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Acts 27:23-44 Except These Abide in the Ship, Ye Cannot be Saved

[Study Aired October 22, 2023

Joh 8:31  Jesus was saying, therefore, unto the Jews who had believed on him—If, ye, abide in my word, of a truth, my disciples, ye are; (REV)

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Act 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Act 27:26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
Act 27:27  But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
Act 27:28  And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
Act 27:29  Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
Act 27:30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Act 27:32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
Act 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
Act 27:34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
Act 27:35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
Act 27:36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
Act 27:37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
Act 27:38  And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
Act 27:39  And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
Act 27:40  And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
Act 27:41  And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
Act 27:42  And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
Act 27:43  But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
Act 27:44  And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

We will go back over these verses and let the Word Himself open the eyes of our understanding to glean the lessons the Lord has for us in putting this disastrous event in His word for our admonition.

Let’s read the last verses of our last study to get the context of how the Lord has used His spirit, His wind, to drag this ship through the sea in such a manner as to deprive all on board of any hope of being saved. As we read these verses, remember that the holy spirit, through Paul, had advised the master and owner of the ship, and Julius the centurion, that they should stay in the harbor of fair havens or face a disaster at sea. Signifying how the Truth is received by the world today, the master of the ship and the centurion ignored Paul’s warning and took to the sea, being lured by the Lord Himself to do so:

Act 27:13  And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
Act 27:14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
Act 27:15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
Act 27:16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
Act 27:17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
Act 27:18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;
Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

We ended our last study with Paul offering words of hope to the 276 people on board the ship. The hope given was that they would all be spared from death through the destruction of the ship. That probably sounded like a contradiction to some on board, but by this time the Lord had softened the heart of Julius the centurion to the point that he now had complete confidence in the words of Paul as being the words of the Lord Himself. We begin this study with Paul explaining the source of the hope he is extending to all:

Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Act 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Act 27:26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
Act 27:27  But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
Act 27:28  And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

A ‘fathom’ is six feet. When they first “sounded” the water was 120 feet deep. The second sounding was 90 feet deep. They knew they were approaching land and decided to anchor for the night so they could see if there were any visible rocks near by.

Act 27:29  Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
Act 27:30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

Notice that Paul did not speak to the sailors or “the master of the ship” who had persuaded Julius to leave the Fair Havens harbor. He spoke only “to [Julius] the centurion and to the soldiers” who were under Julius. When Paul told them their own lives depended upon everyone, including the sailors, remaining in the ship, Julius and the soldiers now had so much confidence in Paul’s words being the words of God Himself that they took matters into their own hands:

Act 27:32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

So very much of what the Lord requires of us is counterintuitive. Why would anyone build a huge ship to escape a universal flood when it has never been known to rain? Why would anyone go down the west side of the Red Sea when your destination is on the east side? Why should anyone be expected to love his enemies and pray for those who despitefully use and persecute him? Why should anyone expect to die now for the sake of living later? It all makes just about as much physical sense as cutting off a life boat and letting it fall into the sea when it could have been used to ferry people to land. Such are the demands of our faith in the Lord and His provision for this very reason:

1Co 1:25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
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.

Act 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
Act 27:34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

What is true physically in this story is true spiritually in our lives, as Christ said the same thing concerning ‘the hair’ of our new man:

Luk 21:16  And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luk 21:17  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

Those are contradictory statements to the natural mind. How can anyone say, “You shall be put to death” and in the same breath tell us, “But there shall not a hair of your head perish??” The next verse reflects how hard it is for us to appreciate the truth of those words:

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

Fourteen days in waves that go up to heaven and then down to the depths without seeing the stars at night or the sun in the day is enough to soften the heart of the most hardened and rebellious soul. Everyone now was more willing to listen to the Lord’s spokesman and take hope in his encouraging words. There was nothing else left to believe in. They were all now “at their wits’ end”, and only now can they hear the Lord’s words through His prophet, Paul:

Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
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.

Notice the order of events… ‘Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble’, He makes the storm calm, and ‘then they are glad…’ That is how the Lord has ordained that we learn about Him. There is no way to the tree of life except we go through that fiery sword in the hands of the cherubims who signify those who have and know that fire themselves, the Lord’s elect:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts [the cherubims (Eze 1 and Eze 10)] 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.

Act 27:35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

For those who may think there is never a time to pray in public, both Christ and Paul “gave thanks to God in the presence of them all.”

Mat 14:19  And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

The Lord gave His Word to Paul, and Paul gave it to the people on the ship. That is how the Lord communicates His Word to mankind. It is “through the church” (Eph 3:10). It is the same today. The Lord speaks to us through His elect who show us what is in His Word. His elect never “think above what is written” (1Co 4:6). However, it takes fourteen days of being thrown about on the sea by the storms of life, and being brought to our wits’ end to get us to the point of being willing to listen to the Lord’s spokesperson. If we are His in this present time, we do get to that point:

Act 27:36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

The scriptures teach that we are saved by hope (Rom 8:24). Rest assured Paul gave thanks for much more than the food they were all about to eat. He would never have passed the opportunity to thank the Lord for the promise He had given him that all in the ship would be saved.

Act 27:37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

This number included everyone on the ship; the ship’s crew, its master and owner and all the prisoners and any passengers who just happened to be going to Italy. It was “all in the ship.” They had all ‘lost any hope of being saved’ until Paul was reminded by Christ that he must go to Rome and appear before and witness to Caesar:

Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Act 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Act 27:26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

This promise of being physically delivered from drowning at sea in the midst of a terrible storm that lasted more than two weeks by “being cast upon a certain island” typifies and signifies our own spiritual deliverance through the hope of the promise we are given of the Lord’s spirit as “the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession.” These words were penned by Paul after he had arrived in Rome and while he was waiting to witness to Caesar:

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.

Being ‘cast on this island’ was just the downpayment of arriving safely in Rome to stand before Caesar. Paul’s faith was being tried, and just as Christ Himself was comforted by an angel when His sweat became as great drops of blood when He knew He was about to be apprehended and crucified, Paul, too, was comforted by an angel after all hope of being saved was lost

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.

Christ is “the Lord’s goat” of Leviticus 16, who physically died for the sins of the world. Paul and you and I are the ‘scapegoat’ which lives and which also bears the sins of the world.

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.

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 [scapegoat, the “living sacrifice of Romans 12:1] goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

What Paul and all who were on that ship enduring this fiery life threatening trial typify is our own ‘daily dying, being crucified with Christ and presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, daily, as we await the “redemption of the purchased possession”, the True deliverance through a resurrection from among the dead.

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 [the resurrection], unto the praise of his glory.

Act 27:38  And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.

In verse six of this chapter, we are told that this ship was “a ship of Alexandria” in Egypt. Egypt was known as “the breadbasket of the Roman Empire” because of all the wheat which was grown in Egypt. Wheat was the main cargo and the payload of this ship. Casting the wheat out into the sea signifies our willingness to give up all for Christ and to do whatever it takes to save our life in this present time of fiery trials. From a practical perspective, casting all the wheat into the sea will serve to lighten the ship enough to get close enough to land to secure the rescue of all the two hundred seventy-six people on board. The spiritual significance is being brought to the point of willingly giving up everything in this life to secure salvation in this present time:

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

Act 27:39  And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
Act 27:40  And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
Act 27:41  And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

This “forepart stuck fast… but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves” is a picture of how the cross was dropped into a hole that had been dug to keep it upright, while our Lord was the hinder part of this ship which was broken for us:

1Co 11:24  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Not a bone of his body was broken, but His flesh was so mutilated that He died on the cross ahead of the two thieves who were crucified with Him. His “body [was indeed] broken for [us].” Let us not forget that we are His body, which is the church, and that we, too, are broken for “His body’s sake which 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:

Act 27:42  And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
Act 27:43  But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:

These verses speak volumes about the respect and love Julius the centurion had come to have for Paul. It is an example of how we should be willing to die for our brothers in Christ. Had any of the prisoners been lost, Julius and his soldiers would have paid the price. Nevertheless, for Paul’s sake Julius spared the lives of all the prisoners. It wasn’t Julius who was calling the shots though. It was the Lord who was protecting His elect even as He was destroying the very ship that was also their lifeboat throughout this entire storm. Christ is our captain, and He is our salvation. Like this boat that was broken to save the lives of the two hundred seventy six people who were aboard, Christ’s body was also “broken for [us].”

1Co 11:24  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Act 27:44  And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

Again, this temporal deliverance… ‘safe to land’ signifies our calling to be a living sacrifice. We are commissioned and sent to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), to crucify our old man with Christ (Rom 6:6), to die daily with Christ (1Co 15:31) and to be crucified with Him (Gal 2:20). That is how we fill up what is behind of Christ’s afflictions and serve as an atonement with Christ for the sins of the people in our capacity as the scapegoat of the day of atonement, and the second bird of the lepers offering in Leviticus 16 and 14 respectively. ‘Coming safe to land’ after “all hope of being saved was taken away” signifies “the earnest of the spirit [which sustains us in our own fiery trials] until 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.

Paul’s appearing before Caesar typifies our appearing before the judgment seat of Christ, and being cast on some island before appearing before Caesar signifies our being sealed with the holy spirit of promise until the redemption of the purchased possession; our appearing before Christ.

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

The rewards of serving Christ are beyond our ability to appreciate in this present time, but if we speak only of the reward and do not admonish each other of the means of attaining those rewards we will have the blood of others on our hands.

Eze 33:6  But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

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.

Our calling is to a life of “much tribulation” (Act 14:22), “suffering with [Christ]” (Rom 8:17, 2Ti 2:12) and “fiery trials” (1Pe 4:12). Reminding the Lord’s flock of those words is the blowing of the trumpet to warn His people. It was Christ Himself who warned us against the doctrine which teaches that He came to bring us peace. We do indeed have peace in the spirit, but in this world we are “hated of all men” and considered as cursed of the Lord.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

If our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, and if we are the apple of His eye, then these verses of Romans 8 are the lesson for us to be learned from the story of this storm or this life which took away all hope of being saved:

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In our next study we will see how the Lord provided communications within His body long before Zoom ever existed, when we see the welcome the church at Rome gave the apostle Paul upon his arrival in Rome.

]]> Acts 27:1-22 Except These Abide in the Ship ye Cannot be Saved https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/acts-271-22-except-these-abide-in-the-ship-ye-cannot-be-saved/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=acts-271-22-except-these-abide-in-the-ship-ye-cannot-be-saved Sat, 14 Oct 2023 19:10:51 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=28511 Audio Download

Acts 27:1-22 Except These Abide in the Ship ye Cannot be Saved

[Study Aired October 15, 2023]

Act 27:1  And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.
Act 27:2  And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

The phrase “certain other prisoners” could have included others who had also appealed to Caesar. Aristarchus and Luke, “Paul’s companions in travel”, are with Paul on this voyage. Paul calls Aristarchus “my fellow prisoner” in his epistle to the Colossians, indicating that Aristarchus had also been arrested and had also appealed to Caesar. Luke could simply be a paying passenger who was led to stay with Paul as he endured his imprisonment. At any rate, both Aristarchus and Luke are with Paul on this voyage to Rome.

Here is the verse in Colossians, which is one of Paul’s prison epistles, where we are informed that Aristarchus was indeed a “fellowprisoner”:

Col 4:10  Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

Aristarchus is first brought before us in Acts 19 where Paul is in Ephesus, the city where Demetrius, a silversmith fearing the loss of his income, set the whole city into an uproar against Paul shouting, “great is Diana of the Ephesians.”

Act 19:28  And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
Act 19:29  And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.

We are not given any details about Aristarchus, but this 27th chapter of Acts is well over two years after that uproar in Ephesus, because we are told that by the time Paul left Caesarea for Rome, he had been a Roman prisoner in Caesarea for over two years. The events at Ephesus took place several weeks before Paul was apprehended by Lysias the Roman captain in Jerusalem, and Aristarchus is still faithfully by the side of the apostle Paul.

Act 24:27  But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

Now Aristarchus is once again “Paul’s companion in travel” as a “fellowprisoner” on this voyage to Rome. Luke is still using the pronoun ‘we’, so we know that there are at least two men of the church who are traveling with Paul on this journey to Rome to appear before Caesar Augustus.

Act 27:3  And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

This tells us that Julius, the centurion, knew Paul well enough to know he would not attempt an escape. It is still amazing, because had Julius lost a prisoner under his charge, he would have had to forfeit his own life, as was the case for the guards watching over Peter:

Act 12:19  And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.

Julius is the centurion who was charged with ensuring that all these prisoners be delivered to Augustus at Rome. We are not told the exact number of prisoners, but in verse 37 of this chapter we are told that the exact number of people on the ship at the time of its destruction at sea was two hundred and seventy-six:

Act 27:37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

Once again, the Lord makes even Paul’s enemies to be at peace with him, and Julius allows Paul the liberty of going to his friends in Sidon “to refresh himself”. What incredible favor the Lord shows us even as we serve Him in bonds!

Act 27:4  And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

The Greek word translated as ‘we sailed under’ here in verse 4 is ‘hupopleo’ and it is defined as to sail “to the lee of” by Thayer, and “to sail under the lee of” by Strong. All we are being told is that they had to go in the direction the wind was blowing, and that happened to take them north of Cyprus along the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia instead of the much more direct route to Asia, which would have been sailing south of Cyprus.

In the Hebrew scriptures, the Hebrew word for ‘the wind’ is ‘ruach’ (H7307). It is the exact same word which is translated as ‘spirit’. Here is a verse which describes what the spirit of the Lord is doing with Paul and all those in the ship with him:

Isa 17:13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind [H7307: ruach; wind or spirit], and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

The Lord uses the wind as He uses His spirit to work all things after the counsel of His own will:

Isa 19:11  Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
Isa 19:12  Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
Isa 19:13  The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
Isa 19:14  The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit [H7307: ruach] in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

Jer 51:1  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind [H7307: ruach; wind or spirit];

The Lord used “a lying ruach”, a lying spirit”, to persuade King Ahab to go up to Ramothgilead to die there:

1Ki 22:19  And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven [good and evil] standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
1Ki 22:20  And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
1Ki 22:21  And there came forth a spirit [H7307: ruach], and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
1Ki 22:22  And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit [ruach] in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
1Ki 22:23  Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit [ruach] in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

It is nothing less than a spirit from the Lord which is driving these two ships all around in the Mediterranean Sea working every detail of this voyage “after the counsel of His own will” (Eph 1:11).

