beast] are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [“the armies in heaven”] are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The ten horns on the beast make war with Christ and His armies before the thousand years. The supper of the Great God is furnished by “the flesh of all men” at the great white throne judgment which is subsequent to the thousand-year kingdom of God on this physical earth.

This 20^th chapter provides us with the sequence of events leading up to “the supper of the great God”:

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.

We are only covering the first six verses of chapter 20 in this study, but the next five verses, as well as verse 7, demonstrate how pivotal this thousand-year reign of the Lord and His Christ is to bringing a close to ‘times eonian’ and to the destruction of the last enemy which is death:

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,

The next four verses are all concerned with this thousand-year kingdom:

Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Lord’s firstfruit elect rule with Him over the nations of this world for a thousand years. Those who teach that “the resurrection is past already” (2Ti 2:18) deny the doctrine of a thousand years of rule by the Lord’s elect over the kingdoms of this world. In doing so, they are also denying that ‘the heavens must receive Christ until the times of restitution of all things” (Act 3:21). A doctrine which denies that there will be a thousand-year kingdom also denies any need for Christ to appear again on this earth. All those qualifying words like ‘and after that he must be loosed a little season… the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years are finished … until the restitution of all things… when the thousand years are expired…’ etc. are meaningless if that kingdom is inward only and if Christ’s appearing is inward only. The entire work of God is understood only “by the [outward] things that are made.”

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world [His eonian plan and purpose] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [And they decided they did not need to wait to find out what the consensus of the elders, ‘the multitude of counselors’ was. The idol of our heart tells us we are right and “I don’t care what the consensus of the elders is. We are right!”]
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

In the first part of the previous chapter, the Lord’s elect are “blessed [to be] called to the marriage supper of the Lamb”. In this chapter we learn that the marriage supper of the Lamb is also called “the first resurrection”, and the same blessings are pronounced upon those who have a part in it:

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.

The first six verses of this 20^th chapter emphasize the judgment of the nations of this world by the Lord’s elect who are being judged in “this present time” (Rom 8:18) and are “blessed to be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb” which is called the “blessed and holy… first resurrection” in verse 6 of this chapter. As Joseph told the Pharaoh, when the Lord tells us anything in two different ways, then truly “the dream is one” (Gen 41:25-26). The “fiery trials” of this present judgment, which is judgment now on the house of God, are preparing us to be capable of making the hard decisions which must be made and enforced during that thousand-year kingdom. Those hard decisions and their enforcement are signified by “a rod of iron” which characterizes this thousand-year reign of the Lord’s elect over the outward unconverted “nations of this world”.

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

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

These verses are not to be taken inwardly. The phrases “fiery trials… tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb” are used to describe the tribulations and persecutions of this age, but the phrase “rod of iron” is never used in reference to our trials in this life. That phrase is reserved to refer to “our Lord and His Christ” as resurrected spirits who will be dealing with rebellious, outward, carnally-minded flesh for a thousand years:

Psa 2:9 Thou [Christ and His ‘manchild’ elect, (Rev 11:15)] shalt break them [“the kingdoms of this world”, (Rev 11:15)] with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them [the kingdoms of this world] with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations [the kingdoms of this world]: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations [the kingdoms of this world]: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

All four of these verses concern the kingdom of God which precedes the white throne judgment which “great… white throne” follows the “short season” of rebellion which immediately follows the thousand-year reign of “the Lord and His Christ.” All of these qualifying details are meaningless to “the resurrection is past already” crowd of false prophets:

2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

The Lord is showing us “what He is about to do” outwardly:

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.

It is not “the kingdom of God is within you” which “are become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.” Rather, it is the outward “kingdoms of this world.”

If this thousand-year kingdom were spiritual and inward only, then it would indeed have no end. However, this kingdom is qualified as having a definite beginning and a definite end. The thousand-year kingdom begins at “the resurrection of life” which occurs only at the beginning of the thousand-year kingdom:

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [at the first resurrection]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: ‘krisis’, judgment, the great white throne judgment/ lake of fire/ second death].

That ‘end’ of that outward kingdom age is signified by the release of devil from his ‘bottomless pit’ prison and giving the devil the power to organize all men to rebel against “the camp of the saints” (Rev 20:7-9).

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 20:7 And when [ and not until] the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they [“the nations in the four quarters of the [physical, outward] earth”] went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them [all nations of mankind, the beginning of the death of death].
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.

This angel of verse one of this 20^th chapter is simply a messenger of God, and the ‘key’ is the simple Word of God declaring that the devil will not be capable of ‘deceiving the nations’ (Rev 18:23, Rev 20:8), nor will he be able to exercise power as ‘the prince of the power of the air’ (Eph 2:2), neither will he be capable of being ‘a roaring lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour’ (1Pe 5:8). All this power will be stripped from the devil for “a thousand years… after which he must be loosed for a little season.”

Notice just how integral to the message of this chapter this ‘thousand years’ is. It is mentioned six times in six consecutive verses:

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Verses 7 through 15 of this 20^th chapter informs us of what takes place during the “short season” which follows the thousand-year reign of the Lord’s elect over “the kingdoms of this world.” We will discuss that in another study. This study is concerned with whether there is a literal kingdom of God ruling over the kingdoms of this world.

Christ referred to this thousand-year age as “the restitution of all things” during which King David, signifying Christ and His Christ would rule the kingdoms of this world, and this is what He tells us about His kingdom on this physical earth:

Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Act 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

This physical kingdom age is followed by another age which is called the “white throne judgment.” This age is a spiritual age because in the resurrection “it is raised a spiritual body:

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body; there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

This great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death is initiated by a second resurrection which will include all of mankind who were not given to have a part in the “blessed and holy… first resurrection.

Throughout this revelation of Jesus Christ the holy spirit is constantly contrasting the blessings of the spirit upon our inward new man with the curses of the carnal mind of the old man. In chapter seven the contrast is between the few numbered with “a multitude which no man could number.” In chapter 14 the same 144,000 numbered are called “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb. In chapter 14 three angels are used by the holy spirit to signify the judgment of the 144,000. The first angel preaches the gospel to all nations proclaiming with a loud voice that the hour of God’s judgment is now, at this very moment, on His house [1Pe 4:17]. The second angel proclaims the fall of Babylon within those who are being judged in this age. The third angel demonstrates that we endure the same “fire and brimstone… torment in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” which is experienced by all the rest of mankind after at the “great white throne… judgment. The “fire and brimstone judgment we endure in this age is called “the fiery trial, which is to try you”:

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Here is how the holy spirit describes this experience in Christ’s own life:

Luk 22:41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Luk 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Luk 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Mark uses these words to express the same fiery trial endured by our Lord:

Mar 14:33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
Mar 14:34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
Mar 14:35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
Mar 14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Christ’s sweat “as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” and His being “exceeding sorrowful unto death”is the same as our being tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb spoken of in:

Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

What do the scriptures call this excruciating judgment which both we and Christ must endure? Here is what this experience of the wrath of God upon our man of sin in this age is called in scripture:

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The “fire and brimstone… torment” endured by “the saints” refers to our every day “fiery trials” that Peter tells us all we must expect if we are serving Christ:

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Those who deny a literal thousand year reign of “our Lord and His Christ”, and there are many who do so teaching that the resurrection is spiritual and inward and “the resurrection is past already” (2Ti 2:18):

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

There are many who, until this very day, are teaching that “the resurrection is past already” because we do experience an inward resurrection. Demonstrating their inability to “rightly divide the word of Truth” they quote the apostle Paul’s own words:

Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead [Aorist tense] to sin, live [Future tense] any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized [Aorist tense] into Jesus Christ were baptized [Aorist tense] into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with [Aorist tense] him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up [Aorist tense] from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk [Aorist tense] in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been [perfect tense] planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be [future, not present tense] also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this [present tense], that our old man is crucified with [Aorist tense] him, that the body of sin might be destroyed [Aorist tense], that henceforth we should not serve [Present tense] sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead [Aorist tense] is freed [Perfect tense] from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead [Aorist tense] with Christ, we believe [Present tense] that we shall also live [Future tense, NOT present tense] with him:

The fact that the words “shall also live” are in the future tense, does not mean that we are not figuratively living “in Christ” at this time also.

Those who are still fostering the false doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus, that “the resurrection is past already” are denying the need for any literal resurrection of all those who have physically died both before and after Christ came down from heaven to die for our sins. Christ in the flesh was not Christ in us. It was essential that Christ had to physically die to become our spiritual Savior:

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

“Go away” means that it was expedient that Christ had to physically die or we would have no Savior.

The work Christ has given us to accomplish is very similar to the work which His Father has given Him to accomplish, and when we understand just how similar that work is we will have a much greater appreciation for these verses of scripture:

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

In like manner we, too, must physically die, or “be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (or there will be no “saviors… on Mount Zion judging the house of Esau (Oba 1:21):

Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Christ has not at this time made His appearing to put down all physical powers and authorities and place His own elect in the positions of power over the kingdoms of this world. He is yet to appear and when He does these changes will take place, whether Hymenaeus and Philetus or those who have been seduced by their false teaching believe it or not.

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.

In coming to understand what Christ has sent us to do we will continue to give the lie to the false doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus and all the modern day false prophets who feel so spiritual while teaching that “the resurrection is past already”:

1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Hymenaeus was in cahoots with both Alexander and Philetus in pushing his ‘the resurrection is past already’ self-righteous false doctrine. Notice what Paul has to say about this subversive disciple in his next epistle to Timothy:

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Paul characterizing the teaching that “the resurrection is past already” as proof that Hymenaeus and Philetus are incapable of “rightly dividing the Word of Truth. He also calls this doctrine ‘profane and vain babblings which increase unto more ungodliness.’ Those who deny a “resurrection to life”, preceding the thousand-year reign, deny the veracity of our fifth verse in today’s study and of our Lord’s own words:

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

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

“The rest of the dead” clearly means any of the dead who were not in the blessed and holy first resurrection.

We will pause here and continue to expose the lie that the resurrection is past already in our next study.

Book of Jeremiah – Jer 48:32-47 Yet Will I Bring Again the Captivity of Moab in the Latter Days

Mike Vinson — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 17:04:36 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ldz2ptydptmsi6c/20220821-Study_MikeV-MoabJudged.m4a?raw=1

Jer 48:32-47 Yet Will I Bring Again the Captivity of Moab in the Latter Days

[Study Aired August 21, 2022]

Jer 48:32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.
Jer 48:33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.
Jer 48:34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.
Jer 48:35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
Jer 48:36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.
Jer 48:37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
Jer 48:38 There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.
Jer 48:39 They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.
Jer 48:40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
Jer 48:41 Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Jer 48:42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.
Jer 48:43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
Jer 48:44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
Jer 48:45 They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
Jer 48:46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
Jer 48:47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Sibmah is an area of Moab known for its vineyards and for the treading of its grapes. Jazer is similar to Sibmah and has already been broken and destroyed by the Babylonians. “Thy plants” signify the people and doctrines of Sibmah which have held dominion over us for so long and are now being judged and destroyed by the spoiler.

As we saw with the stories of Abraham mourning the loss of Ishmael and King David mourning the death of King Saul, it is proper that we never rejoice when we see our enemy fall, and that we mourn with those who mourn.

Gen 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

2Sa 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
2Sa 1:18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

Rom 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

The ‘summer fruits and…vintage’ of both Jazer and Sibmah are the fruits of her proud lies and false doctrines to which we have attached ourselves with so much pride that we of ourselves cannot humble ourselves to let go of their deadly affect upon us. Therefore:

Jer 48:33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.

“Their shouting shall be no more shouting” is the same as saying:

Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Luk 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
Luk 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

If we think that darkness within us is light, then our shouting will not be shouting. Rather it will be weeping and mourning for the loss of the kingdom of our old man. Our own wickedness will correct us:

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

Moab within us claims he fears the Lord, yet he ignores the Lord’s word and the Lord’s ways.

As an example of light being darkness, anyone who thinks that the modern ‘Book of Jasher’ is anything but spurious heresy is in deep darkness while thinking they are in the light. When we read:

2Sa 1:18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

“…It is written in the book of Jasher” should never be understood and meaning ‘…it is written in the modern, spurious ‘book of Jasher’. The same goes for the Book of Enoch which is not in our view at this moment. For any who think the book of Jasher is authentic just take the time to read chapters 53-54 which purport to give us the story of Joseph and his brothers. The book of Jasher chapters 51-54 retell the story of Joseph’s brothers appearing before him in Egypt, and in this retelling, these chapters add much to “that which is written” in the True written word of God.