Act 27:5  And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
Act 27:6  And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
Act 27:7  And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;
Act 27:8  And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
Act 27:9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
Act 27:10  And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

Paul is speaking for the Lord, and “the Lord hath spoken evil concerning” (1Kg 22:23) this journey, but the ship’s captain and owner persuaded Julius the centurion to try to make it to the next port instead of listening to the words of the Lord via His servant Paul.

Everyone knew that bad weather sets in on the Mediterranean Sea after “the fast”. ‘The fast’ refers to the day of Atonement when all law-abiding Jews fast as commanded in the law of Moses:

Lev 23:26  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:27  Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 23:28  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
Lev 23:29  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

“Afflict your soul” means to fast and deny oneself any food from sunset to sunset on “the day of atonement.”

Act 27:11  Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

This centurion, Julius, typifies each of us when we place the words of men of this world, be it scholars like Noah Webster or James Strong or the words of any other ‘man’ or any minister, above the words of Christ. Paul is a proven and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Julius, being a centurion with a hundred soldiers under his command was without a doubt one of “the principal men of the city” who was present when Paul was permitted to speak for himself before the Roman governor, Festus, and King Agrippa and Bernice “and all the principal men of the city” of Caesarea (Act 25:23). This centurion, Julius, knows Paul’s story of meeting the risen Christ.

He was also aware of Paul’s statement to King Agrippa that “this thing was not done in a corner.” Julius the centurion knows that when Paul said, “this thing was not done in a corner”, Paul is referring to the death and resurrection of Christ, and all the undeniable miracles which followed that miraculous event. The miraculous delivery from prison of the twelve disciples and the miraculous delivery from Herod’s prison by Peter were not done in a corner. The death of Agrippa’s father who was eaten with worms shortly after killing the apostle James and intending to do the same to Peter was well known throughout the Jewish world because it all happened in and around the Passover, when Jews from all around the world were at Jerusalem for the Passover:

Act 12:1  Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Act 12:2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Act 12:3  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
Act 12:4  And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter [G3957: pascha; Passover] to bring him forth to the people.
Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

There is every reason for Julius to listen to Paul, but he is persuaded by the captain and owner of the ship to ignore Paul and attempt to make it to Phenice, the next and better port on the eastern end of the island of Crete.

The fact that Julius allowed Paul to visit his friends in Sidon demonstrates how well he knew Paul, and how much he trusted Paul’s judgment. Nevertheless, he is a man of this world, and he listened to and “believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul” (vs 11). It is all by God’s design “for our admonition.”

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

If the “them” of 1 Corinthians 1:11 refers to the people of the Old Testament, how much more do the people of the New Testament signify each of us, as indeed the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

2Co 3:2  Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

The apostle Paul, who speaks for Christ and who is always rejected of this world and in this age, signifies us as we witness for Christ and against the present evil world. Just as Christ and His words were rejected, so we must expect to be rejected by this world in this age:

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?

Act 27:12  And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.

To tell the truth, the port of Fair Haven “was not commodious to winter in.” Nevertheless, the Lord, through the apostle Paul, admonished Julius to stay put. The Lord knew that Julius and the captain and owner of the ship would want to sail to Phenice on the east end of the island of Crete. The Lord always gives us a good excuse for disobeying His commandments, just as He gave Eve a reason to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:4-5), and just as He gave “the man of God” a reason to disobey Him when another prophet lied to the man of God and told him that the Lord had told the lying prophet that the man of God should come to his house for dinner. The Lord always provides Himself an occasion to judge our rebellious and sinful flesh.

1Ki 13:18  He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

This ‘man of God’ was set up by God to succumb to the severe hunger and thirst he was enduring, and it was all done to admonish us against giving in to our own weaknesses (1Co 10:11, 1Pe 1:9-12):

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have 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.

Now the Lord has lured Julius and the captain of the ship back into the sea, and the worst is yet to come:

Act 27:13  And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

“Their purpose” was to make it to Phenice on the west end of the island of Crete. Their purpose had no regard for the warning they were given from the Lord through the apostle Paul. The Lord who warned Paul of the impending disaster, which was to destroy this ship, knew just what to do to lure Julius, the centurion and ‘the master and owner of the ship’ to attempt to make it to Phenice. He gave them a “a south wind [which] blew softly” just long enough to get them out of the “Fair Haven” harbor and out to sea. However, as soon at that soft south wind had them out at sea, things began to change for the worse very quickly:

Act 27:14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
Act 27:15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

“We let her drive” is just another way of saying ‘We completely lost control of the ship which was being driven of the winds beyond any ability of the crew to direct it.”

Act 27:16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

“The boat” means the lifeboat which is contrasted with ‘the ship’ to which ‘the boat’ was attached. All larger ships have lifeboats which hang off the sides of the ships in calm seas and are brought on board in very bad weather to keep them from being lost in the storm. The lesson for us is that our works, which the Lord causes us to undertake as we fight against the storms He places in our lives, cause us to sweat, and it is all in vain because our works cannot save us when the Lord Himself is against us:

Mic 6:14  Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
Mic 6:15  Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

This stormy voyage to Rome in this ship signifies how the spirit of God deals with us all. Our lives are driven by His will for us, and we are just as helpless to resist His will as this ship and its crew were helpless to resist the winds of this storm.

Nevertheless, we work hard to save ourselves:

Act 27:17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

“Strake sail” means they let the sail down to keep the ship as stable as possible under the stormy winds they were facing. This whole story is written for our admonition. It is telling us that Christ is working with us while we are in this ship, and that being in this ship we are “in Him”, and He is our only hope. Taking down the sails signifies that we are beginning to submit to His guidance in our own stormy lives. There is more for us to learn about the work of the Lord in our lives as this story progresses:

Act 27:18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

“Being exceedingly tossed with the tempest” is just another way of telling us what Paul and Barnabas told all the churches they had raised up on their first journey:

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.

“Much tribulation” refers to great physical and spiritual trial in this physical life, affecting and producing wars in the spiritual heavens of our hearts and our minds. Here is how Peter makes this same admonition to all who are given to accept and rejoice in it:

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 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

“On their part he is evil spoken of” refers to the carnal mind within each of us. The carnal mind within us blasphemes the name of the Lord when He sends fiery trials into our lives:

Rev 16:8  And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Rev 16:9  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Rev 16:10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Rev 16:11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Revelation 16 is speaking of you and me:

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God [the “fiery trials” of chapter 16], and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled [the “fiery trials” of chapter 16].

We are one and all blasphemers of God before we repent of our God-will-burn-sinners-in-hell-for-all-eternity blasphemy. We repent of our blaspheming only when the seventh vial is poured out upon us and Babylon the Great and all her lies within us begin to be destroyed, revealed for what they are. When we see how badly we presented the Lord to this world, that is when the man of sin begins to be destroyed by the brightness of the Truth as it begins to come into our lives and destroy the man of sin within us:

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2nd Thessalonians 2:8 is a condensed version of these words about the fruit of experiencing the pouring out of the seventh vial in our lives:

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

We all “blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail.” What does that mean? The religious world of Babylon wants us to believe that the Old Testament has nothing for us. That is what I was taught when I was submerged in Babylonian doctrine. The adversary knows that the proper meaning of all the signs and symbols of the New Testament are revealed only in the Old Testament, so of course the Great Whore churches of this world do not want us to understand the function of hail in scripture. That function is revealed only in the Old Testament:

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Hail is formed by the winds up in the heavens, and it comes down to us out of heaven. It is this product of the winds of heaven which “sweep[s] away of the refuge of lies.” It is the Lord’s ‘wind’ which creates the storms of life which bring us all to our “wits’ end” and drag us to repent of believing all those lies. That is what the scriptures teach from Genesis to Revelation. It is a loving heavenly Father who raises up all the storms in our lives. The storms and trials of our lives are “His wonderful works to the children of men” which bring us to repentance:

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

Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
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 107:32  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

That is the lesson of this stormy trip to Rome. From the very beginning, the wind, signifying the spirit of the Lord, decided where the ships Paul sailed would go. The first one wanted to go straight to “the coasts of Asia” by sailing south of Cyprus, but the winds took them north of Cyprus and eventually to Myra in the province of Lysia.

Look at the verses which tell us how the wind dictated where the ship would go:

Act 27:2  We set sail on a ship from the city of Adramyttium. The ship was going to stop at ports on the coast of the province of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from the city of Thessalonica, went with us. (GW)

Act 27:4  Leaving Sidon, we sailed on the northern side of the island of Cyprus because we were traveling against the wind.
Act 27:5  We sailed along the coast of the provinces of Cilicia and Pamphylia and arrived at the city of Myra in the province of Lycia.
Act 27:6  In Myra the officer found a ship from Alexandria that was on its way to Italy and put us on it. (GW)

Julius, the centurion, “put us on… a ship… to Italy”, but they were still “traveling against the wind.”

Act 27:7  We were sailing slowly for a number of days. Our difficulties began along the coast of the city of Cnidus because the wind would not let us go further [westward]. So at Cape Salmone, we started to sail for the south side of the island of Crete. (GW)

When Luke writes that “the wind would not let us go further” he is telling us that the wind would not let the ship go directly west to Italy. Instead, the wind drove the ship south to Salmone, a city on the eastern most tip of the island of Crete. From there the wind forced them to sail on the southern side of the island to the port of Fair Haven.

Act 27:8  We had difficulty sailing along the shore of Crete. We finally came to a port called Fair Harbors. The port was near the city of Lasea.
Act 27:9  We had lost so much time that the day of fasting had already past. Sailing was now dangerous, so Paul advised them,
Act 27:10  “Men, we’re going to face a disaster and heavy losses on this voyage. This disaster will cause damage to the cargo and the ship, and it will affect our lives.”
Act 27:11  However, the officer was persuaded by what the pilot and the owner of the ship said and not by the revelation Paul had been given

The Lord “knows our frame”, and He gives us hope when we have no hope, and He delivers us when we cannot see a way to be delivered.

Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

The third day signifies the process of the judgment of our old man and the beginning of the birth of our new man. It is at this point that we are more than willing to “cast out with our own hands” everything we would have used to save ourselves, and we place ourselves at the Lord’s direction and at His mercy.

Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

Exactly what King David said would happen to everyone occurs to each one who aspires to truly come to know the Lord:

Psa 107:25  For [the Lord] 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.

Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

‘Long abstinence’ refers to abstinence from food which is exactly what happens to us when we are being judged for our transgressions against our Lord. This is exactly what King David says will happen to us right here in this same 107th chapter of Psalms:

Psa 107:17  Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Psa 107:18  Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

This desperation is essential to bring us to repentance, and once we acknowledge our transgressions and repent then this happens:

Psa 107:19  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.

Only “when all hope that we should be saved [is] taken away” can the Lord come to our rescue with words of hope for the hopeless:

Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

“His Word” is Christ:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Christ is “the beginning” because He was “in the beginning” (Rev 3:17). “The Word of God” brings us great hope, and “we are saved by hope.”

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Paul, who everyone knew had advised that they stay in the Fair Haven harbor, was a proven prophet, and was now extending words of hope to everyone on this ship:

Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

Next week we will learn why the ship had to be destroyed, and why Paul is so confident. We will learn that we, too, must ‘abide in the ship’ if we want to be saved and to be disciples indeed:

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue [G3306: meno; abide] in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Joh 8:31  Therefore, Jesus began saying to the Jews who had trusted and were now believing by Him [or in Him], “If you should remain [dwell, abide] within My word [My message; My communication; My expressed thought; My Idea], you folks are truly [really, genuinely] My disciples.

What we will see in our next study is that we must ‘remain’ and ‘abide’ in Christ if we hope to be saved.

]]> Study of the Book of Kings – 2Ki 18:1-37:  “In what are you placing your hope?” – Part 3 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-kings-2ki-181-37-in-what-are-you-placing-your-hope-part-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-kings-2ki-181-37-in-what-are-you-placing-your-hope-part-3 Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:33:00 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=27172

2Ki 18:1-37  “In what are you placing your hope?” – Part 3

(2Ki 18:19-22)

[Study Aired February 16, 2023]

2Ki 18:19  And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 
2Ki 18:20  Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 
2Ki 18:21  Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 
2Ki 18:22  But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? 

In the last two studies we were introduced to King Hezekiah who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as David his father had done” and who had faith in the Lord, the God of Israel, “so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah who were before him.“

Then we were introduced to “Sennacherib king of Assyria” who came  up against all the fenced cities of Judah and took them, putting Hezekiah in a position where he sought peace with Sennacherib by giving him gold and silver from the temple of God. These actions only emboldened Sennacherib to further want to overtake the nation of Judah in war. Hezekiah turned to the Lord for deliverance with a humble and contrite heart that sought and hoped in the Lord in times of trouble. We reflected on how Hezekiah, as a type of the elect, comes to learn that you cannot make concessions with this world and expect that your trials will somehow be circumvented as a result of those actions.

In this third part of chapter 18, specifically 2 Kings 18:19-22, we will see how Sennacherib used RabshakehH7262 his chief cupbearer, to send messages to Hezekiah and his foot soldiers to undermine their confidence in what Hezekiah could do in war against Assyria with the God of Israel as his helper and hope. 

This brings us to the verse on which our title is based, “In what are you placing your hope?” This was the question of this cupbearer Rabshakeh, whose role was that of a devilish scoffer who was sent by the king of Assyria (2Ti 3:1-5) to Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah. These three men were a bridge between the two kings, Sennacherib and Hezekiah, and are a type of how God’s elect will interact with the kingdoms of this world on behalf of Christ as those who will be blessed to come in the name of the Lord as the future kings and lords over this earth to bring the King’s judgments into the earth (Rev 11:15, Mat 21:9, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:16, Isa 26:9).

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. 

Mat 21:9  And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

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. 

Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 

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. 

2Ki 18:19  And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

What we’re hearing from this opening statement of Rabshakeh is one of the many devices (Eph 6:16) of the devil which he uses to try to undermine our faith in our Creator’s power and faithfulness (2Co 2:11). Above all we are admonished to take the shield of faith, the faith of Christ to quench all such fiery darts of the devil.

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. [Mat 21:21] 

2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Firstly, it’s all about perception and Rabshakeh’s goal is to drive home the point of how great “the great king, the king of Assyria” is [who typifies Satan, the god of this world]. Like Satan, king Sennacherib wants Hezekiah to bow down and worship him as he’s seated as high as anyone can be seated on his earthly throne, which does remind us of Satan, the god of this world (Mat 4:8-9, 2Co 4:4). 

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Our former conversations in this world (Eph 2:2) had us subject to the powers and principalities of this world that ruled over the beast against whom we could not make war until God delivered us, and another tactic or device (2Co 2:11) of Rabshakeh to undermine the confidence of the people in God was be to remind them of all the previous nations that he, Sennacherib, has already destroyed and taken captive (2Ki 18:33), symbolizing our former bondage to sin from which only Christ can deliver us (Rom 6:16, Rev 13:4, Joh 8:34-36).

2Ki 18:33  Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 

Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? [2Ki 18:33 “Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?“]

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

These many accusations and this rhetoric of Rabshakeh as he comes up at the bequest of king Sennacherib to undermine the confidence of king Hezekiah, and how we overcome that spirit, are two central lessons we see unfolding in this section of scripture which was written for our sakes (1Co 10:11). We are admonished to not go back into the world by leaning unto our own understanding, saying, “Who can make war with the beast” and thereby coming under the law again which is where we housed our confidence in our flesh (Php 3:2, Php 3:9) as Demas, Titus and Crescens did having “forsaken me, [Christ and his Christ (Act 9:5)] having loved this present world” after having tasted of the heavenly things of the kingdom of God (Heb 10:35, 2Ti 4:10, Heb 6:4-6). That is another way of looking at this declaration of war coming from the king of Assyria, who is used by God to test the faith of king Hezekiah, who is coming to learn, in type and shadow, that nothing can separate him from the love of God, and he has nothing to fear from all Sannacherib’s boastfulness (Rom 8:36-39).

Php 3:2  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward [Heb 11:26]. [incentivized]

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. [incentivized]

2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

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

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. [Php 4:13, 1Co 10:13]
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Eliakim, Shebna and Joah are all being told to plant a seed of doubt in the heart of king Hezekiah based on Rabshakeh’s trash-talking ways that asks, among many other things, “What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?” His goal as a messenger of king Sennacherib is to undermine the confidence of the people and king Hezekiah in any way he can, like the roaring lion that Satan is who seeks whom he may devour (1Pe 5:6-8).

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 
1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world [kept from the evil through the faith of Christ. (Joh 17:15)]

The three men, Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah, represent the process of judgment [3] “the same afflictions [that] are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” which we fill up (Col 1:24) as we put off our flesh so we can trust in the living God who can and will deliver those with whom He is working through the much tribulation of this life (2Co 1:8-10). This is why Paul didn’t want the church to be ignorant of the fact that they had severe trials in Asia (Act 14:22), which represents the world, because it is only with those fiery trials (1Pe 4:12) that we can come to “not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.” In other words, putting off the flesh (Php 3:1-3) is how we grow in confidence in what God can do in our lives to overcome the enemy and learn that we are more than conquerors through Him (Php 3:4, Heb 10:35-37).

2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 
2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Php 3:1  Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Php 3:2  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. [contrasted with true spiritual circumcision in the heart (Rom 2:29)]
Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit [Joh 4:24], and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. [Luk 21:19]
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 
Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. [Paul’s physical curriculum vitae]
Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: [Gal 2:20]

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. [Christ loved us and demonstrated that love by laying down his entire life for us, and now with the faith of Christ we can do the same thing Lord willing (Php 2:12-13, 1Jn 4:17)]

2Ki 18:20  Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 

Rabshakeh represents the scoffers and evil men who will come upon the scene as we near the end of this age (2Ti 3:1-5). Inwardly, when God begins to judge us and pour out his wrath upon the kingdom of our old man, it becomes evident that these evil men and scoffers and seducers were residing on the throne of our own hearts.  There is also a dispensational way to look at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 which was written to admonish us and help us be armed with the mind of Christ (1Pe 4:1) and His faith, which can quench all the these evil and lying spirits that are going to abound more ‘as the day approaches’ (Luk 12:45, 2Pe 3:3-4).

Luk 12:45  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; [“This is the impatient spirit of man’s flesh that says ‘my Lord delays his coming,’ and we are told to watch and pray and faint not through cleaving to Christ who gives us the faith needed to patiently possess our souls when the whole world is saying ‘curse God and die’, beating the menservants and maidens who represent Christ and His body that serves us” (Job 2:9)].

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: [‘religious’ but not able to believe that God is completely sovereign and that we have no free will] from such turn away.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: [1Co 2:16, 2Ti 1:7] for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; [Suffering in the flesh and ceasing from sinning results in our growing in the zealous mind of Christ (2Co 7:11)]

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2Ki 18:21  Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 
2Ki 18:22  But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

The accuser of the brethren is in full force with these verses (2Ki 18:21-22) reminding these messengers of Hezekiah how the nation of Judah’s former conversation was Baal worship explained in these words, “the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.”  The devil is good at twisting the word of God, or speaking with a forked tongue as he did with Adam and Eve in the garden and Christ while He was being tempted (Gen 3:1-5, Mat 4:6), and this is no different a spirit as Rabshakeh goes on to deceitfully remind them that the God in whom they now trust is the same God they trusted in then, “But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?” This is a twisted lie that Rabshakeh is hurling at these men to try to make them believe that they and the nation haven’t changed and are in fact still worshiping the same god and spirit that Jeroboam the son of Nebat had introduced to the nation of Israel. The lesson for God’s elect is that we are not the same people who have come out of Babylon, and the main reason we are not is because we worship God now in spirit and in truth, obeying the commandments of God demonstrating our love of God and the children of God, which actions also demonstrate our love toward our neighbor as well (Joh 4:24, 1Jn 5:2, Joh 13:35, Mar 12:31).

This statement “Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him” was true for us when it was true, as explained in 1 Kings 14:15, but Hezekiah ,who is a type of Christ, has brought about a reformation, and now the people are worshiping God in spirit and truth, at least in type and shadow. The type and shadow representing how Christ in us as our hope of glory (Col 1:27) gives us the power to no longer lean to our own understanding [upon “the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it“] less and less, and so we read of Christ with this prophecy of the workmanship that we are in Him “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax (Luk 12:49) shall he not quench: [that which He has started or kindled in us will be accomplished (Php 1:6)] he shall bring forth judgment unto truth” (Isa 42:3, Isa 53:5). 

1Ki 14:15  For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.

Isa 42:3  A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

The reed also represents a tool of measurement which was used to measure the temple of God (Rev 11:2), revealing that judgment is upon us now through Christ (1Pe 4:17) and that has to be where our focus remains as we die daily (1Co 11:31) and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter just as Christ was (Rom 8:36, 1Jn 4:17). The moment we get caught up in the fray of this world or try to judge matters which are none of our business to judge, we are in fact disobeying God and measuring the court which is not to be measured by God’s elect now, but later in the lake of fire (Rev 11:2, Rom 14:4, Joh 8:34).

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Also, in the positive light of “this bruised reed“, we are bruised as the body of Christ filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ (Col 1:24) who “was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:5). In the positive use of being pierced, Christ came out of Egypt (Hos 11:1) and overcame the flesh by the power of God’s holy spirit, being strengthened to endure until the end of His life the piercing of His hands and feet that He would endure for our sakes, and now gives us the power to follow His example (Psa 22:16, Zec 12:10, Gal 2:20).

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: 

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Psa 22:16  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

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.

The bruising of Christ and the healing of Christ’s body are closely related in scripture (1Co 10:16), and we have all spit on Christ and smote Him on the head with a reed (Mat 27:30), whereas Christ spat on the earth, which represents the church, with the water of the word, and took the earth and put it upon our eyes to take away our blindness (Joh 9:6). The earth here represents the church where the manifest knowledge of Christ is made known in the body of Christ (Eph 3:10). Lord willing, we will continue to acknowledge our blindness and our need to die daily and be washed with the word of truth He gives to those who are blessed to hunger and thirst for it and abide in it (Joh 9:41, Mat 5:6).

1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 

Mat 27:30  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

Joh 9:6  When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

The verses we will look at next week carry this same theme of how Satan tries to undermine our faith and relationship with God and each other, and yet as the story unfolds, we will see king Hezekiah is given wisdom to defeat the enemy by not engaging with him and instructing the people to do the same thing with the command “answer him not” (2Ki 18:36).

2Ki 18:36  But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

]]> Study of the Book of Kings – 2Ki 18:1-37  “In what are you placing your hope?” – Part 1 (2Ki 18:1-12)   https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-kings-2ki-181-37-in-what-are-you-placing-your-hope-part-1-2ki-181-12/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-kings-2ki-181-37-in-what-are-you-placing-your-hope-part-1-2ki-181-12 Fri, 03 Feb 2023 01:31:25 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=27096 https://www.dropbox.com/s/fwa7osmql9prrma/20230202-Study_TonyC-HopeInWhat.m4a?raw=1

2Ki 18:1-37 “In what are you placing your hope?” – Part 1 (2Ki 18:1-12)

[Study Aired February 2, 2023]

This entire chapter can be summarized in three distinct sections:  2Ki 18:1-12, 2Ki 18:13-18  and  2Ki 18:19-37. 

In the first part we are introduced to King Hezekiah who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as David his father had done” who had faith in the Lord, the God of Israel; “so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah who were before him“. Hezekiah is a type of Christ and those who have Christ’s spirit in them as their hope of salvation (Rom 8:9, Col 1:27), and Hezekiah’s rulership over the nation of Judah exemplifies this. In his strength but also in his weakness God used to perfect His purpose for Hezekiah and the nation of Judah as He does for His people today upon whom “the ends of the world are come” (1Co 10:11).

Rom 8:9  You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is in you. But if any man has not the Spirit of Christ he is not one of his. 

Col 1:27  To whom God was pleased to give knowledge of the wealth of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The second part of this chapter, 2 Kings 18:13-18, is focused on “Sennacherib king of Assyria” who came  up against all the fenced cities of Judah and took them, putting Hezekiah in a position where he sought peace with Sennacherib by giving him gold and silver from the temple of God, which actions only emboldened Sennacherib to further want to overtake the nation of Judah in war. Hezekiah turned to the Lord for deliverance with a humble and contrite heart that sought and hoped in the Lord in times of trouble. In this section of the study we will also look at how Hezekiah, who is a type of the elect, had to come to learn that one cannot make concessions with this world and expect that the trials will somehow be circumvented as a result of those actions.

The third part of the chapter, 2 Kings 18:19-37, is focused on how Sennacherib used Rabshakeh, who was a field commander, to send messages to Hezekiah and his foot soldiers to undermine their confidence in what Hezekiah could do in war against Assyria with the God of Israel as his helper and hope. Rabshakeh brought many fiery darts in the form of lies and unfounded accusations that he hurled at the nation of Judah and King Hezekiah but to no avail in the long run (2Ki 18:27-29). Rabshakeh is a type of Satan whose name means “the chief of the princes” (Eph 2:2), and he was used by God in His plan to deliver Judah and Jerusalem at this time (2Ki 19:34-35), enlightening our eyes of understanding (1Pe 1:12) to the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe (Eph 1:18-19). Judah’s enduring through these attacks of Assyria and Rabshakeh in particular is a type and shadow event of how the body of Christ has been promised we will be able to endure all the accusations and attacks of the adversary in our lives (Rev 12:10, Eph 6:16), and no doubt in the end, through the faith of Christ, will be more than conquerors through him  (Mat 24:24, Eph 2:8, Rom 8:37-39, Gen 32:28).

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Gen 32:28  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

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,

Tonight’s study will focus on the first part of this chapter:

Part 1 – 2Ki 18:1-12

2Ki 18:1  Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2Ki 18:2  Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

The king of Israel and the king of Judah are spoken of in the same sentence, and it being the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, tells us that a process of judgment is going to come upon the nation of Judah via Hezekiah the son of Ahaz who was the king of Judah at this point. Hezekiah was twenty-five years old and reigned for twenty-nine years giving us several prophetic clues about this king as well.

‘Twenty five’ is the first clue which reveals that when Christ is ruling in our heavens we are being witnessed to what a grace-through-faith relationship can accomplish (2 fives 5×5=25).

‘Twenty nine’ years as a ruler shows the dream is one, as another witness [2] of the process of judgment [3×3=9] coming upon the nation of Judah that is accomplished by grace through faith in the lives of God’s elect (2 and 9).

Hezekiah’s mothers name “Abi” means “fatherly”, and typifies for us the church whose head is our zealous Christ, who is our olam father who strengthens us to be consumed for the temple and it’s cleansing as Christ was and we are now (Joh 2:17, 1Jn 4:17, Heb 11:7). That zealousness is typified by the very unrelenting desire Hezekiah had to cleanse the temple of God and the nation of Judah.

2Ki 18:3  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 
2Ki 18:4  He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

In these verses we learn what it means to do what is “right in the sight of the LORD”, and that is only possible through Christ who is the vine, typified by this statement “according to all that David his father did.” David was a man after God’s own heart with right principles of leadership and similar attributes that were seen in Hezekiah’s heart as he was full of zeal to get the nation of Judah back on track.

The object of Judah’s worship was not toward God but toward “the high places” that symbolize the pride of life, and toward “the brasen serpent that Moses had made” that unto that day the children of Israel “did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.“

“Nehushtan” the “high places“, “the images“, and “the groves” were all destroyed at the command of the king.