Here is a short cut and paste from chapter 51:

“37 And Joseph went out from them and came into the chamber, and wept a great weeping, for his pity was excited for them, and he washed his face, and returned to them again, and he took Simeon from them and ordered him to be bound, but Simeon was not willing to be done so, for he was a very powerful man and they could not bind him.
38 And Joseph called unto his mighty men and seventy valiant men came before him with drawn swords in their hands, and the sons of Jacob were terrified at them.
39 And Joseph said unto them, Seize this man and confine him in prison until his brethren come to him, and Joseph’s valiant men hastened and they all laid hold of Simeon to bind him, and Simeon gave a loud and terrible shriek and the cry was heard at a distance.
40 And all the valiant men of Joseph were terrified at the sound of the shriek, that they fell upon their faces, and they were greatly afraid and fled.
41 And all the men that were with Joseph fled, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, and only Joseph and Manasseh his son remained there, and Manassah the son of Joseph saw the strength of Simeon, and he was exceedingly wroth.
42 And Manassah the son of Joseph rose up to Simeon, and Manassah smote Simeon a heavy blow with his fist against the back of his neck, and Simeon was stilled of his rage.
43 And Manassah laid hold of Simeon and he seized him violently and he bound him and brought him into the house of confinement, and all the sons of Jacob were astonished at the act of the youth.” (End Quote)

I do not believe that I am the only one who hears “the voice of a stranger” in these words of this obviously spurious ‘book of Jasher’. According to this book, Judah took a stone ‘the weight of 400 shekels’ (ten pounds) and threw it up in the air with one hand and caught it with the other hand and then sat upon it and crushed it to powder. Then Joseph had Manasseh his son to do the same trick. Then Judah and Simeon threaten to destroy all of Egypt. Here is verse 35 of chapter 54:

“And Joseph was greatly afraid at the words of his brethren lest they should destroy Egypt…” (End Quote)

It is a book of total fantasy wrapped up in many verses taken right out of the Bible and millions of nominal Christians are deceived by such spurious heresy. Equally false stories abound throughout this book and throughout the equally spurious Book of Enoch. The books mentioned in scripture are not those which have been invented by unprincipled men to masquerade as books of scripture. Christ’s sheep know His voice, and none of these books, regardless of their antiquity, have the voice of Christ within them:

Joh 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

As ‘proud Moab’ all our lying false doctrines are revealed for what they are, and yet it is proper that we mourn the death and destruction of Moab just as King David mourned the death of King Saul recounting King Saul’s many wonderful works:

2Sa 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
2Sa 1:18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
2Sa 1:19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
2Sa 1:20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
2Sa 1:21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
2Sa 1:22  From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
2Sa 1:23  Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
2Sa 1:24  Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
2Sa 1:25  How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
2Sa 1:26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
2Sa 1:27  How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Three times King David laments “How are the mighty fallen”, and he does so regarding the Lord’s rejected anointed.

King Saul has a closer relationship to Abraham’s seed than Moab has, nevertheless both are of Abraham’s family, and both must be judged. King Saul’s judgment will be more severe than Moab because he typifies those who were given more and therefore are expected to produce more:

Luk 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

We have “all sinned and come short of the glory of God”, and His fiery words will try every man’s work of what sort they are:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

Jer 48:34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.

Isaiah 15 contains this same lamentation for Moab and Zoar:

Isa 15:5 My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.

Zoar is the very city to which Moab’s father Lot, and his mother, Lot’s oldest daughter, and her younger sister, Lot’s two daughters fled before leaving Zoar to live in a cave:

Gen 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
Gen 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
Gen 19:17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Gen 19:18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
Gen 19:19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
Gen 19:20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
Gen 19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
Gen 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar [meaning ‘little’].

Isa 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.
Isa 15:7 Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.
Isa 15:8 For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.
Isa 15:9 For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

“An heifer of three years old” is a mature cow with a strong voice, whose lowing can be heard by all who are anywhere near. The Lord Himself will bring ‘lions’ upon Moab in the form of the merciless Chaldeans.

Jer 48:35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

In terms to which we can relate, the Lord will cause all the holidays which were celebrated in the pagan ‘high places’ to no longer be tolerated, and the gods of the holidays of Moab will be destroyed. Chemosh will be destroyed and “caused to cease”.

Jer 48:36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.

Pipes were sounded at funerals and at times of great mourning, and Kirheres had been a very wealthy city which is now “perished” with all her riches. Our riches are our doctrines, and that is where our hearts are:

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.

Jer 48:37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

All these are rituals associated with a great mourning. Moab is so far from God that cuttings were common even though the Lord had told Israel:

Deu 14:1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
Deu 14:2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Jer 48:38 There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.
Jer 48:39 They [You and I] shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him. [We come to loath our own shame (Eze 20:43)]
Jer 48:40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
Jer 48:41 Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Jer 48:42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.
Jer 48:43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
Jer 48:44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
Jer 48:45 They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.

“Fire shall come forth out of Heshbon” is the same prophecy Gideon’s son made against his brother, Abimelech, who was of the city of Shechem and who had slain 70 of his brothers, the sons of Gideon:

Jdg 9:20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

Jdg 9:23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

Jer 48:46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.

Chemosh is the god of the Moabites. This is what we read earlier in this same chapter:

Jer 48:7 For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.

Chemosh has been letting Moab down for many years, including many years before Israel came up out of Egypt. This is what Moses had to say of Chemosh and his people, Moab:

Num 21:25 And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.
Num 21:26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
Num 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
Num 21:28 For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.
Num 21:29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
Num 21:30 We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.

Chemosh is called “the abomination of the Moabites when listing the gods to whom King Solomon built temples in Jerusalem:

1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
1Ki 11:8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

The Lord had given King Solomon more than He had given the Moabites; more riches, more knowledge and more carnal wisdom, and yet we read:

1Ki 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
1Ki 11:2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
1Ki 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
1Ki 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

Moab is our proud flesh which is being judged in this age. King Solomon in his old age typifies those who become the same as King Saul who was the Lord’s rejected anointed, for whom it will be worse ‘in that day’ than it will be for Sodom:

Luk 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
Luk 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luk 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

Here is the Lord’s conclusion after all this denunciation and destruction of Moab:

Jer 48:47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

‘Bring Again The Captivity’

This phrase “bring again the captivity” is found in reference to several nations in scripture. It is most often mentioned in reference to Israel being brought back to their God, but it is also used in referring to other nations:

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

Jer 30:3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

Jer 30:18 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

Jer 31:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.

Jer 33:11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Jer 48:47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Jer 49:6 And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the LORD.

Jer 49:39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.

Eze 16:53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:

Eze 29:14 And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

Eze 39:25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

Amo 9:14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

Zep 3:20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.

Here we have 13 verses with the words ‘bring again the captivity’ in them. Of these 13 verses, 9 of them refer to the Lord’s people Israel. The remaining four refer to Moab, Ammon, Elam, and Egypt. Applying the principle of living by every word, we must acknowledge that Moab, Ammon, Elam, and Egypt are also within the first man Adam who is within every man, especially ourselves first and foremost. Like the seven churches with their various sins and transgressions, at the end of each admonition we are told:

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

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:13  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

‘Hearing’ and ‘seeing’ are two ways of saying the same thing:

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand: )

We simply cannot understand unless we are given eyes that see and ears that hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God:

Mat 13:9  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

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

When Christ tells us “Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them”, He is telling us that all the prophets and righteous men of the Old Testament weren’t even ministering to themselves. Instead, they were all ministering to us, and they “have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them”.

It is given to the apostle Peter to place our salvation in the period following Christ’s coming to die for our sins. For that reason, salvation was completely unavailable to anyone in the Old Testament until they come up in the great white throne judgment:

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

The fact that the holy spirit tells us the Old Testament prophets prophesied of the grace that would come to us, “Not unto themselves, but unto us…” makes clear the primary meaning of that oft repeated phrase “bring again the captivity” refers first and primarily to those who are in Christ in this present time who will be revealed as “the manifestation of the sons of God” at the resurrection of life, which is also called “the… blessed and holy… first resurrection”, which “manner of time” is at the end of this dispensation of grace, and at the beginning of the thousand-year reign of “our Lord and His Christ… with a rod of iron”:

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

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

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

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.

We live in faith those words are true, and we give our lives in service to the Truth of this promise:

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

With all of this in mind it becomes clear that ‘bringing again the captivity of Moab’, yes, even ‘Moab’, applies primarily to the Lord’s elect first and foremost. It is our false God ‘Chemosh’, the man of sin within us, whom we worship, and who must be the first to die to himself. Through that death and destruction come forth unto life “more abundant” and not ‘bring again our captivity… with Sodom and her daughters’ (Eze 16:53) just to be “a base nation… there”.

Eze 29:14 And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

Therefore, in closing it is very important that we realize that ‘bringing again the captivity’ of some nations reveals the “manner of time”, and the glory of the particular resurrection which is under consideration (1Co 15:41-42).

1Co 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

If Sodom is brought back from her captivity and also Samaria, and we are told that ‘Jerusalem and her daughters’ are among those of Sodom and her daughters, then that is a qualifying statement which tells us that this ‘Jerusalem’ is the ‘Jerusalem’ which is now and is in bondage with her children and who answers to Hagar the bondwoman and to her son “the son of the bondwoman” who will “not be made heir with the son of the free woman”.

To state this as clearly as possible:

Eze 16:53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: [“Thy captives” referring to “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children… not… made heirs with the children of the free woman” (Gal 4:30-31)]

Both the 144,000 firstfruits unto God and the Lamb and the great multitude which no man can number are brought again from their captivity and wash their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. However, the great multitude is not the firstfruits to God and the Lamb, and the great multitude which no man can number are instead “the rest of the dead” of:

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them [144,000 firstfruits], 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 [verse 4] is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Here is the earlier prophecy of those who will reign with Christ for a thousand years:

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh [in “this present time” Rom 8:18], and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

It is the “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” who will rule with Him a thousand years:

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

These “firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” are numbered as 144,000, to be contrasted with:

Rev 7:9 After this [After revealing to us the 144,000 firstfruits] I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation [the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death], and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Being “before the throne of God” and sitting with Christ in His throne are two very distinct rewards, and it is our hope to be with, and sit with Christ in His Father’s throne and not suffer the loss of that blessing, while still being saved through the fire of His Word:

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.

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

We are the children of the freewoman, and those who are not the children of the freewoman will not be made heir of the kingdom of God which will reign over the kingdoms of the world for a thousand years and then “judge angels” in the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death.

Gal 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

The Book of Jeremiah – Jer 16:13-21 I Will Send for Many Fishers

Mike Vinson — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 20:07:56 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zvww9fiwcvqdfsl/20210829-Study_MikeV-RecompenseDouble.m4a?raw=1

Jer 16:13-21 I Will Send for Many Fishers…First I Will Recompense Their Iniquity Double

[Study Aired August 29, 2021]

Jer 16:13 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.
Jer 16:14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 16:15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Jer 16:16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
Jer 16:17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
Jer 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.
Jer 16:19 O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.
Jer 16:20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?
Jer 16:21 Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD.

When the Lord begins to heal our spiritually blind eyes, we begin to understand that He is working every [little detail] after the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11). In time the Lord opens our eyes to see that He had every day of our lives written in His book before the world began (Psa 139:16, 2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2). Then we begin to see that every little detail of the work He is doing is for our good in this present time (Rom 8:18), and in the end, for the good of all men of all time (Rom 8:28, 11:31).

Now let’s take note of these words of our Lord:

Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

The two phrases, “I have heard… [and] I have made known…” are both in the aorist tense, which means the Lord is continuing to make known to us all He has heard of His Father. Nowhere in scripture does Christ ever tell us that His Father has given us to know the dates He has determined for the things He is doing with mankind, but He certainly has given His elect to know the timing of “all things [He] has heard of [His] Father”. Christ’s Father has revealed to Him the order in which every step of His plan to save all men will take place. For that reason, we must pay attention to qualifying words like ‘first, second, last, before, after, when and then’. If we are sent an evil spirit which tells us that which is ‘before’ is ‘after’, that ‘second’ or ‘last’ is ‘first’, then we will be “led astray by the error of the wicked”:

2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Our study begins with the word… “therefore”, meaning ‘for this reason’. “Therefore” we need to remember what we covered in the first twelve verses of this chapter.

I will repeat the verses which give us the essence of our last study:

Jer 16:2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.
Jer 16:3 For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;
Jer 16:4 They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

As is the case with every commandment the Lord gives us, He gives us His commandments because He knows we will just naturally, by His own design, do the exact opposite. We could take every single one of the ten commandments and demonstrate that our natural inclination is to do the exact opposite of every one of them. No child ever yet had to be taught to lie, cheat, steal or hate. These things are simply “in [our] members” at birth.

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

The Lord is the “one [and only] lawgiver”, which includes “the law of sin which is in [our] members”:

Jas 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

This “law of sin” which the Lord has placed “in [our] members” gives Him the occasion He is seeking to humble and destroy the kingdom of our old man:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

There is an order in which everything the Lord does must happen. We must have “an experience of evil” before the Lord can have the occasion He is seeking to humble and destroy the kingdom of our old man.

What all of this is telling us is “I will send many fishers [of men… but] first I will recompence [your] iniquity double”.

Jer 16:13 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.

“I will cast you… into a land… where I will not show you favor” has nothing to do with physical prosperity. The Lord’s ‘favor’ refers to His ‘chastening grace’. It in no way relates to physical wealth. A physically poor man can be found in the Lord’s favor, and a physically rich man can be without the Lord’s favor, as the parable of Lazarus and the rich man demonstrates:

Luk 16:23 And in hell he [the rich man] lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

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

Lazarus was favored and “chastened and scourged” in this life, and was “received” of the Lord, while the rich man was rejected and condemned to the resurrection of “damnation”, better translated as “the resurrection of judgment” at the great white throne/lake of fire/second death.

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [at the “first resurrection” (Rev 20:6)]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [over a thousand years later (Rev 20:7-15)].

It is because the chastening grace of the Lord’s favor is not yet upon our lives that we must be carried away into Babylon.

Jer 16:14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 16:15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

This is the New Testament version of this verse:

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.

Every self-righteous person “exalts himself… so that he sits as God, showing himself that he is God”.

Jer 16:16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
Jer 16:17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
Jer 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

Paul was inspired to speak of this judgment in these words, but it is the very same message:

2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth [Greek, restrains] that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [Same Greek word translated ‘withholdeth’ in verse 6] will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then [through judgment] 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:

That is just another way of saying, “And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.”

There is a revelation for us in the words, “the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither He had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.” The revelation in those words is that Egypt and “the furnace of iron” are earlier parts of our “experience of evil” which must precede our time spent warring against the giants in our land. It also reveals that we must begin fighting our lusts and passions before we are carried away into “the land of the north”, which signifies the beginning of our judgment and the beginning of our exodus from Babylon, “the north country”:

1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

It is the Lord’s “very elect” who “come out of her… from the north country”.

This principle is repeated in:

Hos 11:5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.

Assyria is “the land of the north”, and Babylon and Assyria are one and the same people. As Egypt symbolizes the world, Babylon symbolizes a much later experience in which the Lord’s apostate people, who after having come out of the world and overcoming so much, have yet been seduced by those religions of Assyria and Babylon and have committed spiritual fornication and spiritual adultery against the Lord.

It is spiritual “Babylon the great… that great city wherein our Lord was crucified” which insisted on that crucifixion.

On the other hand, Egypt symbolizes an earlier part of our experience of evil, and is referred to as “the iron furnace”:

Deu 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
Deu 4:20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

We are made to know that the Lord does not send “fishers [and] hunters” to drag us to himself from “the iron furnace”. Rather He sends ‘fishers and hunters’ only after we have apostatized from knowing Him and have been carried away captives into “the land of the north”, into Babylon.

Jer 16:16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

Here is the New Testament version of this verse:

Luk 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? [“fishes… hunts”]
Luk 15:5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luk 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
Luk 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

That is the positive application of these words of Job:

Job 23:13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
Job 23:14 For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

Thanks be to the Lord that our salvation does not depend upon us… “For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me”.

Notice and believe the words, “and first…”.

Jer 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

Here is another way of expressing the message of this 18^th verse of Jeremiah 16:

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

Iniquity is self-righteousness (Eze 33:13). We are self-righteous by nature, but we get a double portion of self-righteousness after we are carried away captive to Babylon, the great harlot.

Eze 33:13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

This is our way of thinking while we are “joined to” that harlot:

Pro 30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

There is “order” to everything the Lord does, and it is He who is doing everything “after the counsel of His own will”.

1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

If we fail to see the order in which He is doing His work, then we can and we will miss the spiritual message He is giving only to those whose “eyes of [their] understanding [are] being enlightened” to see what He clearly tells us is “first” and what is “second” and what is “first” and what is “last”. We will completely overlook the promises that are the exclusive blessing of those “who first trusted in Christ” and who were “blessed [to] have a part in the first resurrection” (Rev 20:6).

1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

Notice how clearly the Lord’s order of events is laid out for us:

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Clearly “the first man Adam” must precede “the last Adam”, and “the first man” must precede “the second man”. The “first resurrection”, which takes place at the beginning of the thousand-year reign of “the Lord and His Christ”, must precede the last resurrection, which follows the short season of rebellion at the end of the thousand-year reign:

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

The eyes of my understanding have been given to see that the Lord’s inheritance is “in His saints” and that His saints rule with Him over the kingdoms of this world.

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

The eyes of my understanding have been made to know that the thousand years must be “finished… expired” before Satan is empowered to “go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth…”

Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

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

At this point, the One who is “working all things after the counsel of His own will” has now put a stop to the process of death. The “fire… from God out of heaven” has now “devoured… the nations in the four quarters of the earth”, and there will be no more flesh to perpetrate death upon mankind. The Lord now has all mankind who were not in the “blessed and holy first resurrection” in a position to be “raised a spiritual body” to be judged with “angels” in the “great white throne… judgment”, which will eventuate in “all…in Adam…be[ing] made alive” at the “great white throne… judgment”.

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? [during the thousand-year reign of “the Lord and His Christ”] and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? [at the “white throne judgment” which follows the “short season” of rebellion which occurs only “when the thousand years are expired”] how much more things that pertain to this life?

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

The “great white throne… judgment” is exactly what the very next verse of Revelation 20 reveals:

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the [first] earth and the [first] heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life [over a thousand years earlier] was cast into the lake of fire.

Christianity teaches that verse 15 is the end of the line for any whose names are not in the book of life. They believe the book of life is opened here at the white throne judgment. After all, verse 12 does say “…and another book was opened, which is the book of life”. However, where is the qualification which tells us that anyone whose name is in the book of life is raised up at the white throne judgment? The answer is that there is no such statement in scripture, whereas we are very clearly told that there are just two resurrections. The first one Christ mentions is “the resurrection of life”, and the second and last resurrection is called “the resurrection of damnation”, which is much better translated as ‘the resurrection of judgment’, because the word translated ‘damnation’ is the Greek word ‘krisis’, which means ‘judgment’.

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

Just as in Revelation 20:15 where we are told of “the books were opened… and another book was opened which is the book of life…” the timing of these two resurrections, “the resurrection to life [and] the resurrection to damnation [judgment]” is not under consideration here in John 5. All we are being told is “the hour is coming, in which all that are in their graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth”. There is no mention at this point of a “blessed and holy… first resurrection”, nor is there any mention of a “great white throne… when the thousand years are expired”. Taken alone, these verses in John 5 would lead us to believe that the resurrection of “they that have done good” and “they that have done evil” both take place at the same time. Let’s take notice of how similar the wording about these two resurrections is to the discussion of “the books… and another book, which is the book of life” in Revelation 20.

In John 5, we are looking forward to the resurrection of “all that are in their graves” with no regard to the clearly revealed fact that there are two resurrections which are divided by “a thousand years” plus a “short season” when Satan is released from prison and deceives the whole world.

By contrast, in Revelation 20 we are looking back to the opening of “the book of life [at] the resurrection of life” with no mention of the fact that this very same 20^th chapter reveals that the opening of “the book of life” had taken place “a thousand years [plus] a short season” earlier.

I take the time to discuss all of this just so we get the full impact of our study today which reveals that the Lord will “send fishers” to save His people, His “very elect”, whose names are written in “the book of life… but first [He] will recompense their iniquity double”.

This is just another way of saying that God’s elect must be the first to be judged, which is exactly what we are told in:

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

It behooves us to know that our judgment in being the first to be judged, does not exclude us from being “recompensed [our] iniquity double”. We must understand that it is that ‘recompensed double’ which constitutes “the judgment [which] must… first begin… at the house of God”. It is important we notice that the Lord places this ‘double recompense’ in that part of our ‘experience of evil’ which follows, and it comes after the time of our battles with the giants in our land.

We really are given to make great strides at subduing and overcoming many of our passions, our addictions, and our lack of patience with others while in the land of promise. These victories are given to us only after we are brought up out of Egypt and after we enter the land of promise. Nevertheless, it is while we are still fighting and overcoming the giants in our land that we are also given to take the credit for our victories over these ‘giants’ within, and we commit iniquity and become self-righteous. Of course, it was the Lord who gave us every victory we experience, but we are just like King Hezekiah when the Lord slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers in one night.

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

2Ch 32:22 Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.
2Ch 32:23 And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he [Hezekiah] was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.
2Ch 32:24 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.

All the nations around King Hezekiah gave him the credit for that victory, and King Hezekiah took that honor to himself and did not acknowledge the Lord as having fought that battle for him.

The Lord knows that our recognizing His hand in all that happens, good and evil, is for our own spiritual health. To do otherwise would be to perpetrate a lie, and the Lord will have none of that. He will see to it that we recognize Him in all things:

Psa 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
Psa 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

The Lord does not need our praise, but we do need Him, and we do need to know the Truth, which is the very definition of life eternal:

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

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus Christ “is… the Truth”. Therefore, we will do well to pay very close attention when He speaks. If He tells us ‘that which is natural precedes that which is spiritual’, then we truly need to remember and believe those words. If He tells us the first resurrection occurs before the thousand-year reign, and that those in that resurrection rule with Him over the kingdoms of this world during His thousand-year reign, we need to believe that is the order in which those things will occur. If He tells us that a rebellion against His government will occur “when the thousand years are expired”, we dare not say otherwise. If we are told in such clear words that a great white throne judgment follows the rebellion which takes place “when the thousand years are expired”, then we should know for certain the order in which all these things will occur. We are not given the time and dates for any of these events, but we are definitely made to know the order in which all these things will occur.

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Luke emphasizes the fact that “My Father only… knows the day and hour” of Christ’s appearing, both within and outwardly.

Mar 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

If we ignore the fact that the scriptures plainly state “that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual”, then we can, and we will, completely miss the spiritual message which gives us the Lord’s order of events, and we will be confused and deceived by the adversary, which is what the Lord has given to “our fathers”:

Jer 16:19 O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

“Our father” is the “father of liars” and all who believe those lies. So “our fathers” includes our own deceived, rebellious old man with all his lies, vanity, and “things wherein there is no profit”.

Jer 16:20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?

It is the fact that we have all done just that, which necessitates the Lord to ‘first recompense our iniquity and our sins double:

Jer 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

Only after the chastening of the seven last plagues upon all the false doctrines of Babylon within us and upon all our self-righteous iniquities, are we given this wonderful assurance:

Jer 16:21 Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD.

That is our study for this week, and these are our verses for our next study where we will learn more about our old man and his dire need of the Lord’s judgments:

Jer 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
Jer 17:2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
Jer 17:3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
Jer 17:4 And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Jer 17:6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Jer 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Jer 17:11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
Jer 17:12 A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
Jer 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

[Next study in this series is here.]

The Book of Jeremiah – Jer 1:1-10 Part 2 – To Build and to Plant – The Blessing of Obedience

Mike Vinson — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 17:27:12 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wha7pgks05mdfe7/GMT20201129-160505S_Mike-Vinso.m4a?raw=1

Jer 1:1-10 To Build and to Plant- The Blessings of Obedience

[Study Aired November 29, 2020]

Because this prophecy of Jeremiah, taken as a whole, appears to our natural man to be so dire and so apocalyptic, our study today will be centered around the last part of the last verse of our last study. These words are designed to prepare our hearts to receive and even appreciate those parts of this prophecy which appear to our natural man to be so negative and seemingly lamentable. For the following couple of weeks, we will examine the curses which will come upon our old man for disobedience.

As we saw in our last study, Jeremiah is at this time a young man who is “set… over the nations”. Notice what being placed in that position entails:

Jer 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

As is typical of the Lord’s word, the number of verses concerning our judgment, both our judgment… “first upon the house of God” (1Pe 4:17) and the later the judgment of all mankind, are over twice as many as the words which concern our rewards for being judged in this present time or the consequences of being judged at a later time. In either case the number of verses concerning judgment for disobedience far outnumber the verses which concern rewards for obedience. Jeremiah, as a type of who we are as judges with Christ during the thousand year reign and also the judges of the great white throne judgment, is told that his calling is 1) to root out, 2) to pull down, 3) to destroy, and 4) to throw down. Those four things have a negative implication to our old man. As a type also of those who will become the conduits of the mercy we have been shown and will in return show to all the rest of mankind (Rom 11:31), Jeremiah is told in half as many words that it is also given to him 1) to build, and 2) to plant:

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

1Co 10:6 Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things,

This ratio of verses and pages which occupy curses for disobedience, compared to the number of verses and pages of scripture enumerating the blessings of obedience, is first made evident in Deuteronomy 28. The first 14 verses of this chapter enumerate all the blessings for obedience, and that is the subject of this study. We will appreciate these blessings and look forward to “the redemption of the purchased possession” today. Then we will take note of all the curses of disobedience in future studies. There is a particularly good reason why the scriptures which occupy themselves with the curses for disobedience far outnumber the verses and chapters of scripture which concern themselves with the blessings of obedience.