The history of Nehushtan is understood in the story found in Numbers 21:8-9 and John 3:14-16 where a copper serpent was erected on a pole that the Israelites in the wilderness looked on in order to be healed when they were bitten by a serpent, all typical of how we overcome the fiery darts of the adversary, the devil, by looking unto Christ and His Christ (Rev 20:2, Gen 3:1, 1Co 15:55, Heb 12:1-2).

Num 21:8  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, [Heb 12:1-2] shall live. 
Num 21:9  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [We look to Christ to confess our iniquities and are healed and forgiven (Lev 26:40-42, Rom 2:4)]

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 
Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth [Joh 6:29] in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlastingG166 life. [Eph 6:2]

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,

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? [Heb 2:14] O grave, where is thy victory? 
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; [By dying daily we do the same things as Christ did and overcome the power of death that Satan has and uses to try to hold us back from receiving aonion life that can only be accomplished through the faith of Christ (Joh 3:15-16). By mortifying the deeds of the flesh and being crucified with Christ, we fulfill that role of being saviors with Him (Oba 1:21) that was typified by Nehushtan (Gal 2:20, Joh 3:14, 1Co 15:31, 1Jn 4:17)].

Knowing Christ after the flesh can and did bring about many wonderful miracles that healed the people of his day as did Nehushtan in the wilderness, however these miracles were meant to point (1Pe 1:12) to the greater miracle of Christ’s spiritual healing that would come to the church on the day of Pentecost and going forward. Those who made Nehushtan an object of worship that they burned incense to, reflects a perverted understanding of only wanting to know Christ after the flesh [idols, crosses, rosaries, days, months, times, years, etc…], when in truth it is through the destruction of the flesh that the new man is birthed. The proper view of Nehushtan for God’s elect is to see it as a type and shadow of Christ and His Christ who have been quickened and “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Rom 4:25, Eph 2:5-6) in order that we may one day justify the world through our experience of suffering that God grants His people to endure in this life (Col 1:24). The seraphim around the throne of God in Isaiah (Isa 6:2) typify God’s elect in the book of Revelation (Rev 7:11), and that is the end result or finished workmanship of God that Nehustan only pointed to (Num 21:8).

2Ki 18:5  He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
2Ki 18:6  For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.

We don’t naturally trust “the LORD God of Israel”, but if God is working with us as we are dragged to Christ through our trials (Joh 6:44), our flesh will be put off (Tit 2:11-12) and we will be able to identify the will of God for us in this life, as we are received of God through those trials (2Co 4:8, 2Co 1:9, 1Jn 2:16-17, Heb 12:6-7). Hezekiah is a type of the church that cleaves to Christ (Eph 5:24), demonstrating our love to Him by staying close to the body (Heb 10:25) and keeping God’s “commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses” (1Jn 5:2). 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

This statement about Hezekiah, “so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him” is a shadow of Christ and the elect who, from before the foundation of the world were ordained to bring forth spiritual fruit in the flesh unlike any before or after them as well “which he hath purposed in himself” (Eph 1:3-9).

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: [Joh 17:24, Joh 15:16]
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: [Rom 8:28]

2Ki 18:7  And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 
2Ki 18:8  He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

When we are blessed to cleave to Christ and His body, we will be given power over the enemy going from glory to glory (2Co 3:18), destroying the giants in our land little and by little (Deu 7:22) as we resist the devil, which is what this verse is saying “and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not” (Jas 4:6-10). 

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Deu 7:22  And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 

Jas 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 
Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 
Jas 4:9  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. [The question is not just who you are putting your hope in but also how are you putting your hope in our Father and Christ (Rom 2:4)]

The fruit of that resistance of evil (Jas 4:7) is what is being talked about in these verses as we are prospered of the LORD when we gain dominion over the devil and the powers and principalities that we wrestle against, which is typified by the words, “He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.” The spoils of war therefore go to the victor, and it is Christ who gives us the victory and who receives those spoils within us as typified by Melchisedec who typifies Christ who gave Abraham [who typifies the faith of Christ within us] the victory over the powers he went to war against. The tithe which Abraham gives back to Melchisedec represents our giving our whole life to Christ, and the lesser Abraham is blessed of the greater Melchisedec, as we are through Christ (Heb 7:2, Heb 7:7).

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 7:7  And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

If Christ is working in us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12-14), then that overcoming will take out the hidden enemies in our lives within, like pride symbolized by “the tower of the watchman” right “to the fenced city“, which represents a heart that is unrepentant and not worked with, until God tears down [‘down with the tares’] that defense in the flesh through His word that will smite the “Philistines, even unto Gaza” that are within us.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 
Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings: [‘working those tares out of our lives through Christ’]

2Ki 18:9  And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.
2Ki 18:10  And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

Here we see a contrast being made between Judah and Israel, and the numbers mentioned are again significant as at this point in the story they signify what is going to happen to the nation of Israel that goes into captivity.

It is in “the fourth year of king Hezekiah” representing the whole of something that coincided with the “seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel” that “Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it“. The whole nation of Israel [4] was at a point of being so completely [7] corrupt, that God was going to use “Shalmaneser king of Assyria [to come] up against Samaria, and besieged it“.

No trial is pleasant, especially one of this magnitude that had the city of Samaria besieged and at war for three years (Heb 12:11, 1Pe 4:12). Three is the number of the process of judgment our flesh has to go through in this life, and it is in the “sixth year of Hezekiah” and the “ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel” that Samaria was taken. Those numbers just remind us that the beast [6] in all of us has to be judged [9] by being taken into a captivity that only God can free us from through judgment (Joh 8:36, 1Jn 4:17, 1Pe 4:17).

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

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. 

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? 

2Ki 18:11  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in HalahH2477 and in Habor by the river of GozanH1470, and in the cities of the Medes:

If we put these two words together, HalahH2477 and GozanH1470, we are shown that this experience of going into captivity was a “painful” “cutting off” which brings to mind these verses that were in Mike’s study on Sunday (Exo 2:21-22, Exo 4:25-26). 

The point being, we are all strangers in a strange land like Gershom the son of Moses until we are spiritually circumcised, as typified by this story of Moses’ son’s circumcision. It was Zipporah who represents the church who took a sharp stone that represents Christ to circumcise the foreskin of her son. Zipporah’s name means “little bird” as in a sparrow reminding us that we are precious to God and that we are the very-valued apple of His eye as He takes us through this painful process of being spiritually circumcised (Mat 10:31, Rom 2:28-29).

Mat 10:31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. [Mat 22:14, Mat 21:44]

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men [the beast on the throne (Rev 13:15)], but of God [Joh 4:23-24].

2Ki 18:12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.

The heart of the first man Adam is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9-10) and obeys not the voice  of the LORD their God, but rather transgresses his covenant, and “all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded” who typifies Christ, they, we, “would not hear them, nor do them” (Luk 6:46, Rom 2:13, Mat 13:11,  Mat 13:16).

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.

[God is in charge of the spiritual circumcision that happens through the church (Eph 3:10) or the non-circumcised in the world who know a way that is right in their own eyes that leads to death (Pro 14:12), “every man according to his ways”]

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Rom 2:13  (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 

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

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

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at the second part of this section of chapter 18 of Kings that encourages us to see that, despite our wholehearted service to God, there is and will be things that need to be burned out of our lives in order to truly be placing our hope continually and deeply in what God has promised He can do for us as His little flock (2Ki 18:13-18, Php 3:14-15, 1Jn 1:7). 

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God will not utter words that are not obtainable, and so the negative question asked of the king of Assyria, “In what are you placing your hope” can be answered with absolute assurance that our hope is in Christ our savior who tells us not to fear, as He makes known “what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27, Luk 12:32).

]]> Faith – The Response of the Elect in These Perilous Times https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/faith-the-response-of-the-elect-in-these-perilous-times/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=faith-the-response-of-the-elect-in-these-perilous-times Mon, 21 Nov 2022 20:41:17 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=26595 https://www.dropbox.com/s/9qy977sin4q98w1/20221122-Study_AtoB-FaithOvercomes.m4a?raw=1

Faith – The Response of the Elect in These Perilous Times

[Study Aired November 21, 2022]

Introduction

This is a follow-up of what Brother Mike wrote on “Our Faith Overcomes the World” for the recent conference. Before the conference I was thinking of writing to encourage the participants of the conference regarding the stressful times in which we live. Unfortunately, I was not able to write due to my workload. I was therefore glad to see that Mike had written on the theme I had in mind which touched on our faith, being what will cause us to overcome in these trying times. I will therefore call this the second part of what Mike wrote.

There is no doubt in the mind of all of us that the times we live in are very challenging. The reason the world is getting worse as we get close to the end of this age is that men will get worse in character because of deception by the devil.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

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

Apostle Paul gave us insight into what it means when men grow worse in character.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The outcome of men’s behavior is seen in the worsening of the economies of various countries making lives unbearable as we see the general rise in prices resulting from the greed of men and the desire to control the world. Apart from conflicts or wars plaguing the world, there is increased polarization of political parties in various countries. It is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to live in these perilous times.

In spite of all these occurrences, we must bear in mind that it is all part of the grand scheme of God to humble humanity to intensify their desire for the revealing of the sons of God at the end of this age. This desire will culminate in the first resurrection of the Lord’s elect to rule the world.

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: 

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. 
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

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.    

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.

All of what the world is going through is the beginning of sorrows as indicated by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

In trying to understand our response to these perilous times, two examples will be provided – one from the New Testament and one from the Old Testament. These examples show us the desperate situation in which the Lord’s elect found themselves and how the Lord wrought deliverance on their behalf. As we look at these examples closely through the Lord’s eye, the Lord will grant us the grace to know our response in these perilous times.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Our Response – New Testament

Let’s now take a look at the response of Paul when he was traveling with other prisoners by sea to Rome to face trial as the ship encountered a storm.

Act 27:8  And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
Act 27:9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, 
Act 27:10  And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. 
Act 27:11  Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. 
Act 27:12  And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. 
Act 27:13  And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. 
Act 27:14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 
Act 27:15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. 
Act 27:16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: 
Act 27:17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
Act 27:18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 
Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 
Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. 
Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 
Act 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 
Act 27:26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. 
Act 27:27  But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
Act 27:28  And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 
Act 27:29  Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. 
Act 27:30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 
Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 
Act 27:32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. 
Act 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 
Act 27:34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. 
Act 27:35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. 
Act 27:36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
Act 27:37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. 
Act 27:38  And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. 

As we can see, this was a life and death situation Paul encountered, and he even gave up hope of surviving until an angel of the Lord came to him to assure him that he will survive and that because of him, the Lord has also spared the lives of all those traveling with him (verse 24). One of the lessons we can glean from this situation is that we need the Lord’s words of assurance to survive in these perilous times. We must therefore take consolation in the words of assurance that the Lord has given us in His words.

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 (words of assurance): that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is using what every joint supplies to assure us of His deliverance in these times. We should therefore not take for granted what our brothers and sisters say to us as they represent the angel of the Lord.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

What is insightful is the fact that the angel of the Lord mentioned that not only will Paul be saved from the storm but also all those with him. It is reassuring to know that in these times, the Lord is not only preserving us but also those we care about (our families).

Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

In these perilous times, it is the word of the Lord that shines as light to show us what to do. It is this spiritual food that we are required to eat in these times to give us the strength to continue our journey of life.

Act 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
Act 27:34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
Act 27:35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. 
Act 27:36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

When Paul talked about the perilous times in 2 Timothy 3, he also emphasized the need to continue with the word of the Lord. This is the light that shines in our darkness until the day dawns and the morning star (Christ) rises in our hearts.

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; 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

Another lesson we can learn from this desperate situation Paul encountered is that we should be of good cheer in these perilous times.

Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

The reason we should be of good cheer is that nothing in these perilous times can harm us as we hold on to Christ. Fear of the unknown can stifle our relationship with the Lord as fear undermines faith. Many of our fears in life never materialize, and it is because the Lord knows how to preserve His own. Being of good cheer is anchored on the hope we have in Christ that no matter what happens around us in this life, our lives, together with our families, will be preserved and that we will finish successfully the race marked out for us. If we have this hope, then it necessitates that we wait for it with patience.

Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

The third point to note is that in order for Paul and the others to remain safe on the ship, they had to offload many weights such as equipment, cargo, wheat, etc. that may facilitate drowning of the ship in the storm. As we journey in these storms of life, we have to let go of every weight of sin in our lives so that we can run the race of the kingdom of God with patience.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

As we are aware, letting go of these weights of sin is not our work but that of the Lord. What we have to do is to cry to Him to deliver us as He shows us our weights of sin. Since this is in line with the will of God, our prayers will surely be answered!!

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 
1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (ESV)

It is worth noting that some of the wheat was thrown away from the ship to lighten the weight. Here the wheat is shown in a negative light. It represents the false doctrines in our heavens that must be cleansed as we journey through the sea of life.

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

The fourth point to note here is that when finally Paul, and those traveling him on the ship, were getting near land, the sailors wanted to use the lifeboat to run away. Paul noted what the sailors intended to do, and so he warned the centurion and the soldiers about this.

Act 27:30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 
Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

What we can learn from this is that unless we stay on the ship, we shall be lost, that is, the storm of life will sweep us away. The ship is where the miracle of God’s deliverance is taking place, not outside. The ship here represents our gathering together or the church of the firstborn sons of God.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

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 was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 

The fifth point to observe is that the soldiers cut off the lifeboat to ensure that nobody left the ship. The lifeboat represents all that we depend on that have taken the place of Christ.

Act 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 
Act 27:32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

Jesus warned us against mammon (material wealth) which can easily derail our commitment to the New Jerusalem – the church of the firstborn.

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

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The love of money has destroyed many servants of the Lord. We have to depend on the Lord to be content in every situation. That is what will keep us in the “ship” to be saved!!

1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

Finally, the soldiers took counsel to kill the prisoners, including Paul, lest they run away. However, the captain of the soldiers intervened and saved the prisoners.