Our study today will center around the function of the blessings for obedience as they are promised in the first 14 verses of:

Deu 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

We will digress today from our direct study of this prophecy of Jeremiah, a prophecy which is filled with stories of the disobedience of the physical nation of Israel, to analyze why the curses of disobedience occupy far more of the pages of scriptures than do the blessings we are promised for obedience to the Lord’s words. We will also learn what the function is of the blessings we are promised for being obedient to the Lord’s commandments. There is a good reason for why the promises occupy comparatively little space in scripture, and we need to know and understand why it is so.

The short answer for why this is so, it that the scriptures are designed to deal with the lifelong process of bringing us out of death and darkness, and into life and the light. That is why the curses for disobedience occupy so much of the scriptures. However, there must be an incentive to help us see beyond the fact that we are dying creatures who are actually living in total spiritual darkness to begin with. To this end we are given “exceeding great and precious promises”:

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The physical promises of blessings given to ancient Israel typify the spiritual blessings promised to “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16 – GWV). The promise to Jeremiah as a type of the Lord’s firstfruit saints, of being given to rule over all the nations of this earth, is exactly what we, too, are promised to incentivize us as it did Jeremiah:

Jer 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Both Jeremiah and Israel are merely types and shadows of the New Testament overcomers who keep the words and works of Christ to the end:

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

The true “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16) is an inward spiritual kingdom which is promised rulership over the kingdoms “on the earth”. This promise does not say, “He that overcomes… to him will I give power over the nations within.” These “overcomers” are those who have already been given that inward blessing, and that is why they are now proclaiming, “We shall reign on the earth.”

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

Gal 6:15 Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16 Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

The twentieth chapter of Revelation reveals more details about those who are destined to “reign on the earth”:

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

Only those who are blinded by the Lord Himself to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven will fail to see that it is only those who keep the works of Christ to the end in this present time, who will be given a part in the first resurrection to rule with Christ for a thousand years, after which there is “the resurrection to judgment”.

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. [The Greek word translated ‘damnation’ is ‘krisis’, and it is much better translated as ‘judgment’].

“The resurrection of judgment” in this twentieth chapter of Revelation is called the “great white throne… judgment”. The fact that the second resurrection follows the first is as obvious as the fact that this is the second group who are only now dying to their old man for the first time, follows those who died to their old man first in “this present time” (Rom 8:18). Those in the first resurrection will rule with Christ for a thousand years:

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

This “thousand years” is without a doubt as much a spiritual signification of a time period as the ‘slain… Lamb’ is of a spiritual signification of death. However, a lamb is not used to signify a period of time and a thousand years is not used to signify a living creature. Both are signified by a counterpart of the same sort.

So, it is with the subject of resurrection. Both are symbolized by a counterpart. As Christ tells us there are only two resurrections – One is to life and the other to judgment. The first resurrection is symbolized by life, while the second resurrection follows the judgment which is now on “the house of God” and is symbolized by judgment.

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Peter knew very well where any who are not being judged in this age would appear. They will appear at the second resurrection, “the resurrection of judgment” (Joh 5:27-29), the “white throne judgment”, which we are told is the lake of fire, of which it is written:

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

This “lake of fire” symbolizes the judgment which must take place at this symbolic “great white throne”:

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [“The books” signifies the many who are not the “one seed” (Gal 3:16) while “the book” signifies those who are that “one seed” in the “one Christ” (1Co 12:12)]
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Yet another name for this second judgment is “the second death”:

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life [to rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years “on the earth”] was cast into the lake of fire.

Getting back to demonstrating that both Deuteronomy and Jeremiah, and indeed the whole of the Lord’s Word, emphasize the process of judgment much more than the reward for being judged in this present time, here are the rest of the first 14 verses of the 68 verses of this 28^th chapter of Deuteronomy:

Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Deu 28:3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Deu 28:4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deu 28:5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Deu 28:6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deu 28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
Deu 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 28:9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
Deu 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Deu 28:11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

All these blessings “in the land which the Lord gives [us]” are ours even now spiritually in down payment form.

Here are Christ’s words as they relate to all these promises of blessings:

Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Demonstrating the spiritual downpayment form of these blessings, Mark adds the words “now in this time” and “with persecutions” to those words of Christ:

Mar 10:30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

These spiritual realities here in Matthew and Mark are in complete accord with the shadow and type which are the promises of Deuteronomy 28:

Deu 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
Deu 28:14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Those 14 verses give us the types and shadows of all the “great and precious promises we are given in Christ:

2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We are given “all that pertains to life and godliness “through the knowledge of Him”, and it is only “by these… exceeding great and precious promises” that we are “partakers of the divine nature”. That makes our understanding of these promises the conduit for the “grace and peace [which comes to us only] through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Therefore it is expedient that we get to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, and familiarize ourselves with the promises we are given, through Christ, because that is the very definition of “life eternal”:

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

These “exceeding great and precious promises” being so very important, we will do well to take note of what they promise us. So, let’s look at what we are being promised in our knowledge of Christ and His Father:

Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Deu 28:3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

“The city” is contrasted with “the field”, but we are blessed in both because:

Pro 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

“The city” signifies “the city of our God” whereas “the field” signifies all that which is outside the city… “the field is the world”:

Psa 48:1 A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

Psa 48:8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah [We are “Jerusalem above… the city of our God” (Gal 4:26-27)].

Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

“The fruit of thy body” is the increase of the kingdom of God within us, the “few chosen” who appear to this world to be as barren as all the wives of the ancient patriarchs:

Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Neither Paul nor Christ nor His Christ hold back from acknowledging who they are… “Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”

Joh 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
Joh 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
Joh 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

Our next promise is:

Deu 28:4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

The Lord’s blessing is upon us as it was upon Joseph as a slave in Egypt, both in the house of Potiphar and as the servant of the keeper of the prison:

Gen 39:2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Gen 39:3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Gen 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Gen 39:22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
Gen 39:23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Joseph’s suffering in Egypt typifies all our suffering in these clay vessels. Both Joseph and Job were exceptionally good men. We are all first self-righteous Job before we are crushed and humbled to become repentant Job.

Solomon was given to tell us why we must be evil before we can become righteous:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it. (CLV)

We all first contend with, reprove, disannul the Lord’s judgment and condemn His ways before we are dragged to repentance through fiery trials, as the book of Job and the book of Revelation demonstrate clearly (Rev 14: 6-12):

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

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
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.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

These “blessed” are only those “who died in the Lord” in “this present time” (Rom 8:18). They are the first, who “by these… great and precious promises, [will be made] partakers of the divine nature [and be given] part in the first resurrection:”

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

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

What exactly is “the first resurrection”? It is quite easy for the Lord to blind the eye of the multitudes from perceiving what we were just told. The first resurrection is for those who are being judged in this time, “who first trusted in Christ” (Eph 1:12) and who are given a part in the first resurrection which Christ called “the resurrection of life” (Joh 5:27-29). The first resurrection are those who are the firstfruits of them who have died in Christ and are raised up from the dead at the beginning of the thousand years to “live… and reign with Christ a thousand years”.

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

Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [The “blessed and holy first resurrection” at the beginning of the thousand year reign]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [G2920: ‘krisis’… ‘judgment’… “When the thousand years are expired”].

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

This is not “the resurrection to life” to which Christ referred in John 5:29. This is the resurrection of “the rest of the dead” of Revelation 20:5. This is “the resurrection to judgment” before the great white throne of John 5:28. This the resurrection of all the rest of mankind who did not have part in the “blessed and holy… first resurrection:

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Let’s now go back to the promises by which those who obey the Lord are given to “partake of the divine nature [in] this present time”:

Deu 28:5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Deu 28:6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

“[Our] basket” includes what we bring in sacrifice to the Lord in His service:

Deu 26:1 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;
Deu 26:2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.
Deu 26:3 And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.
Deu 26:4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.
Deu 26:5 And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
Deu 26:6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:
Deu 26:7 And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:
Deu 26:8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:
Deu 26:9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Deu 26:10 And now, behold, I have brought [“in a basket”] the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:

Our “going out and coming in” is also speaking of our service as the Lord’s soldiers in His army:

Jos 14:11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

King Solomon acknowledged his inadequacy as a soldier because he was a “little child”:

1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

Whatever the phrase “go out and come in” means, it certainly includes being a good soldier in the Lord’s service of which the apostle Paul instructs us:

2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Our means of “partaking of the divine nature [and] escaping the corruption that is in the world” continues:

Deu 28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

The flight of the enemies of the Lord “seven ways” signifies the complete and total defeat of all the false doctrines which are the “arrows” of our enemies. The Lord’s arrows will nullify any and all of the ‘arrows’ of the lies of the adversary:

Psa 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Psa 64:3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

“Their arrows” are helpless against the Truth, the Lord’s ‘arrows’:

Psa 21:12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.

Psa 45:5  Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

Psa 64:7  But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
Psa 64:8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.

Hab 3:11  The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

We are blessed with great spiritual reserves in the Lord’s service. We have so much in reserve that we can give freely to others:

Deu 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

The Hebrew word for ‘storehouses’ is:

H618
אָסָם
‘âsâm
aw-sawm’
From an unused root meaning to heap together; a storehouse (only in the plural): – barn, storehouse.

This word appears only in one other place in the Old Testament, where it is translated as ‘barns’, demonstrating that the “blessing of [our] storehouses” speaks to our service to the Lord through our giving freely of our store to our brothers:

Pro 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Pro 3:10 So shall thy barns [H618: ‘asam’] be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

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

Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give [from our “storehouses, our barns] to him that needeth.

The Lord Himself fights our battles for us, and as “partakers of [His] divine nature:

Deu 28:9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
Deu 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

That is how the Lord Himself provides for His elect, who are now partaking of His divine nature through these great and precious promises. God makes our enemies to both fear us and live in peace with us:

Pro 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Yes, of course Revelation 11:11-12 has a ‘will be’ application. I am certainly not of that school which is telling you “the resurrection is past already”:

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

That is a lie of our enemies who have internalized and spiritualized away your crown of life, your rulership with Christ for a thousand years, and your hope of “the redemption of the purchased possession”. Our enemies want you and me to settle for what is nothing more than the downpayment of the “redemption of the purchased possession”.

Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

This is not a new false doctrine. It is one of the earliest lies taught in the New Testament church, and Paul warned us against falling for this false doctrine:

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

I am well aware that Revelation 11:11-12 has a glorious “will be… redemption of the purchased possession” future application. However, there is also a present inward application which does not teach “that the resurrection is past already”:

Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them [the Lord’s “two witnesses” in every generation], and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

“…And their enemies beheld them… and great fear fell upon them which saw them.” These two verses, Revelation 11:11-12, are the ultimate fulfillment of:

Deu 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

Two verses earlier in Revelation 11 we read:

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

We are at this very moment ‘lying dead in the streets of the great city wherein our Lord was crucified’. Our death of 3½ days is being fulfilled at this very moment. “The spirit of life from God entered into them” and “great fear fell upon them which saw them” are both in the aorist tense, because this is all the process of the revelation of Jesus Christ within us as our old man dies daily and our new man is being raised up from the dead… [to] walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:1-4).

The phrases “they heard a great voice from heaven” and the phrase “come up here” and the phrase “they ascended up to heaven in a cloud” and “their enemies beheld them” are all in the aorist tense because all of this is the revelation of Jesus Christ taking place within us even as we “wait for… the redemption of the purchased possession”… that “blessed and holy first resurrection” where we will be made to rule and reign with Christ for a symbolic thousand years.

Deu 28:11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

The ‘rain’ is the Lord’s “words [which] are spirit” (Joh 6:63). This blessing with rain in our land in due season, signifies an abundance of growth in understanding the things of the spirit. “You shall lend unto many, and you shall not borrow” signifies the fact that Babylon has nothing to offer you, but you have an over-abundance of good sound doctrine to offer them, as our next verses demonstrate:

Deu 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
Deu 28:14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Being “the head and not the tail” are words selected by the holy spirit to signify that the blessings of obedience and strict adherence to and trembling at the words of our Lord, makes us the possessors of “The Truth”. Being the head means we possess the Truth, and being the tail signifies that we have been deluded by “the refuge of [the] lies [of the false] prophets” of this age. Isaiah gives us this key to the kingdom of heaven:

Isa 9:15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

The apostle Paul took close and careful notice of the three ‘ifs’ in this section of scripture, in verses 1, 9 and 13… “if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God”…”If you listen unto the commandments of the Lord…” and… “if you go not aside from any of the words which I command you this day to the right hand or to the left…” neither adding to nor taking away from His words:

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

“The Lord shall make you the head and not the tail” tells us that if we are granted to be obedient to the words of our Lord we will be Him, in the sense that we agree completely with Him.

These are His words concerning what He means by “You shall be the head…”:

Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

That, too, is just another “great and precious promise” which is beyond the ability of the natural man to appreciate the depth of its significance. The holy spirit helps us to take hold of this truth with these, our closing words for today:

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment [‘Now on the house of God’ (1Pe 4:17)]: because as he is, so are we in this world.

In our next study we will examine and analyze why the curses of Deuteronomy 28 occupy 54 verses, exactly 4 times the number of verses which these 14 verses of “great and precious promises” occupy.

Here are the verses we will begin with which concern the curses the Lord will bring upon us to humble us:

Deu 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Deu 28:16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
Deu 28:17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Deu 28:18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deu 28:19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deu 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
Deu 28:21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 28:22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
Deu 28:23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
Deu 28:24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Deu 28:25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
Deu 28:26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
Deu 28:27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
Deu 28:28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
Deu 28:29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
Deu 28:30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
Deu 28:31 Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
Deu 28:32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.
Deu 28:33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
Deu 28:34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Deu 28:35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
Deu 28:36 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
Deu 28:37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
Deu 28:38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
Deu 28:39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
Deu 28:40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
Deu 28:41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

Study of the Book of Esther – Est 8:1-17 The Jews Had Light, and Gladness, and Joy, and Honour

Ato Barnes — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 02:47:57 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fg3kt2l6v42ifif/Esther-8.mp3?raw=1

Est 8:1-17 The Jews Had Light, and Gladness, and Joy, and Honour

[Study Posted October 24, 2020]

Est 8:1 On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.
Est 8:2 And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
Est 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Est 8:4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,
Est 8:5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:
Est 8:6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
Est 8:7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Est 8:8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.
Est 8:9 Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
Est 8:10 And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:
Est 8:11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,
Est 8:12 Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
Est 8:13 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
Est 8:14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.
Est 8:15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
Est 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
Est 8:17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

Chapter 7 of Esther ended with the death of Haman (which represents our old man or our flesh). This death takes place within each one of us after we have gone through fiery trials, representing the seven plagues which bring us to our wits’ end. Fortunately, when we cry to the Lord in our distress, He hears us, delivers us and brings us to our safe haven. Just as the King extended his scepter to Esther, we, too, are being favored and gradually being brought to our safe haven.

Our safe haven is when we dwell in the sacred place of the most high or abide in the shadow of the Almighty. That is when we say that God is our refuge, our fortress and the one in whom we trust!! In simple terms, that is when we gradually mature in obedience. When our obedience become complete, we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Chapter 8 focuses on what happens to us when the old man or the beast within dies; that is, the death of Haman.

Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psa 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
Psa 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

2Co 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Immediately after the death of Haman, the King gave Esther the house of Haman, and she set Mordecai over it. Being given the estate of Haman means to have dominion over the flesh. Sin shall not have dominion over us.

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

It was after the death of Haman that Mordecai was able to appear before the King. This means that it is when the beast within us is put to death, through the agency of our fiery trials, that we can have Christ’s presence as He comes to ascend the throne of our hearts. Remember that our bodies represent the temple, and this temple is filled with smoke, and we are not able to enter this temple (that is, we do not have Jesus living in our hearts) until we have gone through the seven plagues which represent our complete judgment. The judgment we go through is what teaches us righteousness.

Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

The King taking off his ring and giving it to Mordecai means being given authority or power to act in the name of the King. In Genesis, Pharaoh took his ring and gave it to Joseph and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen. The question is, what does it mean to be given power or authority?

Jesus told the disciples after His resurrection that all power has been given to him. This is not for the disciples to just appreciate the exalted position of Christ but for them to know that they are partakers of this power, just as we are partakers of this power. This power avails itself to us through the word of God as we are given eyes to see and ears to hear.

Ecc 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

Luk 4:32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

2Co 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

This power is to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the powers of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Serpents and scorpions are tools God uses in our fiery trials to bring to death our old man as shown in the following scriptures:

Gen 41:42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

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.

Num 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Rev 9:10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

Thus, having power to tread on serpents and scorpions means that in all our trials, God has given us all it takes to overcome. In other words, we are destined to overcome and to be crowned with the crown of life irrespective of the obstacles we will face if God has written our names as part of the elect before the foundations of the world.

Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

We are also given power over all the powers of the enemy. The scriptures tell us that we have the enemy within and the enemy without. The enemy within is the flesh which causes us to go against God. It is also called the old man or the beast. The enemy without is Satan which empowers the beast within (the flesh). So what this means is that we will overcome the flesh and all that Satan and his angels throw at us!! The enemy will bruise our heels. That is, it will hurt our walk with Christ, but we will have the victory over him!!

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.

Est 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

The fact that the old man within is dying does not mean that we are out of the woods yet. It is those who endure to the end who will be saved. As we observed in Esther Chapter 3:13, letters have already gone out to every province that the Jews must be destroyed, killed and cause to perish on the thirteenth day of the month of the twelfth month called Adar. This means that the word of God has already gone out that our old man will be put to death because of our rebellion (Number 13 means rebellion). This was what happened in Chapter 7 when Haman representing our old man was put to death. However, the effects of our old man still linger and that is why Esther continued to plead with the King in verse 3 so that a new law is passed which nullifies the effects of the old man. So, the first law is about the destruction of our old man, but the second law is about restoration. In one of David’s psalms, he said that God should restore unto him the joy of his salvation and make him willing to obey. That is what we need, and that is what Esther is pleading.

Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Est 8:4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,

The King holding out the sceptre means we have found favor with our Lord and that our requests are being attended to. It is the same as saying, “Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.”

How do we know that the sceptre has been held out for us? I think it is a question that may be lingering in our minds. In Luke chapter 10, when the Lord Jesus sent out the seventy disciples to go to every town and city and preach the gospel, they came back rejoicing because of the miracles they performed and demons they cast out. However, Jesus told them they should rather rejoice because their names are written in heaven, that is, they are part of the elect. How do they know that their names are written in heaven? Jesus told them that they are blessed (In this case, to be blessed means you have been elected) because their eyes can see!! As our eyes are being opened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God, then Jesus is assuring us here that we are part of the elect, or the sceptre is being held out for us if we continue to the end!!

I want to make mention of the fact that 70 were the ones sent in this episode. The number 70 = 7 x 10. So seventy means complete domination of the flesh. What this is telling us is that those sent were not converted, and therefore the beast was still on their throne. That is, they were dominated by the flesh in view of the signs and wonders that they performed. This is what is happening to our brothers in Babylon. They focus on signs and wonders and think they are a mark of God’s approval. No wonder they will ask Jesus in the resurrection, “Didn’t we cast out demons, perform miracles in your name?” Then Jesus will respond that He does not know them, for they are workers of iniquity.

Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Luk 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

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

Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Luk 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
Luk 10:24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Est 8:5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:

As indicated earlier, the destruction of the old man is to be followed by restoration. The restoration here is not that we were enjoying something and then we lost it and are being given back. No!! What this means is that by the dying of our old man, we are of age now to assume our inheritance which is given to us in earnest form now in this life.

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.

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Est 8:6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
Est 8:7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

Esther asked how can she endure to see the evil that shall come on the Jews? Remember that the Jews represent the elect. Indeed, it is hard to endure these fiery trials marked out for us. When a brother or a sister is going through these trials, it is the body that is hurting. However, the good news is that as we come to our wits’ end and cry to the Lord, He hears us and brings us to our safe haven. In addition, since we are the apple of God’s eyes, no weapon formed or fashioned against us shall prosper. This is what is meant in verse 7 here, when the King told Esther that he put to death Haman because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Psa 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psa 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Est 8:8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.
Est 8:9 Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
Est 8:10 And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:

The verses above are to show us that God’s word has gone out and it will not return to Him empty, but will accomplish what He desires and will achieve the purpose for which it was sent. What is the purpose? To let His elect know that no weapon formed or fashioned against them shall prosper. In other words, nobody, including the devil, can lay his/her hands on us!! As I stated earlier, God’s words teach us how our old man needs to be destroyed. He has also given us many promises in His words to counteract the effects of our flesh and the work of the devil.

So the letters being sent out are God’s words who, through his divine power, has given us all we need through His great and precious promises, which are to help us escape the corruption in the world through lust. This corruption in the world through lust is the effects of the work of Haman (the beast within or our flesh). Remember that Esther petitioned the King to reverse the work of Haman and the answer to this petition is this letter being sent out which is the word of God.

Isaiah 55:11 So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (NIV)

2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Our study of the Book of Isaiah has been a wonderful journey with so much insight. From the study, we can see that God first shows us our sins (Israel’s sins) and then talks about the destruction of our old man as a result of our sins (Israel’s destruction). The latter part of the Book of Isaiah is devoted to our restoration which deals with God’s precious promises through which we become partakers of His divine nature and as a result escape from the corruption which is in the world through lust. Let’s take a look at some of these precious promises which reverse the letters devised by Haman:

Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Isa 51:4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

Isa 65:21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
Isa 65:22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
Isa 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Est 8:11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

The King granted the Jews in every city to gather themselves together. That is stressing the importance of fellowshipping. What we need to understand is that when we gather, our fellowship is with the Father and His son.

1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

In this life, we cannot defend ourselves and seek revenge on the people who trouble us. That is in a different stage of the kingdom of God which is now within.

Est 8:12 Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

In this verse, we are given the thirteenth day of the twelve month as the day that in every province people will rise against the Jews. This is telling us of the final rebellion which is represented by the number 13 (the day appointed to destroy the Jews). This will happen at the end of the millennial rule when Satan and his cohorts are released for a short time. They are released to deceive the whole world against the elect. The people of the world will encompass the camp of the elect seeking to destroy them. That is when we will stand for our lives to destroy, to slay and cause to perish all that seek to destroy us, including children and women as this story shows. That is when death will be destroyed, and this will usher in the second resurrection and the great white throne judgment.

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

Est 8:13 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

This verse emphasizes our readiness for that day – the day of rebellion. How do we get ready? In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are admonished by Paul that when we completely obey Him, we will be able to punish anyone who refuses to obey (CEV). This means that to get ready is to be in complete obedience. How do we learn obedience? We learn obedience by the things we suffer. This is what happened to Jesus – He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. We can only obey when the beast within has been removed from the throne of our heart. The beast within must die, and this is accomplished through suffering (the judgment marked out for us). As we can see, it was after Haman, representing the beast within, was put to death that the Jews are given the mandate to be ready to avenge themselves on their enemies.

2Co 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Est 8:14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

This is what the word of the Lord, which has been sent to us Jews (His elect) in every part of the world, is teaching. That is, there is a day of rebellion coming, and it is those who reign with Christ (Jews or those who are resurrected in the first resurrection) who will revenge all disobedience. This is the message being preached by the elect using every means (camels, mules, etc.). The camels and mules here represent our earthly possessions as depicted in several places of the scriptures. This means that God has made available to us all the necessary resources to help us propagate the gospel.

Gen 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

Gen 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

Gen 24:35 And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

1Ki 10:25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

1Ch 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.

Est 8:15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

Mordecai being given a crown of gold and dressed in a garment of fine linen depicts our coronation during the redemption of the purchased possession. Mordecai’s apparel portrays the following colors – blue, white and purple. In the Old Testament, the door of the tent of the tabernacle had the colors blue, purple and scarlet. These colors together signify part of our walk as we enter through the veil into the presence of God where we are fed by His fiery words resulting in us being clothed with fine linen, signifying the righteousness of the saints (Refer to studies on colors which is on iswasandwillbe website). The crown of gold represents our holiness to the lord.

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Exo 39:30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

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

Est 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
Est 8:17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

This is telling us that the word of God brings light, gladness, joy and honor. In other words, God has opened the eyes of the Jews to see and their ears to hear. That is the light the word of God brings. This illumination brings gladness and joy to our souls as we see the great things that God has done for us which will ultimately result in us being honored to rule with Christ when the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. The verses also talk about many people of the land becoming Jews. Again, this will not happen in this age. In this dispensation, Jesus has told us that many are called but few are chosen, so we know that only a few will constitute the elect. However, during the lake of fire age, many will be converted as the fear of the elect will fall upon them. The many here refers to all human race of all time. Praise be to God!!!

Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Luk 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
Luk 10:24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Psa 126:3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

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.

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.

Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 66:1-6 Your Brothers That Hated You…Shall be Ashamed

Mike Vinson — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 22:04:55 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/42ix6l274mjkjae/GMT20201018-150105_Mike-Vinso.m4a?raw=1

Isa 66:1-6 Your Brothers That Hated You… Shall Be Ashamed

[Study Aired October 18, 2020]

Isa 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
Isa 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Isa 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
Isa 66:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
Isa 66:6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

These last two chapters of Isaiah give great emphasis to the doctrine of Christ that many are called, but few of those “many… called” are chosen to be His “very elect”.