Act 27:42  And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
Act 27:43  But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: 
Act 27:44  And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land. 

In these stressful times, the Lord will cause us to have favor in the sight of men who will help us when the need arises.

Pro 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Our Response – Old Testament Example

Let’s now take a look at the response of Mordecai and Esther when they faced being destroyed together with the Jews in Shushan.

Est 4:5  Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.
Est 4:6  So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king’s gate. 
Est 4:7  And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
Est 4:8  Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people. 
Est 4:9  And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
Est 4:10  Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; 
Est 4:11  All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. 
Est 4:12  And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words. 
Est 4:13  Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. 
Est 4:14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 
Est 4:15  Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
Est 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

The situation facing the Jews in Shushan was precarious as Haman had obtained a writ from the king which empowered him to destroy all the Jews in Shushan, including Mordecai and Esther. As we are aware, Esther was the king’s wife and therefore was uniquely privileged to intervene on behalf of the Jews. We, His elect, are also the bride of Christ, and therefore are in the same position as Esther in the sense of being favored by the King (our Lord Jesus) as we navigate through the storms of this life.

The first thing Esther suggested to Mordecai was that he should assemble all the Jews together. This is echoing the need to meet regularly as it is through our assembling together that we know the mind of Christ regarding what we should do in these distressing times.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

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 was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

The second thing Esther suggested was that the Jews must fast. We know that the spiritual significance of fasting is to keep ourselves from taking in false doctrines and to walk in righteousness as the Lord breaks the yoke of sin in our lives through the judgment of our old man (fasting for three days). That is what the Lord wants us to do as we “fast” in these stressful times.

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 
Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 
Isa 58:9  Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;  

These distressing times are all part of the Lord’s design for the elect with the view to perfect His work in us. As we are aware, all things are ours, that is, all things are designed by the Lord for our sakes, and that includes what is happening in this world now and what is to come. It is all for our good!!

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 
1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

The third observation here is that when Esther was faced with death, she was prepared to lose her life in a bid to save the Lord’s people. Her statement that day, “If I perish, I perish” shows us her resolve to lose her life to gain it one day.

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

To lose your life in this sense means to die to the flesh. To gain your life means to inherit the promises of God. So, what this means is that Esther was prepared to die to the deeds of the flesh so that she will inherit the promise of eternal life. Dying to the deeds of the flesh is the work of God which is achieved through the trials that we face. The confidence we have is that what the Lord starts, He is able to complete!!

Nobody is saying that living in these times is easy. However, we have an advantage in the sense that the Lord is with us. This reminds me of what my mother told me about her life. She had just buried her son and was very apprehensive about what the future held for her family and was getting ready to sleep when my dad (a Minister of the Methodist church) told her that they should pray before they sleep as was their habit. My mum’s response to my dad was that if Jesus really is alive and well, why didn’t He intervene in their circumstance but allowed her son to die? This was about the third son she had lost.

After saying this, she turned and slept without praying, leaving my dad to pray alone. Immediately as she slept, she had a dream in which she was traveling on a journey and came to a big river and was wondering how to cross when she heard a voice saying to her, “You say that the crocodile in this river is dead but I want you to know that the crocodile is alive and well. The light you see at the end of the river is his light.” My mum then lifted up her head and saw a great light at the end of the river. Suddenly, she saw a great army on her right and left come to escort her and her family across the river to the other side. Immediately, she woke up and woke my dad up saying, “Jesus is Alive!! Let us pray!!” This experience impacted greatly on my Mum and Dad’s lives, and it influenced the way my siblings and I were raised.  This is all to let us know that the eye of the Lord is on us, His elect, and will never fail us!!

2Ch 16:9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

I will end with this encouragement from the Lord that whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in, the Lord is with us and will see us through these perilous times!! May His name be praised!!

Psa 46:1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psa 46:2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 
Psa 46:3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 
Psa 46:5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
Psa 46:6  The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 
Psa 46:7  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

]]> Exo 14:1-31  For the Egyptians whom you have seen Today, you Shall see them Again no more For Ever https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/exo-141-31-for-the-egyptians-whom-you-have-seen-today-you-shall-see-them-again-no-more-for-ever/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=exo-141-31-for-the-egyptians-whom-you-have-seen-today-you-shall-see-them-again-no-more-for-ever Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:44:05 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=25869 https://www.dropbox.com/s/jovru3fxnxvbq9m/20220620-Study_AtoB-EgyptiansGone.m4a?raw=1

Exo 14:1-31  For the Egyptians whom you have seen Today, you Shall see them Again no more For Ever

[Study Aired June 20, 2022]

Exo 14:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 14:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 
Exo 14:3  For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 
Exo 14:4  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. 
Exo 14:5  And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? 
Exo 14:6  And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: 
Exo 14:7  And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. 
Exo 14:8  And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. 
Exo 14:9  But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. 
Exo 14:10  And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 
Exo 14:11  And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 
Exo 14:12  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. 
Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 
Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 
Exo 14:15  And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 
Exo 14:16  But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 
Exo 14:17  And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 
Exo 14:18  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 
Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 
Exo 14:20  And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. 
Exo 14:21  And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 
Exo 14:22  And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 
Exo 14:23  And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 
Exo 14:24  And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 
Exo 14:25  And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 
Exo 14:26  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 
Exo 14:27  And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 
Exo 14:28  And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 
Exo 14:29  But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 
Exo 14:30  Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 
Exo 14:31  And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. 

This chapter deals with the relentless pursuit of the people of Israel by Pharaoh and his Egyptian army and their final demise in the Red Sea. This chapter is about the crossing of the Red Sea, which is the Lord’s way of demonstrating to us how to war against the flesh.  That is, this fight against the flesh is the Lord’s work, and we have no part to play in it. All we have to do is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. This means we believe that what the Lord has started in us regarding the subduing of the old man or the beast within, symbolized by Pharaoh and His army, He is able to bring to completion!!

Deu 3:22  Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.

Deu 20:4  For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 

2Ch 20:17  Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. 

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

Exo 14:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 14:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 

Pihahiroth is the site of the final Israelites’ encampment in Egypt before crossing the Red Sea. Pihahiroth means ‘place where sedge grows’. Sedge is a type of grass, growing typically in wet ground. We know that grass represents the flesh as shown in the following:

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

The Israelites’ final encampment in Egypt, being Pihahiroth, therefore symbolizes the fact that before our exit from Babylon (Egypt), we must come to the realization that Babylon is the breeding ground for the flesh. It is in Babylon that our flesh grows (Pihahiroth) and occupies completely the throne of our hearts, claiming himself to be God. As a result, we become worse off in Babylon.

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

Exo 14:3  For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 

The Lord entices our old man (Pharaoh) as he occupies the throne of our hearts to think that we (Israelites) are entangled in this world. In this sense, the old man continues to think that he has dominion over us. This is all part of the Lord’s way of creating an opportunity to come and deal with our old man as with Pharaoh, as we shall see later in the story.

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

Exo 14:4  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. 
Exo 14:5  And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? 
Exo 14:6  And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: 
Exo 14:7  And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. 
Exo 14:8  And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

Verses 4 to 8 are written to caution us that it is not an easy road to overcome the old man or the flesh due to the hardening of Pharaoh’s (the old man) heart. However, at the end of the day, it all works for our good as the resistance of our old man provides the occasion for the Lord to perform His signs and wonders (the plagues) to work a great salvation for us!!

Exo 11:9  And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. 

Heb 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 
Heb 2:4  God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, or our old man, by the Lord is for our benefit.

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. 
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

So, the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart, or causing the old man within us to resist Him, is for us to appreciate the mercies of the Lord and to learn to show mercy as a result. This is not obvious when we are frustrated by our old man within us as we resist the Lord. However, in the final analysis, we shall come to know His mercies. One of the qualities that the Lord is inculcating within us is being merciful. This is because it is through the mercies we have received that we can show mercy to the masses of humanity which will result in the ultimate salvation of the whole world. Therefore, inasmuch as we need the Lord’s mercy, we must also show mercy to others in our daily lives.

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.

Another lesson we can learn from the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is that we come to see that this battle against the flesh is not our fight. It is the work of the Lord to deliver us from the old man or the flesh. By ourselves, we can do nothing. As we can see, the resistance put up by Pharaoh is incomprehensible. That is why the beast within or the old man is compared to a mountain. A mountain can only be removed, not by might nor by power, but by the spirit of the Lord!! It is the word of Christ that destroys this mountain or the old man.

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Exo 14:9  But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. 
Exo 14:10  And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 
Exo 14:11  And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 
Exo 14:12  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

The resistance of the old man, or the beast within us to submit to the rulership of our Lord Jesus, makes it clear to us that no one comes to the Lord willingly. We have to be dragged by the Lord to bring us to Himself. This is obvious from what the Israelites said to Moses when they saw Pharaoh and his chariots and horses drawing near to them. In verse 11 and 12, the Israelites made it clear to Moses that they had preferred being under bondage in Egypt than to pursue the Lord’s agenda in the wilderness.

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

The word “draw” used in John 6:44 above, is the Greek word “Helko” (G1670) which means to drag. None of us came to the Lord willingly. We all are being dragged by the Lord daily to Himself. This is affirmed by the following Bible verse:

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.

If sinning is not done willingly as Romans 8:20 suggests, then serving the Lord cannot also be done willingly or in our strength. We don’t choose to serve the Lord; He chooses us to serve Him in this life. If we are able to understand this, then we are ready to be delivered from the flesh as we shall see shortly with the Lord making a way in the Red Sea for the Israelites. In the final analysis, all creatures (all humanity) will be dragged to the Lord at the appropriate time appointed by God.

Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 
Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 

Verses 13 and 14 make us aware that we do not contribute anything to our salvation. The Lord does everything for us. During our time in Babylon, we were taught that we play a key role in our salvation. When we come out of Babylon, we bring along this mindset of playing a key role in our salvation. A lot of people who believed in Jesus asked Him one day what they should do to do the works of God. The Lord responded that all they had to do was to believe in Him, not work.

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

Even this belief in Christ is not of our own self. The Lord gives us the faith of the Son of God to believe in Him. Our victory in overcoming the flesh is standing still and believing that the Lord will fight our battles for us. What He starts, He is able to bring to completion!!

Pro 20:3  It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

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 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

If we think that we are responsible for our salvation and that we are required to work for it, then the reward we are to receive is not a gift but something God owes us!! However, we know that the Lord owes no man!!

Rom 4:3  For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 
Rom 4:4  Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 
Rom 4:5  And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, (ESV)

Exo 14:15  And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 

This verse is another way of saying that we must forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead. Whatever success we have achieved or whatever failures we have gone through should not become a constraint to us from moving forward or looking ahead.

Php 3:13  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 
Php 3:14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 
Php 3:15  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. (ESV)

Exo 14:16  But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 

The rod here is Christ, and when Christ is lifted up in our lives, the flesh (sea) is overcome (divided). The lifting up of Christ in our lives is the work of the Lord together with the dividing of the sea by the stretching forth of the hand of the Lord signified by that of Moses.

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:

When we are able to learn that the dividing of the sea is the work of the Lord, then the Lord has accomplished the lesson we need to learn from the Israelites’ experience of crossing the Red Sea, that is, He has trained our hands to war!!

Psa 18:34  He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

Exo 14:17  And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 
Exo 14:18  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

Here we are given another reason why the Lord makes the old man or the beast within us so stubborn. Through all our struggles with the flesh, we come to honor Him as Lord of everything, both good and evil.

Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 
Exo 14:20  And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. 

The angel of God here is Christ, and He is the word of God. In the church or camp of the elect, the word of God is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet. However, to the people of the world, including our brothers and sisters in Babylon, the word of the Lord is darkness. This darkness serves as a chasm between the people of God and the people of the world such that one cannot cross easily to the other.

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

1Sa 17:3  And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

Exo 14:21  And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 
Exo 14:22  And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, but it was the Lord who caused the sea to roll back so the Israelites walked on dry ground. So, Moses’ hand here is the hand of the Lord which caused the east wind to make a way for the people of Israel through the Red Sea. The east wind here represents the Lord’s judgment of our sea of flesh which results in the destroying of its influence in our lives, making us walk through this world unhindered to serve the Lord.

Jer 18:17  I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

Psa 48:7  Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

The crossing of the Red Sea was a type of baptism just as the passing of Noah’s ark through the flood was also a type of baptism.

1Co 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 
1Co 10:2  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 

1Pe 3:20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 
1Pe 3:21  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 

This baptism signifies that we were dead as we passed through the “Red sea” but have been made alive as we come out of the “Red Sea.” Being alive means we no longer wallow in the mud of sin but are now ready to serve the Lord with good conscience as a result of the resurrection of our mortal bodies by the Spirit of Christ.

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 
Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

Exo 14:23  And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 
Exo 14:24  And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 
Exo 14:25  And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

The destruction of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen signifies the destruction of the old man or the beast within us. Verses 24 and 25 show us clearly that it is all the work of the Lord. The Israelites did not play a part in the destruction of Pharaoh’s army.  This is to demonstrate to us (the Israelites) how to war, that is, depend entirely on the Lord alone in our battles with the flesh.

Deu 1:30  The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 

2Ch 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

Exo 14:26  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 
Exo 14:27  And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 
Exo 14:28  And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 

This water, which saved us on one hand, also destroyed Pharaoh and his Egyptian army. The Egyptians being overthrown in the midst of the sea signifies that it is in this age of the dominance of the flesh (Sea) that the old man (Pharaoh and his army) will be overthrown in the lives of all those called and chosen (Israelites). Later in the lake-of-fire age, the old man (Pharaoh and his army) shall be overthrown in the lives of all humanity.

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

Exo 14:29  But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 
Exo 14:30  Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 
Exo 14:31  And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. 

Through this experience of crossing the Red Sea, the people of Israel saw the great works of the Lord and believed in the Lord and His servant Moses. The whole experience of the crossing the Red Sea brings to remembrance the fact that it is the Lord who raised the storm by causing Pharaoh and his army to pursue the Israelites after leaving Egypt. This caused the Israelites to come to their wits’ ends and as a result cried desperately to the Lord for help, and He heard them and brought them to their desired haven.