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

Here is how Christ presents this doctrine to us:

Mat 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Mat 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Mat 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests [our judgment in “this present time”, Rom 8:18 and 1Pe 4:17], he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth [The garment is the doctrine and works of Christ… “…with such an one know not to eat” (1Co 5:11 and 2Jo 1:10-11)].
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Notice that “them that were bidden made light of it”. This is most people to whom the “blessed and holy first resurrection” is like Esau’s birthright to them. It is not presently tangible, and satisfying the lusts of the flesh and fitting in with this world, is just far more attractive to them than a far-off promise of greatness… “They made light of it” and no doubt considered it to be something that was common to all men. But the first resurrection, which is “the marriage supper of the Lamb” is not at all common to all men. Life is common to all men, but being judged in this present time is not common to all men

Gen 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright…

Look very closely at these words… “I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” When we get weary in well doing and say… ‘This calling is just to hard to bear… I don’t really care whether I am in the first or second resurrection…’ we have just “despised our birthright” and sold it for nothing more than temporary relief from a judgment we will still have to endure at a later time in the judgment which will indeed be “common to all men”.

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.

2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Compare the words of this parable of the wedding supper for the King’s Son to these words of Isaiah 65:

Isa 65:1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
Isa 65:2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
Isa 65:3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick [Their own doctrines and their own works];
Isa 65:4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Isa 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
Isa 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
Isa 65:7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom [What we sow is what we reap (Gal 6:7)].

Being hopelessly lost in our sins is common to both the many called and the few chosen. What is not common to both groups is being the “few… chosen… who first trusted in Christ” and who are the first to be judged “in this present time”:

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

“We… who first trusted in Christ” are the Lord’s elect to whom this 65^th chapter of Isaiah is addressed:

Isa 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

The preeminence of His elect is emphasized again in:

Isa 65:21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
Isa 65:22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
Isa 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Isa 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

To whom do all these references to ‘they’ and ‘their’ in these five verses refer? They one and all refer to the few chosen to be “the first to trust in Christ”. They all refer to “mine elect” who now possess the kingdom inwardly as “the earnest of the promised possession” (Eph 1:14) and will possess it outwardly as well during the thousand-year reign.

Knowing how closely Christ identifies with His body, notice how similar these words of Isaiah 65 are to the words of Isaiah 11:

Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Isa 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Isa 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Here is Christ’s version of this same prophecy:

Mar 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

“The remnant of [the Lord’s] people” are His “few chosen”, His “elect” of Isaiah 65 verses 9 and 22:

Isa 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

Isa 65:22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Chapters 11 and 65 are both speaking of the time of “my holy mountain”, a time when no beast of the earth will hurt anyone within “my holy mountain”:

Isa 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Isa 65:25  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

“[The beasts] shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain” is speaking specifically of the time of “the kingdom of God” which is “within [us] at this time, which will also “rule the outward nations at the appointed time. It is the same ‘kingdom with [us]’ Christ came to proclaim:

Mat 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Mat 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

The kingdom of God which Christ is first proclaiming here is:

Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Once again, it is first “the kingdom of God [which] is within you” that is first proclaimed here in Isaiah:

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

Isa 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

Isa 65:22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

It is these chosen few of whom Christ is speaking when He speaks of “entering into life”:

Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Mar 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

“All… in Adam… shall… be made alive [in] the end”, but when Christ speaks of “enter[ing] into life”, Mark 5:47 reveals He is referring particularly to the “few… chosen [of] the first resurrection… the resurrection to life… [those] enter[ing] into the kingdom of God”, which ‘kingdom’ precedes “the resurrection to damnation” (Greek: krisis, judgment):

Mar 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth [“each in his own order” (1Co 15: 23) first]; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and [then over a thousand years later] they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: krisis, judgment).

It is those in the “blessed and holy first resurrection” who will inherit that “kingdom”. That kingdom comes down to mankind out of heaven, uniting the new earth with the new heavens:

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

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
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 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

There is a future “redemption of the purchased possession”, nevertheless “the earnest of our inheritance” has already been fully paid, and we who have been given the holy spirit of promise are already “seated together with Christ in the heavens”:

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

What is so revealing about these verses is that the phrases “we were dead in sins” and “in the ages to come” are both in the Greek present tense. “Hath quickened us together with Christ [and] hath raised us up together, and made us to sit together in the heavens in Christ” are both in the Greek aorist tense.

In other words, we are at this very moment in the process of being given life, and together with Christ we are being made to sit together in the heavens in Christ. We are those “heavens” into which “Christ [has] entered… heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”.

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:

That is the “heaven” and the “earth” of the first two verses of this last chapter of Isaiah:

Isa 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Way back here in the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah, Christ answers His own rhetorical question in very clear words:

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

Those who know that Christ’s death and resurrection were expedient before the holy spirit could be given, will know these words are a prophecy of the sacrificial death of our Lord and His Christ for the sins of this world.

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

This is the Lord’s assessment of failing to understand the efficacy of His sacrifice:

Isa 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

“They have chosen their own ways” refers to what was just stated. They have chosen to replace the sacrifice of Christ with their own works and doctrines. The sacrifice of an ox, a lamb, the offering of an oblation, the burning of incense, one and all represent the works of our own hands. “idols of [our] hearts” (Eze 14:1-9). The physical Old Testament sacrifices were outward actions which are types of our own self-righteousness and doctrines and the rejection of the sacrifice of our Lord and His doctrines and His Christ. Nevertheless, we do those ‘good works’ “in His name” and therefore we think He should accept our works instead of His works. We are so convinced of our own righteousness ‘in His name’ that Christ tells us what we say to Him when we are being judged:

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

These words certainly apply to many who will be in the great white throne judgment, but they also apply to each of the Lord’s elect who all come out of Babylon. It is while we are there in Babylon that we are taught so many false doctrines, including the lie that the single most important factor in bringing us to Christ is our own fabled ‘free will’.

That false doctrine of mankind being given a will that is free of the will of God, and free from any influence of God, is one of many lying prophecies which are prophesied in Christ’s name, and which are used by the Lord Himself to deceive us:

Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

Many demons have indeed been cast out of us just to be replaced by seven demons worse than the one that was cast out:

Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Luk 11:24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
Luk 11:25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
Luk 11:26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Many evil spirits of alcoholism, pornography, gambling, etc. are indeed cast out of many in Babylon. However, “swept and garnished” is not to be mistaken for bring “rooted and grounded” in the Truth. ‘Swept and garnished’ is not the same as being obedient and being filled with the fear of God and the love of God. Christ’s own disciples healed the sick and cast out devils long before they were even converted:

Luk 10:8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
Luk 10:9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

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

After three and one-half years of being Christ’s disciple, Christ said these words to Peter the night of His apprehension of the Jews:

Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luk 22:33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
Luk 22:34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

It is possible to be given the power to cast out devils and false doctrines in others and still hear the words, “I never knew you, depart from me ye workers of iniquity.” That is why the Lord told the seventy disciples:

Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

It is our own old man who first places more value and more store in the doctrines of men, rather than the Truths of the scriptures. It is our own old man who places miracles and signs and wonders above obedience and fidelity to the Words and doctrines of Christ. It is first and primarily to our own old man that these words are written:

Isa 66:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

The Lord chose to delude me first with the deceptions of the Pentecostal churches. Then He chose to take me from under the law of the Gentiles and He placed me under the false doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God and under the deeper delusion of the law of Moses. From that delusion He took me into the even more insidious delusion of the Concordant Publishing Concern Bible Conferences, teaching that we are under no law at all. The Lord chose my delusions.

When the Lord speaks, we do not hear unless He makes us to hear. He can even take the ‘hearing’ and the ‘light’ we had away from us, and we simply cannot hear words like, “In the multitude of counsellors there is safety” and “Tell it to the church.”

Now notice how the holy spirit changes the subject from our old man to our new man, with absolutely no segue:

Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

“Your joy” is the joy of “Christ in [us] the hope of glory” (Co 1:27) and “they shall be ashamed” refers to our own “old man… the first man Adam”. It is Christ in us who values our birthright and wants more than life itself to be with Him in His kingdom. It is Christ in us who “trembles at His Word [and] works out His own salvation with fear and trembling” (Php 3:11-12):

Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26 Even the mystery [G3466: ‘musterion’, secret] which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

“The dispensation of God which is given to [Paul] for [us] to fulfil the word of God” is the same dispensation given to each of us to “fill up in [our] bod[ies] that which is behind of the afflictions of the Christ for His body’s sake, which [body] is the church.”

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

It is very few to whom it has been made known that Christ did not die as our “substitute”. Oh, yes, He did indeed die for our sins. That is a scriptural truth:

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Now let me ask you… Where in that verse of scripture, or anywhere else in the Bible do you find the word ‘substitute’? Of course, the Truth is that it is not there because “Christ died for us” does not say, “Christ died in our stead, so we need not die.” If you teach that Christ died as a substitutionary atonement, in your stead so you would not have to die, you would be directly contradicting this, and so many other verses of scripture, which speak of being “dead with Christ (Rom 6:1-4), presenting your body a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), [being] crucified with Christ…” and this verse of scripture:

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

What is it that we “suffer for His sake”?

Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

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

Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Part of “the dispensation of God which is given to [us] for [us], to fulfil the word of God;” is also this:

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.

Those “few chosen” who will be in that “blessed and holy first resurrection” and will rule and reign with Christ a thousand years will not be the faint of heart. They will be equipped, through the trials of this life, to “render recompence to [their] enemies” and the enemies of Christ.

Isa 66:6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

Just look at how merciless Christ is to our old man in this age.

Joh 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

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

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

That is just how merciless we will be to the rebels of the thousand-year reign, as well as the carnal minds of those who will come up before us in the great white throne judgment. There will be no need for physical violence because, just as the Lord is now slaying our old man, so will we deal with the wicked:

Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Our severe trials of this life and of this age are in the process of destroying our old man, and that experience is preparing our hearts to be equally merciless to the carnal minds of all the rest of mankind at their appointed times.

This 66^th chapter is the last chapter of Isaiah. The theme of this book is expressed clearly in this New Testament verse:

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Here are a couple of examples of how this comforting and encouraging theme is expressed in this prophecy of Isaiah. It is to be found right here along with the secondary theme of this prophecy:

Isa 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Isa 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Isa 41:14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

This is the same promise Christ makes to us in the New Testament:

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

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

The next two verses of Isaiah 41 are also the secondary sub-theme of this prophecy, which we will see is also a theme we will find in the next prophecy of scripture, the prophecy of Jeremiah, which we will begin after we finish this last chapter of Isaiah.

Here is that secondary sub-theme of this prophecy of Isaiah. It is expressed in the very next verses of Isaiah 41:

Isa 41:15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

Isa 41:16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Lord willing, we will be the kings and priests who will be judging this world with Christ in the “first… resurrection to life” (Joh 5:27-29, Rev 20:1-6). As kings and priests we will be the judges of the nations of this earth, “a new sharp threshing instrument” for the subjection of the carnal mind during the time when “the kingdoms of this world will be the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ” (Rev 11:15), and beyond that time right over into the great white throne judgment (Rev 20:11-12).

Here now are the verses for our next study:

Isa 66:7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
Isa 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
Isa 66:9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
Isa 66:10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:

Isa 66:11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
Isa 66:12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
Isa 66:13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Isa 66:14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.

Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 65:1-6 I am Found of Them That Sought me Not

Mike Vinson — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 18:23:09 +0000

Isa 65:1-6 I Am Found of Them That Sought Me Not

[Study Aired August 30, 2020

Isa 65:1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
Isa 65:2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
Isa 65:3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Isa 65:4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Isa 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
Isa 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

The first verse of this chapter is a prophecy of the gospel being taken from the Jews and going to the Gentiles.

Isa 65:1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.

Here is what the apostle Paul makes of this verse of scripture:

Rom 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
Rom 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
Rom 10:21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

Paul points out that Moses himself had told the Lord’s people that he was taking His offer of salvation in this age to the Gentiles, who were not even seeking after Him:

Deu 32:21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

In its fullest and final application, this prophecy speaks of the Lord’s elect, the despised of this world who have been called out of the established churches of the Babylonian system which holds sway over the kings of this earth.