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! 

These things which happened to the Israelites were written for us to show us the pattern of how the Lord works so that we may have hope in Christ that He will not leave us alone!! If He had done it for the Israelites, then He will surely do it for us upon whom the ends of the world are come!! Amen!!

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

[The author may be reached at abarnes @ semcapitaladvisors. com for questions or comments.]

]]> Book of Jeremiah – Jer 38:1-28  Obey, I Beseech Thee, the Voice of the LORD https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/book-of-jeremiah-jer-381-28-obey-i-beseech-thee-the-voice-of-the-lord/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=book-of-jeremiah-jer-381-28-obey-i-beseech-thee-the-voice-of-the-lord Sun, 15 May 2022 03:10:43 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=25719 Jer 38:1-28 Obey, I Beseech Thee, the Voice of the LORD
[Study Aired May 14, 2022]

Jer 38:1  Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
Jer 38:2  Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
Jer 38:3  Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.
Jer 38:4  Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
Jer 38:5  Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.
Jer 38:6  Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
Jer 38:7  Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
Jer 38:8  Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying,
Jer 38:9  My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.
Jer 38:10  Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
Jer 38:11  So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
Jer 38:12  And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
Jer 38:13  So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
Jer 38:14  Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.
Jer 38:15  Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?
Jer 38:16  So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
Jer 38:17  Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
Jer 38:18  But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
Jer 38:19  And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
Jer 38:20  But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
Jer 38:21  But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:
Jer 38:22  And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.
Jer 38:23  So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.
Jer 38:24  Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
Jer 38:25  But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:
Jer 38:26  Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.
Jer 38:27  Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.
Jer 38:28  So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

The first verse of this chapter names the four princes who are now seeking the death of the Lord’s prophet Jeremiah:

Jer 38:1  Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,

Among these four princes is “Jucal the son of Shelemiah”. This is the same Juhucal the son of Shelemiah who is one of the two men the king had sent to ask Jeremiah to “Pray now unto the Lord our God for us” in the previous chapter:

Jer 37:3  And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.

Just as it was with Christ and all who follow Him, Jeremiah had the experience of having people, who at one time regarded him as a prophet of God, just suddenly decide that he is not a prophet of God but is a traitor to the Lord and His people. As we all know such a turn of events is a gut wrenching ‘experience of evil’:

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.

Jeremiah was in the same situation that anyone today is in if he or she is obedient to Christ and the things He told us to do. This is what Christ commands and expects of anyone who claims to know Him and who appropriates His name and calls themself a ‘Christian’:

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Those words are the equivalent of telling us today that we are not to resist evil, just as Jeremiah was instructing those of His day. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what Christ has instructed us to do in the verses immediately preceding the two verses we just quoted here in Matthew 5:

Mat 5:38  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

None of these words are in any way patriotic. Not one orthodox Christian minister would agree with Christ’s commandment that those who claim His name are to “resist not evil”. Neither did any of the leaders of Judah agree with the words of the Lord, which He gave to Jeremiah, telling the people of Judah while being besieged by the armies of Babylon that they should all “go forth unto the Chaldeans”:

Jer 38:2  Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

‘Going forth to the Chaldeans’ signifies that we acknowledge our self-righteous transgressions:

Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

When we acknowledge our self-righteousness and our transgressions, we must realize that such a confession accepts the judgment that comes with that confession and acknowledgement of our iniquity and our sins:

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

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

The ‘fire’ which tries our works is the Word of God, and that word includes the seven last plagues of His wrath which must be fulfilled in the life of every man, now in “this present time” or in the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment.

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.

‘Entering into the temple” signifies our salvation, and that is the meaning of “he shall have his life for a prey and shall live”. Here is verse 2 again:

Jer 38:2  Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

What we are being told is that we will ‘go forth to the Chaldeans’. That is going to happen, and it is to our advantage to do so now rather than wait for the Lord to judge us at a later judgment:

Jer 38:3  Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.

What Christ is telling us is that if we submit our lives to His chastening hand via the sword of our enemies, He will deliver us. Our worst enemy in this life is that beast we see in the mirror every day. If we submit to acknowledging our iniquities and our transgressions and judge ourselves in ‘this present time’ then He will deliver us from death, “When [we] awake with His likeness”. Our enemies, including our own ‘old man’, are actually nothing less than His chastening hand:

Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him [“the wicked who oppress” us (vs 9)] cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
Psa 17:14  From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
Psa 17:15  As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

King David did not say, “I shall be satisfied in this life.” He did not say, “I shall be satisfied when I see my enemies reap what they have sown in this life.” Instead he is actually telling those who are ‘given eyes that see’, that it is we who will be the first to be judged by “thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world” (our own flesh included, Rom 7:17-21), and reap what we have sown in this life at this “present time”, and then we will be rewarded by being given the gift of “the resurrection of life… the blessed and holy… first resurrection (Rev 20:6) as opposed to “the resurrection of judgment”:

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.

Even the Old Testament prophets realized there was a “better resurrection” of the dead and that there was life after this life:

Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

It does not read ‘We without them’. It reads “they without us should not be made perfect”. That “better thing” is for us. The “better thing” is not for them; it is only for us. The “better thing [is] for us” because no one in the Old Testament will be in the first resurrection. The “blood of bulls and goats” could not take aways sins, and the Savior had not yet been sacrificed:

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Those in the first resurrection will be perfected without the men and women of the Old Testament, and we will be perfected through death and resurrection before them. We know this is true because Christ made it crystal clear that even the least in the kingdom of God would be greater than John the Baptist who was as great as any Old Testament man who had ever been “born of women”:

Mat 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Such an honor comes only through “much tribulation” and through being rejected and “hated of all men” in “this present time”.

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.

We will not enter into the kingdom of God through a life of ‘coffee and doughnuts’ nor through the lies of the ministers of the so-called ‘prosperity ministries’ which appeal to our flesh but are the death of our new man.

Notwithstanding it is true that the blessings and glory bestowed on those “chosen… few” who endure “much tribulation” and are given to have a part in that “blessed and holy… first resurrection”, will far outweigh “the suffering of 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 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.

That is the spiritual message we are to get out of this agonizing event in the history of the nation of Judah. If we are willing to be “hated of all men” because we are obedient to the Words of our Lord to love our enemies and follow in His steps and do all the things He said we are to do, then we “shall be saved”:

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.

This experience of Jeremiah demonstrates that those who obey our Lord will indeed “be hated of all men for [His] name’s sake”. ‘His name’ means His doctrine, and His doctrine is what is hated by all men.

Jer 38:4  Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Jeremiah was seeking their best interests. However, it is completely understandable how the natural mind cannot receive a message which encourages it to submit to the chastening hand of the Lord through the sword of evil men.

Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

It is only natural for any patriotic individual to place their citizenship on this earth above their invisible heavenly citizenship. Heavenly citizenship is about as meaningful and valuable to our natural man as Esau’s birthright was to him when he was hungry:

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.

‘Jacob’ means ‘supplanter’, and that is what he did to his elder twin, just as our new man is in the process of supplanting our carnal-minded old man who has no appreciation for the promise of future invisible, spiritual blessings in reward for present physical suffering. Just like Esau we are selling our birthright for a bowl of pottage when we put patriotism above obedience to Christ’s commandments. Our old man considers it only natural to hate and to want to destroy our new man who our old man considers to be a traitor:

Jer 38:5  Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

King Zedekiah is telling The Truth. He typifies our rebellious carnal mind. As such, he truly is helpless to save the Lord’s people from their enemies. This fact is expressed in these words in the New Testament:

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.

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

We of ourselves are completely helpless against the beast that is within every man and every woman.

Rev 13:16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man [There is no article in the Greek before the word ‘mankind. There is only the Greek word (G444) ‘anthropos’, mankind]; and his [‘anthropos’, mankind’s] number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Jer 38:6  Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

Being placed in a pit, in scripture, just as Joseph was put into a pit by his ten brothers, symbolizes entering the realm of death:

Job 17:16  They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.

Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit.

However, the Lord had provided Jeremiah with “friends of the unrighteous mammon” in the person of one, “Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house.” The Lord caused Ebedmelech, to go out of the king’s house, out of the house of the very symbol of our old man, and plead for Jeremiah’s life:

Jer 38:7  Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
Jer 38:8  Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying,
Jer 38:9  My lord the king, these men [the princes] have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

In this betrayal by King Zedekiah of the Lord’s servant we are informed that there is no water in the pit (vs 6). That is exactly what we were told in the story of the betrayal of the Lord’s servant Joseph:

Gen 37:23  And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;
Gen 37:24  and they took him, and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

Just as in the story of Jeremiah, the Lord had provided Joseph ‘a friend of the unrighteous mammon of this world’ in the person of his oldest brother, Reuben:

Gen 37:19  And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
Gen 37:20  Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
Gen 37:21  And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life.

The same king who could not refuse the princes’ desire to kill Jeremiah now cannot refuse Ebedmelech’s petition to save Jeremiah’s life for this reason and for this reason only:

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

That is true for all men of all time, and that is the doctrine of all scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

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

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Because “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord”, because “the preparations of the heart… and the answer of the tongue are from the Lord” and because “it is God that works in [all men] both to will and to do of His good pleasure”, this was “[the Lord’s] good pleasure” for Jeremiah coming from the ‘preparations of the heart’, which the Lord worked in wicked King Zedekiah:

Jer 38:10  Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
Jer 38:11  So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
Jer 38:12  And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

The Hebrew word for ‘old’ in this verse is:

The words ‘cast clouts’ are translated from the single Hebrew word:

So both words, ‘belo’ and ‘sechabah’ convey the concept of a piece of cloth that is old and worn… a “rag”. These rags were used to pad the “cords” that were placed under Jeremiah’s “armholes”:

Jer 38:13  So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

It is not adding to the Word of God to say that these words of Psalm 40 applied outwardly to Jeremiah at that time, and they apply to each of us inwardly and spiritually:

Psa 40:2  He brought men a rock, and established my goings.
Psa 40:3  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Jer 38:14  Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

Once again, immediately after putting Jeremiah through a severe trial by giving four princes permission to put Jeremiah to death, King Zedekiah wants to know what the Lord has told Jeremiah the prophet. He knows that Jeremiah is the Lord’s prophet because the Lord has made it so clear that He speaks through the prophet Jeremiah. Here is just one of many prophecies the Lord had given Jeremiah which came to pass:

Jer 28:12  Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 28:13  Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.
Jer 28:14  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.
Jer 28:15  Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
Jer 28:16  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.
Jer 28:17  So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

The children of the adversary know who belongs to the Lord, as these stories clearly demonstrate:

Mat 8:28  And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
Mat 8:29  And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

Act 19:13  Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
Act 19:16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Act 19:17  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

We are informed that “Sceva, [was] a Jew, chief of the priests” whose seven sons attempted to appropriate the power of our Lord to themselves. The significance of this detail is that it is always prominent men of the churches of the great harlot who “appear as an angel of light” and “as a lamb with two horns”, but they do not know Christ and do not have His power to withstand the adversary. Sceva’s sons are ‘seven’ because they typify a completely apostatized church which is overcome by the adversary.

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

King Zedekiah, like the seven sons of Sceva, has heard of the Lord through the Lord’s prophet Jeremiah. Like the seven sons of Sceva, King Zedekiah has seen the power of the Lord working through His prophet, Jeremiah, but also like the sons of Sceva he himself has no connection to the Lord and attempts to make that connection through his acquaintance with Jeremiah. Knowing who ‘the Lord’s Christ’ is while not knowing Christ Himself, typifies our old man and all who are still under his beastly rulership. God’s elect, as Jeremiah was, are as “a city built upon a hill [which] cannot be hid”. Even the king of Babylon knew that everything the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah had come to pass as the words of “the captain of the guard” reveal:

Jer 40:2  And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.
Jer 40:3  Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said [through Jeremiah]: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.
Jer 40:4  And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.
Jer 40:5  Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.

Jeremiah had ‘made friends of the mammon of unrighteousness’ and was now being received into age-lasting tabernacles by the captain of the guard of the armies of physical Babylon, while at the same time physical Babylon was being used by the Lord to chasten “Mystery Babylon The Great”.

That is chapter 40, and it all happened just as the Lord through Jeremiah had said it would happen. Symbolic ‘Mystery Babylon the Great’ was carried away captive to physical Babylon, and the type and shadow of ‘Mystery Babylon’ was burned with literal fire.

What the Lord is showing us in this story is that King Zedekiah, the symbol of our rebellious, self-righteous, old man, our ‘man of sin’, is torn and tormented by being caught between being told by the Lord’s prophet what to do to save himself and his people and his fear of his own people. Like King Saul, who many years earlier had admitted that he “feared the people” (1Sa 15:24), King Zedekiah, and all of mankind, wants to know in advance what the morrow holds, and he comes secretly to Jeremiah, like Nicodemus, for the same reason… “for fear of the Jews”, came to Christ by night:

Joh 3:1  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Joh 3:2  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

1Sa 15:24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Jer 38:15  Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?

The Lord has made us to know in advance that this world will reject the witness of being a city built on a hill and being the light of the world:

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

The Lord has already informed us that:

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Those words alone bode ill for our old man even as “we judge ourselves” now, and they also bode ill for this sinful world. We all, just naturally as wicked King Saul, want to know the future in advance even though we know it will not be what our old man wants to hear.

Jer 38:16  So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.

Once again, this is the only reason King Zedekiah pledges to protect Jeremiah from His enemies:

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

Again, this is a “preparation of the heart” (Pro 16:1) of King Zedekiah which is “from the Lord” and not from himself.

Jer 38:17  Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
Jer 38:18  But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
Jer 38:19  And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

“The fear of the Jews” is a phrase we see again and again in the New Testament:

Joh 7:11  Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?
Joh 7:12  And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
Joh 7:13  Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.

Joh 19:38  And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

Joh 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

“For fear of the Jews” is Biblical symbolism for our fear of what the religious leaders of this world will think of us and do to us if we are granted the courage to put the fear of God ahead of our fear of what this world and its religious leaders, our friends, and our families will think of us and do to us for following in His steps and being faithful to the Lord’s Words and the Words of those through whom He speaks following His crucifixion and resurrection.