Here is the ultimate meaning of “those which are not a people… a foolish nation”:

1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

In time even we, the Gentile Christians, have done the exact same thing ancient Israel did and placed the idols of their heart instead of the Truths of the Lord’s word and false doctrines for the doctrines of Christ. Ancient Israel typifies the great whore out of whom all of God’s elect must come:

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

A mere three days after being miraculously brought through the half-mile deep waters of the Red Sea, Israel was murmuring against the Lord for trying their faith with thirst:

Exo 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Exo 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
Exo 15:24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

In the same way, the very churches which were raised up by the apostles before they had physically died, had apostatized and had turned their backs on the Lord’s apostles and had rejected their doctrines… the doctrines of Christ:

2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia [“the seven churches of Asia” (Rev 1:4)] be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

3Jn 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

The ministers of Babylon were “casting [the faithful] out of the church” before the apostles Paul and John had even died. As Paul had prophesied, the apostasy of the New Testament church was an accomplished fact just that early:

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Not one word of this is addressed to apostatized ancient Israel or to the apostate Christian church. Every word is addressed only to those who have been given eyes that see and ears that hear these words:

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Every one of the Lord’s elect must first become this whoring, unfaithful wife before we will be granted to “come out of her…”

Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

The angel interprets the meaning of the waters this whore is sitting upon:

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

This woman is a whore because she has forsaken her husband and has given herself to other men, which is exactly what the Lord tells us His people have done to Him:

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

If there is anything to be learned from knowing the story of the gospels, it is that the established apostate Jewish religion of Christ’s day typifies the established religions of our day, which will always be found rejecting the words of our Lord:

Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

The word ‘they’ of this verse is speaking of those who “will also persecute you”. That the Lord is referring specifically of the established religious leaders is made clear when He tells us:

Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

It was not the Romans who persecuted our Lord. Christ was, and He is, speaking specifically of the religious leaders of that day, and the religious leaders of our day and of every generation of mankind from Christ’s death and resurrection until the time of the resurrection of “His Christ… the first resurrection”, when the Lord will establish His kingdom over the kingdoms of this world. The Romans typify this secular world in which we live, and they certainly were no fans of Christ. However, they did not have the visceral hatred for Christ the religious leaders had, simply because they did not feel threatened by a carpenter from Galilee. In the same manner, the secular governments of today, while they have nothing in common with us, do not have the visceral hatred of the doctrines of Christ which the apostatized church has toward Christ and His Christ. Even more insidious is that, like Judas who betrayed the Lord to the Jews, it is “of your own selves [that] men… shall… arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

Christ made it clear that, though He was indeed a king, His kingdom was not of this world. He never once said, “My kingdom will never be of this kosmos”… this world. The fact is that He taught the exact opposite when He told Pilate, the Roman representative:

Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

The Greek word translated as ‘world’, which appears twice in this verse, is ‘kosmos’ and means:

G2889
κόσμος
kosmos
kos’-mos

Probably from the base of G2865; orderly arrangement, that is, decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]): – adorning, world.

The Greek word translated as ‘now’ in “now is my kingdom not from hence”, now “not of this world” is the Greek word ‘nun’:

G3568
νῦν
nun
noon

A primary particle of present time; “now” (as adverb of date, a transition or emphasis); also as noun or adjective present or immediate: – henceforth, + hereafter, of late, soon, present, this (time).

Telling Pilate that His kingdom is not at this “present time… of this kosmos”, certainly intimates that a time is coming when His kingdom will indeed be of this world, of this kosmos. Is there scripture which would confirm that the day is coming when Christ’s kingdom will be over this entire world, “this kosmos”? That is exactly what we are told will take place, and all the preterist doctrines in the world will not spiritualize away the fact that:

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

Notice what this verse does not say. It does not say that “the kingdoms of this world are within you” which is what is said of the kingdom of God in:

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

“The kingdom of God comes not with observation” is a statement the Lord made to the Pharisees who “demanded of [Him] when the kingdom of God should come.” He assuredly was not saying, “The kingdom of God is within” those apostate Pharisees who wanted Him dead. Christ was not attempting to convert those who were appointed to be His murderers. When He told them “The kingdom of God is within you” He was speaking of those in “this present time” into whose lives He would come after His death and resurrection which He knew was imminent.

Notice what Christ said immediately after revealing that for “this present time… [if Christ is within you] the kingdom of God is within you. This is the very next verse:

Luk 17:22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
Luk 17:23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
Luk 17:24  For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
Luk 17:25  But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

When speaking to the Pharisees, Christ spoke exclusively of the kingdom of God which would be within those in whom he would come to dwell and to live out His life of being rejected by “this generation”. During that time, while His kingdom is within His elect, He tells us not to believe anyone who attempts to tells us that His kingdom is an outward kingdom. Nevertheless, notice what He says of the time when “the kingdoms of this world… become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ” (Rev 11:15). Just for the purpose of making it clear that an outward kingdom will indeed rule over the kingdoms of this world, this ‘kosmos’, Christ makes this statement:

Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Does this 24^th verse have an inward spiritual application for you and for me? Of course, it does; just as “the first man Adam” (1Co 15:45) has an inward spiritual application to our carnal-minded old man. However, 1 Corinthians 10 and Revelation 11 both reveal that there is a consummation of this age and the beginning of a new age in which “My servants [shall] fight that I be not delivered unto the [religious leaders of] this generation”:

Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

1Co 10:11 Now all this befalls them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained. (CLV)

Christ did not tell Pilate, “My kingdom will never be of this world, this ‘kosmos’. Instead He said that if His kingdom were of this kosmos, then His servants would fight. We need to know that there is coming a time when Christ’s servants will fight literal warfare against the kingdoms of this world, and we need to know that when:

Rev 11:15 …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.

Notice again what this verse does not say. It does not say…’The kingdom of God within you is become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ’, rather it actually affirms, “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.” The Greek word translated as ‘world’ here is ‘kosmos’, the same Greek word which Christ used when telling Pilate that if His kingdom were of this ‘kosmos’ then His servants would fight for Him. Christ makes clear that before this outward kingdom is established on this earth, He must physically die and be rejected by the religious establishment of “this present time… this generation”:

Luk 17:22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
Luk 17:23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
Luk 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

When we are given the understanding that Christ identifies with His body, just as His Father identifies with Him, then we are able to spiritually apply these words to ourselves and know that we, too, must “suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.” When we do apply these words spiritually and when we acknowledge that we, too, must “first… suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” we still must also acknowledge Christ is telling us that this suffering and being rejected is just the “first” step toward the day in which the outward kingdom of the Son of Man will be revealed to this world “as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven”. That is how the Lord describes the appearance of “the Son of man… in His day”. It is “His day” because He is given outward “power over [all] the kingdoms of this world” (Rev 11:15).

Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day
Luk 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

The “kingdom of heaven” is given to very few in “this present time”. The rulers of “the kingdom of God”, who will rule the nations of this world a thousand years, are not ruling over spirit beings during that thousand years. That period of time is not “within you”. It is a literal, outward kingdom which, along with the “short season” of rebellion which follows the thousand years, separates the first resurrection and that blessed and holy few who are given part in that “resurrection of life”, from the second resurrection which is the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death. Those who are granted the honor of being in the first resurrection are “given power over the nations”, and we are told we will rule the nations with a rod of iron.

The “pattern of sound words” which describes the same experience, the “one event” of those who are in the blessed and holy first resurrection is:

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

No one being ruled over by the Lord’s Christ during that thousand-year reign is ever referred to as being “dragged” to Christ. When we attempt as the ‘amillennialists’ (meaning there is no literal thousand-year reign) to spiritualize away this literal thousand-year reign, it has the same effect as spiritualizing away the creation and the flood of Noah. Such an insidious doctrine removes any fear of losing our “crown of life”. Such a doctrine has the effect of removing the incentive of being blessed to rule with Christ over the nations for a thousand years and then judging angels in the great white throne judgment. That false doctrine disallows all the incentives of all the promises we are given to have a part in that “blessed and holy first resurrection” and “not be hurt of the second death/lake of fire/white throne judgment”. It denies that God is a God of order and that each man is saved “in his own order”:

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 [via the lake of fire/second death].

The last words of the previous chapter were:

1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

God is a God of order, and those who say, “If you see anything in scripture in an ordinal manner then you can and you will miss the spiritual message” or denying that “every man… shall be… made alive… in his own order,” that person’s eyes are blinded by the Lord Himself to the words “then… when… till… [and] the last enemy…” found there in 1^st Corinthians 15:22-26.

It is the greatest blessing of all time to be given to be of those “few chosen” who are promised a “crown of life” and the power of “a rod of iron” to rule this outward world for a thousand symbolic years:

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations [“of this world” (Rev 11:15)]:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Lord tells us that our resurrection, “the resurrection of life”, is contrasted with another resurrection which cannot take place “till the thousand years should be fulfilled”, after which there is “a little season” of rebellion against ‘the camp of the saints and the beloved city’:

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

“The camp of the saints… and the beloved city” are those who were given by the Lord Himself to “have a part in [that] blessed and holy… first resurrection” and who have no part, and will not be hurt, of the second death, which is the lake of fire into which everyone who was not in “the resurrection to life” is cast at the white throne judgement:

Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [to reign with Christ over the nations of this world for a thousand years]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: krisis, judgment – following the short season of rebellion which takes place “when the thousand years are expired” (Rev 20:7)].

Therefore, it is a great blessing to be “rejected of this generation” with our Lord. If indeed we are given that honor, then we will in “this present time [be] hated of all men”:

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues [The word translated ‘councils’ is the Greek word ‘sunedrion’];
Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

If we know Christ, then we will be treated as He was treated. It is as sure as the rising of the sun because it is the Lord Himself who tells us unequivocally:

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.

Christ is not suggesting that some people might hate us if we sincerely subscribe to His doctrines. This is an assurance from Christ Himself that “[we] shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake”. ‘His name’s sake’ is a matter of simply being faithful and obedient to His words, which policy the religious leaders of this world simply hate, just as much or more than they did when our Lord was here on this earth in a body of corruptible flesh and blood:

Just as it was in the days of Jephthah and King David, it will be by the hand of those who are rejected of this world that the Lord will deliver His people, and later all mankind:

Jdg 11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
Jdg 11:2 And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.
Jdg 11:3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

1Sa 22:1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.
1Sa 22:2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Being rejected by the Lord’s anointed makes David, a shepherd boy, not at all seeking to be a king the typical fulfillment of our first verse:

Isa 65:1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.

As King David himself, who despised the words of the Lord and took another man’s wife, we must acknowledge that we all first fulfill these words concerning our own apostasy:

Isa 65:2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
Isa 65:3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;

Bricks are made by men, who put clay into a fire and produce a product which is vastly inferior to stones which are made by God Himself. Bricks and “slime for mortar” were the building materials for the tower of Babel:

Gen 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

In such a spiritually inferior state, we are the dead burying their dead, and our food is all unclean flesh which is sure to keep us in our spiritually defiled dying condition:

Isa 65:4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

This is the Hebrew word translated as ‘monuments’ in this verse:

H5341
נצר
nâtsar
Total KJV Occurrences: 62

keep, 26
Psa_25:10, Psa_34:13, Psa_78:7, Psa_105:45, Psa_119:2, Psa_119:33-34 (2), Psa_119:69,
Psa_119:100, Psa_119:115, Psa_119:129, Psa_119:145, Psa_141:3, Pro_2:11, Pro_3:1,
Pro_3:21, Pro_4:6, Pro_4:13, Pro_4:23, Pro_5:2, Pro_6:20, Isa_27:3 (3), Isa_42:6, Nah_2:1

preserve, 11
Psa_12:7, Psa_25:21, Psa_32:7, Psa_40:11, Psa_61:7, Psa_140:1 (2), Psa_140:4, Pro_20:28,
Pro_22:12, Isa_49:8

keepeth, 7
Pro_2:8 (2), Pro_13:3, Pro_13:6, Pro_16:17, Pro_24:12, Pro_27:18, Pro_28:7

kept, 4
Deu_32:10, Deu_33:9, Psa_119:22, Psa_119:56

watchmen, 3
2Ki_17:9, 2Ki_18:8, Jer_31:6

besieged, 2
Isa_1:8, Eze_6:12

hidden, 1
Isa_48:6

keeper, 1
Job_27:18

keeping, 1
Exo_34:7

monuments, 1
Isa_65:4

observe, 1

Pro_23:26

preserver, 1
Job_7:20

preserveth, 1

Psa_31:23

subtle, 1
Pro_7:10

watchers, 1
Jer_4:16

“Keep, keepeth, kept, keeper, keeping, observe, preserve”, etc. This word means the same as the Greek word ‘tereo’, as in “If you would enter into life, keep (tereo) the commandments (Mat 19:17) …keep (tereo) the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Rev 22:9).