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Here is the Old Testament type of our message to this world within us and outwardly today:

Jer 38:20  But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.

The Lord knows that our old man cannot come to Him and cannot hear His words and cannot do the things He says we are to do, but for our sakes He put King Zedekiah through this helpless and hopeless experience of evil:

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

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

King Zedekiah, signifying my flesh and your flesh, simply could not fear an invisible God more than he feared his own physical people. It is not that he would not have liked to do so. It is simply that it was “not given” to Him to do so:

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.

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.

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

The Lord is in fact “seeking an occasion against” our old man and against his ways just as He sought an occasion against the Philistines who ruled over the Lord’s people at the time of Samson:

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

Jeremiah knows that King Zedekiah will not go out to the Chaldeans, but the Lord still has Jeremiah tell us the fruit of fearing men instead of fearing God:

Jer 38:21  But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:
Jer 38:22  And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

These “women that are left in the king’s house”, signify the churches which have taught the word of God in the king’s house. They taught it but did not perceive what they taught. This is another way of saying:

Luk 19:22  And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

Here is how Christ explains these words of the “women of the king’s house”:

Mat 23:1  Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Mat 23:2  Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
Mat 23:3  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Jer 38:23  So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

Just like King Saul when he went to the witch of Endor, Zedekiah now knows what will happen the next day. He has been earnestly beseeched by the Lord’s prophet Jeremiah to set the example for his people by submitting to the king of Babylon, but he is not given to humble himself and obey the words of the Lord. As a type of each of us, he fears the people more than he fears God.

We have all been where Zedekiah is in this story. Except the Lord Himself had made us to submit we would be right where wicked King Zedekiah is… simply not given to fear God more than man:

Luk 12:4  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell [Greek: ‘Gehennah’ – the lake of fire (Rev 20:15)]; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Jer 38:24  Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
Jer 38:25  But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:
Jer 38:26  Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.
Jer 38:27  Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.

These murderous princes had no idea that Jeremiah had once again given their leader the same uncompromising words of God warning him of his and their imminent destruction. Jeremiah knew better than to cast His pearls before these spiritual swine who had just made it clear to King Zedekiah that they wanted him dead.

King Zedekiah demonstrates clearly who it is that he fears, and it is not his God. King Zedekiah signifies our own flesh which “is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be”:

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

Jer 38:28  So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

In type and shadow, Jeremiah was in this world, but he was not of this world. He was made to be “conversant with” and “very good” to the leaders of this world, but he was not in the least affected or leavened by the doctrines of those leaders.

1Sa 25:15  But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:

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;
Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world [Greek: ’eon’ – age]; and the reapers are the angels.

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

]]> Study of the Book of Kings – 1Ki 17:1-24  “The barrel of meal shall not waste…” https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-171-24-the-barrel-of-meal-shall-not-waste/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-171-24-the-barrel-of-meal-shall-not-waste Sat, 07 May 2022 02:32:29 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=25702 1Ki 17:1-24  “The barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth”
[Study Aired May 6, 2022]

1Ki 17:1  And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 
1Ki 17:2  And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 
1Ki 17:3  Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 
1Ki 17:4  And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 
1Ki 17:5  So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by  “the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 
1Ki 17:6  And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 
1Ki 17:7  And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 
1Ki 17:8  And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 
1Ki 17:9  Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 
1Ki 17:10  So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 
1Ki 17:11  And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 
1Ki 17:12  And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 
1Ki 17:13  And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 
1Ki 17:14  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 
1Ki 17:15  And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 
1Ki 17:16  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
1Ki 17:17  And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 
1Ki 17:18  And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? 
1Ki 17:19  And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 
1Ki 17:20  And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 
1Ki 17:21  And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. 
1Ki 17:22  And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 
1Ki 17:23  And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 
1Ki 17:24  And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth. 

This section of scripture gives us hope by showing us, through the prophet Elijah, who is a type of Christ, how God will “supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” as we’re told in (Php 4:19). As we read through this study it should become very clear, via the names and places and people and events taking place, that God is showing the apple of His eye through these inspired events (Pro 7:2, Deu 32:9-10, Zec 2:8, Psa 17:8). He knows what we need before we even ask him as the author and finisher of our faith, desiring “above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”  (Mat 6:8, Heb 12:2, 3Jn 1:2).

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Pro 7:2  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. [Rev 1:3] 

Deu 32:9  For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 
Deu 32:10  He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 

Zec 2:8  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 

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

Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

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

3Jn 1:2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

To be hidden “under the shadow of thy wings” of Psalm 17:8 is to be hidden in Christ (Col 3:3), and Elijah the Tishbite is also a type of the elect who go whithersoever the Lamb leads us, which means we follow each other as we follow Christ (Rev 14:4, Rom 8:14-16, 3Jn 1:3, 1Co 11:1) fulfilling our role in this life of being a light in this world with the word of His truth in our mouth as it was in Elijah’s, “that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth” (1Ki 17:24, Mat 5:14-16, Gal 6:10).

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

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 [Rom 8:14-16]. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 

3Jn 1:3  For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

1Co 11:1  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the worldG2889 = kosmos. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [1Jn 3:17, Luk 10:30-37]
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. pan>
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 

1Ti 4:7  But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 
1Ti 4:8  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 
1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 
1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. 
1Ti 4:11  These things command and teach. 

As we go about our Father’s business, as Christ our example does (Luk 2:49), we will learn of His provision along the way and His faithfulness to meet our every need in this life as we learn to live Godly lives (Tit 2:11-12) that are content whether we have a little or a lot (Php 4:11). The promise of God’s provision for His elect is typified with this statement in 1Kings 17:16: “the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah“, reminding us, especially in matters of faith, how God will provide what we need via the author and finisher of our faith Jesus Christ who provides the spiritual meal (as the bread of life [Joh 6:58]) and cruse of oil (Zec 4:6, Lev 6:13, Joh 6:63) that fails not as a symbol of God’s holy spirit that he pours out upon us to give increase in due season, as we labor in His word and work out our own salvation with fear and trembling knowing “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (1Co 3:6-7).

1Ki 17:1  And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 

This prophetic announcement being made to Ahab via the prophet Elijah reveals the sovereignty of God over all of His creation. Not only does God alone give the increase as we read (1Co 3:6), but God alone is the one who withholds His word from us as symbolized with these words, “There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”  The reason God withholds His word from us is to bring us to our wits’ end so that we cry out in that darkened state of not seeing truth clearly (Psa 107:25-30), and then he delivers us just as Elijah did with the people in his day (Jas 5:17-20).

Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
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 distressesH4480 H4691. [narrowness (Mat 7:14, 1Co 10:13)]
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. 

Jas 5:17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 

[This example of Elias is a type of God’s elect who witness to a world today that cannot receive the words of Christ, the whole stay of bread and water, and yet in the day of their visitation Christ’s witness through the elect will bring forth the desired results and the seed will not have been sown in vain (Rev 11:3, Isa 3:1, Isa 55:11, Ecc 11:1, 1Pe 2:12)]

Jas 5:18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 
Jas 5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; [Luk 22:32, 1Jn 4:17]
Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death [ultimately the second death (Rev 2:11)], and shall hide a multitude of sins.

[Today as the body of Christ, we cover each other’s sins by washing one another with the word (Eph 5:26), “and the earth brought forth her fruit” because of God giving that increase. That is what is happening now within the body of Christ, and if we are granted to endure until the end, God’s elect will be used to “hide a multitude of sins” via the great white throne judgment that will be administered to the “innumerable multitude” (Rev 7:9) with their “multitude of sins.”]

1Ki 17:2  And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 
1Ki 17:3  Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 

“Turn thee eastward” is a statement that symbolizes our starting to look to Christ whose coming into our heavens is “as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mat 24:27, 2Th 2:8). He comes as lightning which occurs during those Psalm 107 storms, which we see as a result of being dragged to the son (Joh 6:44).  That is how “the word of the LORD came unto him“, and unto us for whom these prophecies are written (1Co 10:11) who are hidden in Christ. It is at the brook Cherith [“cutting”] where we receive that first deadly wound before we can cross the Jordan to “hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.“

1Ki 17:4  And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 
1Ki 17:5  So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 
1Ki 17:6  And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 

God can use any means He wants to sustain us spiritually through the wilderness with bread and meat, which symbolize his word, and this provision that was being made for Elijah comes at “the brook Cherith” where that word CherithH3747 which means “cut” represents our dying daily process that makes it possible for us to be sustained in the Lord, “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there” (1Co 15:31).

The raven is an unclean bird but can still, by God’s mercy, be used to supply our needs in the wilderness. The raven gives up the meat just as the churches of Babylon labor in the word for our sakes in this age. God’s elect are the few in this life (Mat 22:14) who are able to read, hear and keep the sayings of the prophecies which are symbolized in Elijah’s life when he ate the meat from the raven (Rev 1:3).

Notice Elijah “did according unto the word of the LORD” demonstrating an obedient spirit that was abiding where he needed to be in order to have the ravens bring “him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” (Luk 24:49).

Luk 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, [Gal 4:26] until ye be endued with power from on high.

God continues to abundantly supply our every need in Christ provided we are granted by His hand to continue to be apprehended by the hand of a fit man, Jesus Christ (Php 3:12, Lev 16:21), who makes it possible for us to die daily.

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. [Php 2:12-13 says the same thing]

The statement “the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” is a witness to how God provides the spiritual meat in due season we need in order to be sustained in this life (Mat 24:45, 1Co 10:2-3).

Mat 24:45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

1Co 10:2  And were all baptized unto Moses [We are baptized into Christ’s death so we can feed each other spiritual meat in due season (Rom 6:3)] in the cloud and in the sea; 
1Co 10:3  And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 
1Co 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 

1Ki 17:7  And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 
1Ki 17:8  And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 
1Ki 17:9  Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 

Now in our story of Elijah who represents God’s elect, we see the process of dying daily at the brook Cherith drying up, which is symbolic of losing our first love, and what we must be given to do at this point is to receive the counsel that comes from  the word of God “the word of the LORD came unto him” and what it tells us to do is “Arise, get thee to ZarephathH6886 [Zarephath = “refinery”], which belongeth to Zidon H6721 [Sidon = “hunting”], and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” which is another way of saying “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire [refinement process], that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” (Rev 3:18, Heb 10:25, Jas 1:27).

We can be hunters and fishers of men [“ZidonH6721“] if God gives us an obedient spirit that leads us to be sustained by “a widow woman” who represents the church where the manifold wisdom of God is given to those who are blessed to hunger and thirst for His righteousness (Eph 3:10, Mat 5:6, Jas 1:27).

1Ki 17:10  So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 

It is at “the gate of the city“, which represents our hearts and minds, that this refining process is going to take place in “Zarephath“. This is where Elijah, a type of God’s elect, meets a woman who represents our early stage in the body of Christ that lacks faith and is gathering wood and not gold, silver and precious stone (1Co 3:12). Elijah provokes her to love and good works and says, “Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink“, as Christ does to us through each other helping us to be doers of the word and not just hearers (Joh 4:7-10, Jas 1:22).

Joh 4:7  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Joh 4:8  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 
Joh 4:9  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 
Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

1Ki 17:11  And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 
1Ki 17:12  And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

Elijah is in type and shadow hungry for the whole stay of bread and water as God’s elect are a peculiar people zealous of good works (Tit 2:14), and asks the widow “I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand“. It is in her hand because that is where the healing words and works of Christ are going to come from, from our hands that have laid hold to the plough and, Lord willing, are not looking back (Luk 9:62). This widow lacks faith at this stage in her walk, unlike this woman in Matthew 15:26-28 (“Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table“) who like Elijah needed only a “morsel of bread” believing that God can multiply that bread as He does His word which is symbolized by bread (Mar 6:41). Elijah is provoking her to love and good works by these actions of asking for bread and water (Php 4:17, Heb 10:24-25).

Mat 15:27  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
Mat 15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

The widow pronouncing “I have not a cake” is a witness that her walk is narrow and hard, no coffee and donuts here, or cake! What she did have however is all anyone of us needs, “an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse“, which represents the little faith of Christ which is great enough to get the work done in our lives (Rev 3:8) as we each operate together as one body in the measure of faith that He gives each joint to supply in love (Luk 17:6, Rom 12:3, Eph 4:16).

Rev 3:8  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

The widow was “gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Those two sticks being separate is a witness of what God is going to do for the body of Christ that is going to become one in Christ. He is our Peace and the One who makes our marriage to him possible by joining the two sticks together. The wages of sin when we’re separate from God is death (Rom 6:23), and the widow has no hope of being sustained or becoming whole again so she just expresses her reason for gathering these two sticks in this manner: “that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (Eph 2:14, Mar 10:8, Eze 37:15-20).

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Mar 10:8  And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 

Eze 37:15  The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 
Eze 37:16  Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 
Eze 37:17  And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 
Eze 37:18  And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? 
Eze 37:19  Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. 
Eze 37:20  And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 

1Ki 17:13  And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 
1Ki 17:14  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 
1Ki 17:15  And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 
1Ki 17:16  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

Christ comes to us like Elijah did to this widow woman telling her, as Christ tells the church, “fear not“. Fear not it is your Father’s good pleasure to give his little flock the kingdom (Luk 12:32), and our labors in Christ, which are typified by her making “a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.” This demonstrates that our labors are not in vain in the Lord who has preeminence in all thing including eating of the cake first, then we inherit that blessing [Lev 23:15, Lev 23:17] and share it with “thy sons” which symbolizes the rest of the world (Col 1:15-19).

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 
Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 

The church is obedient to the commandments of God just as this widow is to the requests of Elijah. The result of that obedience expressed by her doing “according to the saying of Elijah” is that “she, and he, and her house, did eat many days” (Psa 92:14-15).