Isaiah 65:4 is telling us is that until we are judged, we all “lodge in [the things we keep… eating] swine’s flesh and abominable things”

Isa 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

When we keep and observe false doctrines, at first we will and do hate those who refuse to do so, and we put them away from ourselves because we think we are more righteous than they are. The scriptures call that ‘making yourself righteous’ and thereby condemn Christ and His Christ:

Job 40:8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

Here is the “smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day” as these words apply to you and me in the New Testament:

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

It is the wrath of God against the rebellious kingdom of our old man which works His righteous judgments within the lives of every one of His elect because:

Isa 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

The revelation of Jesus Christ within the lives of each of us as His elect includes the reading, hearing and keeping of chapters 14-16. We, too, must be judged. It is the greatest blessing the Lord can give any of us to make us to be judged first in “this present time”:

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

If you do not see the order in which the Lord is doing His work with mankind, “first beginning at us”, then you can and will miss the spiritual message concerning His kingdom which must rule until all enemies are put under His feet, the last enemy to be destroyed being death itself.

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.

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

That is our study for today. Here are the verses we will cover next Sunday, Lord willing:

Isa 65:7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
Isa 65:8 Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
Isa 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
Isa 65:10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
Isa 65:11 But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
Isa 65:12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.

Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 60:9-15 They Shall Call Thee, the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel

Mike Vinson — Sat, 06 Jun 2020 20:47:07 +0000

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Isa 60:9-15 They Shall Call Thee, the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

[Study Aired June 7, 2020]

Isa 60:9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
Isa 60:10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.
Isa 60:11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
Isa 60:12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
Isa 60:13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
Isa 60:14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 60:15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

This week’s study continues with the theme of our last study, revealing to us the blessings of being in the kingdom of God. Hearing about the blessing of being a citizen of that kingdom will have no present personal application if we fail to understand that these glorious promises are not to be seen only as promises of future blessings. It is certainly true that the best is yet to come, but the Truth is that the kingdom of God is presently, at this very moment, within us, and we are at this very moment, “[seated] with [Christ] in the heavens.”

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

Rotherham’s leaves out the added italicized word ‘places’ and reads:

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

The verbs in Ephesians 2:6 are in the aorist tense, meaning they are a simple statement of fact without regard to any tense. It was Christ Himself who had earlier told 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 we are granted to know and live as a citizen of the kingdom of God in this present time, then we can claim and appreciate and enjoy all the blessings of that kingdom which we are promised to receive at the first resurrection, also known as “the redemption of the purchased possession”:

Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

There is yet to come a “dispensation of the fulness of times” in which “we should be to the praise of His glory which first trusted in Christ”. Which brings us to our first verses for today’s study:

“The isles” of verse 9 are the same as “the nation and kingdom… those nations” of verse 12. Here is a verse of scripture which demonstrates this Truth:

Isa 20:6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?

Isaiah 20:6 is speaking of the people of Israel who were looking to Egypt and Ethiopia to deliver them from the king of Assyria. Israel hardly qualifies as an island, in the sense of the modern English meaning of that word, but it fills the meaning of the Hebrew word as well as any other nation:

H339
אִי
‘ı̂y
ee
From H183; properly a habitable spot (as desirable); dry land, a coast, an island: – country, isle, island.

“The isles of the Gentiles” are therefore simply ‘the nations of the Gentiles”:

Gen 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

Gen 10:5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

All “the isles of the Gentiles”, all nations, “shall build up your walls… their kings shall minister unto you…”

Isa 60:10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

There are those who claim to know Christ but declare they “have never blasphemed God and [they] will never suffer His wrath”. That mindset is behind the false doctrine of a rapture, which has become a basic oracle of the doctrines of many Babylonian churches.

For that reason, I want us all to notice what the Lord says of all who truly are His people… “For in my wrath I smote you, but in my favor have I had mercy on you.”

Isa 60:10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

“In my wrath” is in complete accord with these verses of Romans 1 and Revelation 15:

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

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

If we say we have never blasphemed God and we will never suffer His wrath, we are doing the exact same thing Job did:

Job 27:5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 27:6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

This is the situation to which that spirit brought Job, and this is where self-righteousness brings each of us:

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

The Lord has poured out His wrath on a very self-righteous Job as a type of us (1Co 10:6 and 11). Only after Job came to see his own righteousness as “vile” was his heart prepared to receive double from the Lord all the Lord had taken away from him in His wrath. Isaiah was well aware of this dynamic in the Lord’s ways. We cannot be blessed of the Lord until we have been humbled and brought to see our marred composition and our self-righteous condition:

Isa 60:10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, and God’s wrath always precedes His mercy and His blessings… “…in My wrath I smote thee, but in My favor have I had mercy on thee”. “The sons of strangers [who] shall build up thy walls” typify the giants in our land whose destruction becomes “bread for [those whose] defence is departed [when] the Lord is with us…”

Num 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

Isaiah 60:13 refers to one of Israel’s Gentile neighbors as one of those ‘isles… sons of strangers’ which “shall come unto thee… to beautify [and]… make… glorious… the place of my sanctuary… and the place of my feet”:

Isa 60:13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

Our enemies within ourselves, within His body, and even our enemies without, become our servants and become ‘bread for us’.

The Lord’s sanctuary and the place of His feet are within His temple “which temple [we] are” if indeed He lives within us.

His throne is also within His sanctuary, and it is in the book of Revelation we are told of the Lord’s throne in His sanctuary which He is in the process of beautifying and making glorious. It is a glorious scene indeed, and it is all ours within, in “this present time” as “the earnest of our inheritance” (Eph 1:14).

Let’s take the time to look at the Lord’s throne and its glory, and see just how the scriptures speak of us and how beautiful and glorious we are to Him:

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in [our] 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 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Rev 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats [Greek: thronos, thrones]: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
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.

This is who these four beasts and four and twenty elders represent and signify:

Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

This is not the first time we are told who will “reign on the earth”. This is also those whom these “four beasts and four and twenty elders” symbolize:

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

Christ has certainly ruled each of us with a rod of iron, also called “chastening and scourging” Heb 6:12). He has broken the kingdom of our old man into ‘shivers… as [He] was sent of His Father to accomplish.

It is only those who “overcome and keep my works unto the end” who will be given “power over the nations” and to be “in the midst of and round about the throne” of Christ proclaiming:

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

The fact that “one of the four beasts gives unto the seven angels the seven vials filled with the wrath of God” is what identifies these beasts as a symbol of the Lord’s elect. It was Joseph, a type of the Lord’s elect, who in type tormented his apostate ten brothers day and night in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

Gen 42:7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
Gen 42:8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
Gen 42:9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
Gen 42:10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
Gen 42:11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

Gen 42:21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress [God’s wrath] come upon us.
Gen 42:22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
Gen 42:23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
Gen 42:24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

That is the “torment… day and night in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb”, which “every man” must endure on his way to knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent:

Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

That is what every man must endure. It will be endured either now in “the fiery trial which is to try you” in “this present time” (1Co 3:13 and 1Pe 4:12), or it will be endured in “the lake of fire/second death” (Rev 20:14-15), at the great white throne judgment, also called “the resurrection to judgment” (Joh 5:28-29).

The fact these next verses have been true for the past two thousand years does not make them any less relevant to our day:

2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
2Ti 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

After informing us, “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse” Paul tells us to “continue in the things [we] have learned…”, and he says those words of admonition under the inspiration of the holy spirit which knows we will just naturally look for and hope for things to improve in this age.

The point I am making is that “the seven angels” to whom the beast gave the seven vials, are simply another symbol for the Lord’s faithful elect. If we are going to “continue in the things [we] have learned” then we will not forget who the four beasts tell us they are. The four beasts and the four and twenty elders all say the same thing:

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

Now let’s look carefully at what one of the angels which had the seven last plagues who showed these things to John says about what he is sent to accomplish and who he symbolizes:

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

He shows us what the judgment of the great whore is within us. Then after showing us the judgment of the great whore in chapters 17-18, this is what this same angel says of himself:

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 [the angel which showed John these things] 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.

“The seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues”, as well as the four and twenty elders and the four beasts, are one and all “your fellow servant and of your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus.” They are all types and symbols of you and me if we are His elect.

This revelation of what the seven angels do and who they signify is repeated in:

Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

It is “one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues” who is “showing [us] these things…” who shows us both the judgment of the great whore as well as “the bride the Lamb’s wife”. Notice closely we are told “he carried me away in the spirit…” in both cases. It is only “in the spirit” we can be shown “the judgment of the great whore, [or] the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

The next chapter continues with what “one of the seven angels… in the spirit” is showing us:

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

Having His name in their foreheads is only promised to “[him] that overcometh” and remains faithful to the end (Rev 14:1). Read: Who Are the 144,000?

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

Reigning with Christ is promised only to “[him] that overcometh” in “this present time”.

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.

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

Ruling the nations for a thousand years with Christ is not promised to the masses who are judged at the great white throne. The “great white throne” is not the name given to “the blessed and holy… first resurrection”, and ruling with Christ is not promised to those who are raised up at the great white throne. The first resurrection is called “the resurrection to life”, and the great white throne resurrection is called “the resurrection to damnation [Greek: krisis, judgment, great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death]:

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death [The “second” group to die to their old man].
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life [whosoever was not in the “first resurrection… the resurrection to life” (Joh 5:28-29)] was cast into the lake of fire.

All judgment is for the purpose of “chastening” and correcting to “learn righteousness”. Judgment by God is not designed simply to torment for all eternity with no purpose or end in view:

1Co 11:32 But when we are judged [whether in “this present time” (Rom 8:18) or after the thousand year reign, at the “great white throne” judgment (Rev 20:11)], we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

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

All ‘judgment’ by the Lord is His chastening hand in our lives.

Look at what this angel repeats to us here in the last chapter of scripture:

Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel [“…one of the seven angels”] to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Rev 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

This book begins and ends with the same admonition to keep what is written in this book, and it is addressed to “the seven angels… of the seven churches”:

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write…

Rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write…

Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write…

Rev 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write…

Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write…

Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write…

Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write…

These seven angels “keep the saying this book”, meaning they “see the Lord’s face and have His name in their foreheads… and they shall reign for ever and ever” with the Lord.

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.
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

This angel who showed John the judgment of the great whore, the bride the Lamb’s wife, the holy city, and the river and tree of life now reveals that he symbolizes the church through whom the principalities and powers in our heavens must make known “the manifold wisdom of God”:

Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by [Greek: dia, through] the church the manifold wisdom of God,

So it is the church, which is His body, which is signified and symbolized by the four beasts and four and twenty elders, the seven angels, the 144,000 firstfruits unto God and the Lamb, the two witnesses, the New Jerusalem, the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

Now let’s put the compilation of all these symbols of who we are in Christ together with this verse of scripture:

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

It is now very clear why this book is called “the revelation of Jesus Christ”, because it is indeed the revelation of Christ within each of us and each of us within Christ.

That revelation includes seeing ourselves first as the Lord’s wife who plays the whore:

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

Only after we see ourselves as this great whore can we be given the next revelation we learn through this angel:

Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

It is “by the church” (Eph 3:10), by “one of the angels which had the seven last plagues”, that we all learn we are first a mere beast which comes up out of the sea. Then we learn that we become a self-righteous beast which comes up out of the earth to become a self-righteous whore bearing rule over all the nations of this earth within us. Then, if we are given to “read, hear, and keep the things written [herein]” and if we are given to be judged as part of the house of God in this present time (1Pe 4:17), we will begin to experience in our lives the four horses of the first four seals. We will come to see the “souls under the altar” of the fifth seal. We will experience the fiery trial of the great earthquake, the sun becoming black and the moon becoming blood in the sixth seal. This earthquake and loss of any light is the beginning of realizing that everything we have ever believed was really nothing more than very dark lies and heresies.

Coming to that point prepares our hearts for the judgments of the seven trumpets, which culminate in and include the seven plagues which fill up the wrath of God on our old man. That is what is required to complete the destruction of Babylon the Great within us.

It is again “through the church… the pillar and ground of the Truth” the angels with the seven last plagues will show us ourselves as “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”:

Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

We are told that the things written in this book are addressed to the seven angels of the seven churches. To understand the spiritual significance of the number seven, read the study on that number: The Significance of the Number Seven

Seven signifies completion, but it is the completion of the Lord’s judgment in particular and “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” within the Lord’s people (1Pe 4:16 and 1Co 3:16-17). Only those being judged now are given to overcome sin and all the idols of their hearts in this present time. It is only those who overcome who are given to be priests and kings and to rule with Christ and judge this world within, in this present time, without during the thousand year reign, and then to judge angels in the lake of fire:

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance [“the book of life”] was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. [Those who are given to keep the sayings of this book]
Mal 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

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

Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

All of this was foreshadowed by these words of our study today:

Isa 60:14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 60:15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

It is the judgments of the Lord and our faithfulness to those judgments which makes us so hated in “this present time”. However, according to these last two verses and all these confirming verses which are “here a little and there a little” throughout scripture, that is all about to change:

Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Eze 39:21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

That is our study for today. Here are our verses for our next study where we will continue to learn the advantages of being judged in “this present time”:

Isa 60:16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
Isa 60:17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
Isa 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
Isa 60:19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Isa 60:20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Isa 60:21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
Isa 60:22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.