Psa 92:14  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 
Psa 92:15  To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

When we are obedient to God’s commandments “the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.” Israel experienced this same principle in the wilderness regarding the manna, which typifies Christ who, when we don’t know, we take for granted and misappropriate His word to our own destruction (Luk 23:34), not obeying his commandments (Mat 5:18, 1Co 4:6).

Exo 16:16  This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 

Exo 16:20  Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

1Ki 17:17  And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

It is after these physical miracles of providing oil and meal, representing the spirit of God being given, that we see the next parable line up showing us what can be accomplished when we have the life of Christ in us (Rom 8:9). We all are the son of the “mistressH1172” of a house where there is sickness, which symbolizes our time of spiritual sickness, or blindness, in Babylon, where there is “no breath” of life within us, no stay of water or bread, no oil or meal within.

“His sickness was so sore” reminds us of how sore our trials were, the great fight of affliction we endured as we were being grafted into the body of Christ, typified by the prodigal son’s time when he was brought to his wits’ end after having “joined himself to a citizen of that country” (Heb 10:32, Luk 15:16).

Heb 10:32  But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 

Luk 15:15  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 
Luk 15:16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Afterward our trials turn from the purpose of being grafted into the body to a lifetime of being pruned and shown what great things we “must suffer for my name’s sake” as we, Lord willing, grow and mature in Christ (Act 9:16, Act 14:22).

Act 9:16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

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.

1Ki 17:18  And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? 

The son was at death’s door, and Elijah came to give witness to the life of Christ symbolically for our sakes, by resurrecting her son to life. That soon-to-be-resurrected son represents our being born again unto God through the death of our old doctrines that are destroyed by being given the new life of Christ within. In this sense, Elijah did slay her son and brought her sins into remembrance, and then raised the child so that he could, in type and shadow, be baptized into Christ’s death (Joh 3:3, Rom 6:3).

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

This section of the story symbolizes how God calls our sins to remembrance and then heals us as the child was healed, “to call my sin to remembrance.” Elijah is come to heal her dead son who represents the false doctrines, or demons, that have come forth from her as a type of Babylon, who was the mother of us all at one point (Rev 17:5). Her spirit is one of fear and torment as she does not see that God is bringing healing to her, and not the condemnation she supposes to be the case (Mat 25:24-26, Rev 18:10, 1Jn 4:17-18).

Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

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. 
1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1Ki 17:19  And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

This is not the “bosom” of Abraham that typifies Christ (Luk 16:22), but rather the bosom of Babylon that is in the earth that the child is taken from (Luk 16:22) just as we are dragged out of Babylon by God and grafted into Christ (Joh 6:44). Then the prophet “carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed“, which is symbolic of our being raised in heavenly places where we are grafted into Christ (Eph 2:6) as we lay upon “his own bed” to be healed by God’s power alone, through his Word. 

1Co 6:14  And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

1Pe 1:21  Who by him [Christ] do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 

Once we are healed, it will be our own bed and no other man’s, meaning we are commanded at that point to pick up our own bed once we are healed (Joh 5:8) by the Lord. We will spend the rest of our life knowing that it is we who must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, intimately knowing that it is Christ who is giving us the power to pick up our own bed and accomplish this (Php 2:12-13.

1Ki 17:20  And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

The answer to Elijah’s question is, “Yes, God did bring the evil (Isa 45:7)” He did so with the purpose in mind of preserving life, just as was the case with Joseph’s brothers (Gen 45:5-7). The elect’s posterity in the earth today comes about as a result of being given to see that God does create darkness and makes peace and creates evil. He does it all as the Master Potter who, in time, will save all of His creation (Rom 9:14-16).

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Gen 45:5  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 
Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 
Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 

Rom 9:14  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 
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.

1Ki 17:21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. 

This symbolic prayer of Elijah, “let this child’s soul come into him again”, is the one that we pray for each other every day when we ask God to fulfill his will in our lives and give us this day our daily bread. This is how the manchild will mature within us as we cry out for one another to God with fervent prayer that avails much and is heard when we fear God (Jas 5:16, Heb 5:7).  It is three times he stretched himself upon the child as a symbol of “the process of spiritual completion” we go through and is accomplished when we are covered by Christ (Exo 37:9, Rom 4:7).

Exo 37:9  And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.  

Rom 4:7  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

The words “And he stretched himself“H4058 explains to us what Christ must do to us as His sons and daughters (who need healing in this life, who need a physician) who is healing us with His word that is measuring us against Christ and His words (Luk 5:31, Rev 11:1, Zec 4:9). We stretch ourselves for each other looking not just on our own things but the things of others (Php 2:4), and in so doing we are blessed to fulfill the law of Christ for one another (Gal 6:2).

Luk 5:31  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 
Luk 5:32  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 

Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. 

1Ki 17:22  And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 
1Ki 17:23  And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 

We are heard by God when we fear Him and have reverence toward Him, and this is what makes it possible for our outward man to perish daily even as we put on the new man that is formed in His righteousness (Joh 14:13, 1Jn 5:14, Heb 5:7, Eph 4:22-24). Elijah is a type of the elect who is heard by the Lord, and the body of  Christ’s prayers are answered according to God’s will which is to put off the flesh and to have us conformed to the image of Christ in this age (2Co 4:16-17, Lam 3:22, Luk 22:42).

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

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 
2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 

One day the Father will introduce the bride of Christ to the world, symbolized by this sentence: “And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.” This witness of the son’s healing reminds us also of Christ’s own resurrected body that had to be seen by the doubting heart of Thomas in order to be convinced that this was the son of God (Joh 20:27-29).

Joh 20:27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 
Joh 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 
Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

1Ki 17:24  And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

Her statement, “Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth“, demonstrated her lack of faith having had to see these things to believe (Joh 20:29), just like Nicodemus coming to Christ by night who uttered very similar words out of his mouth which were connected with the works of Christ and not the faith of Christ which is the precious gift God has given to so few in this life (Joh 3:1-3).

Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 

Joh 3:1  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 
Joh 3:2  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 
Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

It is with that faith of Christ that we come to believe the personal application of the title of this study that applies to the body of Christ today that has been “born again” and can see the kingdom of God that is God’s good pleasure to give to us in an earnest relationship that is leading up to the first resurrection: “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah“.

]]> Daniel – Dan 6:1-28: And They Brought Daniel, and Cast Him into the Den of Lions https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/daniel-dan-6-28-and-they-brought-daniel-and-cast-him-into-the-den-of-lions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=daniel-dan-6-28-and-they-brought-daniel-and-cast-him-into-the-den-of-lions Mon, 20 Dec 2021 19:14:10 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=24918 https://www.dropbox.com/s/hb1obfmpm9qaptg/20211221-Study_AtoB-DenofLions.m4a?raw=1

Dan 6:1-28 And They Brought Daniel, and Cast Him into the Den of Lions

[Study Aired December 20, 2021]

Dan 6:1  It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; 
Dan 6:2  And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. 
Dan 6:3  Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. 
Dan 6:4  Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 
Dan 6:5  Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. 
Dan 6:6  Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 
Dan 6:7  All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. 
Dan 6:8  Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 
Dan 6:9  Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. 
Dan 6:10  Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 
Dan 6:11  Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 
Dan 6:12  Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 
Dan 6:13  Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. 
Dan 6:14  Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 
Dan 6:15  Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. 
Dan 6:16  Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. 
Dan 6:17  And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 
Dan 6:18  Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. 
Dan 6:19  Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 
Dan 6:20  And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 
Dan 6:21  Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 
Dan 6:22  My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. 
Dan 6:23  Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. 
Dan 6:24  And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. 
Dan 6:25  Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 
Dan 6:26  I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. 
Dan 6:27  He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. 
Dan 6:28  So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 

This chapter focuses on the need for the Lord’s chosen or elect to be cast into the den of lions and the mighty hand of the Lord to deliver us in our affliction so that nothing shall by any means hurt us.

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. 
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.

Dan 6:1  It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; 

Darius here represents our Lord Jesus Christ, and both the princes and the number one hundred and twenty, signify the elect.

Act 1:15  And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

The number one hundred and twenty also signifies the time in our lives when our strength has failed, and we are able to rest in the Lord. This means that the elect are those who have no confidence in the flesh and are relying on the Lord.

Deu 31:2  And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

This verse is telling us that presently it is the Lord’s pleasure to set us up (the new man) to rule over the kingdom of the nations within. In the fullness of time, however, our Lord Jesus will set us over the kingdoms of this world.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

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.

Dan 6:2  And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
Dan 6:3  Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

The three presidents signify the Lord Jesus Christ and His two witnesses, who represent His bride. So, as His elect, we are both the princes and presidents with Jesus as the preferred above the presidents and princes to whom we are to give account. The fact that there are three presidents is to let us know that it is through judgment, or the furnace of affliction, that we are chosen to reign with Christ.

Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

In verse 3, Daniel represents the Lord whom God has set over the whole of His realm and is preferred above us (presidents and princes) because He has an excellent spirit.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:4  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Heb 1:8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Within us the new man has an excellent spirit and is preferred above the old man to reign within us.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Outwardly, verse 3 is saying that at the end of this age, we shall be preferred, just like Daniel, above the presidents and princes of this world as our king Jesus will set us over the kingdoms of this world.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Dan 6:4  Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
Dan 6:5  Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

In a negative context, the presidents and princes represent the heathen and the kings of the earth. The kings of the earth are the leaders of Babylon, the churches of this world. Remember that earth symbolizes the people of God who do not hear the words of the Lord and therefore represents Babylon.

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

As the Lord said, in this world we shall be hated by men (heathens and our brothers and sisters in Babylon). The evil scheming of the presidents and princes against Daniel, as depicted by verses 4 and 5, is therefore the same as the following:

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
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.

Dan 6:6  Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 
Dan 6:7  All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
Dan 6:8  Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Dan 6:9  Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

As our Lord prophesied, we shall be hated by men. This conspiracy against Daniel, who represents the Lord’s anointed, by the presidents, princes, governors, counsellors and the captains is an example of being hated by men, and it is written here for our admonition.

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

The decree signed by the king says that anyone who petitions any God or man for thirty days apart from the king should be put in the lions’ den. To understand the significance of this decree, we need to know what thirty days and the den of lions stand for. Thirty days or years symbolize the time that we become mature to be enrolled in the service of our Lord. It is also the time that our new man within rules us or dominates us.

Num 4:3  From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Num 4:23  From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Gen 41:46  And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

The den of lions represents the noisome beast which is one of God’s four sore judgments.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Noisome means evil, and so we have evil beasts as one of God’s judgments. As we are aware, we are this evil beast. This evil beast kills by the sword and must be killed by the sword. The sword is the word of God, so these evil beasts represent the propagators of the word of God in Babylon whose words make us worse off or kill us spiritually.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear.
Rev 13:10  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The following verses show what happens to us when we are given to evil beasts or cast unto the den of lions:

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2Pe 2:15  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2Pe 2:16  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

In summary, this is what we are being told in Daniel chapter 6 verses 6 to 9:  It is written in the books of every elect that before we become mature to perform service in the house of our Lord, represented by thirty days, we are required to petition only the king (Christ) and not any other god. If we flout this rule, then it provides the occasion the Lord is seeking to judge us by giving us over to the dictates of evil beasts (being cast into a den of lions) where we become worse off than when we started.

Dan 6:10  Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 
Dan 6:11  Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Dan 6:12  Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 
Dan 6:13  Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.

These verses show us that Daniel flouted the law that requires that no man petition any God except the king who represents Christ. Even though Daniel willfully flouted this rule, we know from the scriptures that we do not choose to do anything in this world of our own volition, and all our actions are of the Lord.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

This means that it is the Lord who caused Daniel to go against the law so that Daniel can be put into the den of lions to serve as an example for all elect that we can mature (represented by thirty days), only when we go through 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?

There is no exception to the rule. All must be judged once we go against the law of the Lord.

Jer 49:12  For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

As the law states, we are only to petition the Lord Jesus (symbolized by the king) during the days of our immaturity. However, we end up petitioning other gods instead of Christ. In the case of Daniel, just for the fact that he did not petition God through Christ, he is also guilty. In this sense, all the Old Testament prophets and men of God did not petition God through Christ and therefore are all guilty and therefore need to be judged before they can be perfected.

Heb 11:39  And these all [Old Testament men of God], having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Dan 6:14  Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
Dan 6:15  Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. 
Dan 6:16  Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

These verses are to show us that our Lord feels our pain and all that we go through. He does not leave us alone to suffer.

Psa 103:13  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psa 103:14  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

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

Daniel being thrown in the den of lions means that he experienced God’s judgment just like the Lord Jesus, who never sinned, was judged for our sakes.

Dan 6:17  And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 

On a positive note, a stone represents Christ and His Christ or elect.

Psa 118:22  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1Pe 2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
1Pe 2:7  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

A stone, in a negative context, signifies all that resists Christ in our lives. This is demonstrated by Pharoah and his chariots being cast into the sea like a stone. Within us, this stone represents the beast that resists Christ in our lives.

Exo 15:4  Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
Exo 15:5  The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
Exo 15:16  Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

So what verse 17 is inferring is that as long as the beast is alive in our lives which are represented by the stone laid at the mouth of the lions’ den, we shall undergo judgment (the lions’ den). It is when the stone is moved away, that is, when the old man is incapacitated, that our judgment ceases.

Dan 6:18  Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. 

This verse is re-emphasizing the point we have already made that our Lord feels our pain in all that we go through.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Dan 6:19  Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 
Dan 6:20  And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 
Dan 6:21  Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 
Dan 6:22  My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Daniel’s response to the king that God had sent His angels to shut the lions’ mouth and that they have not hurt him is another way of saying that with every temptation, our Lord provides a way of escape so that we can bear it.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

In verse 22, Daniel told the king that he was innocent and that before the king, he had not hurt him. Does it mean that Daniel is trusting in his self-righteousness as Job did? No, we need to know the condition under which Daniel made this statement. Daniel had gone through many trials from his tender age when he was whisked away from his parents and Jerusalem to a foreign land. We must also understand that Daniel spoke these words of innocence after judgment (lions’ den) and not before. This means that our judgment makes us innocent before God and that we do not keep on hurting our Lord by our way of life. It is another way of saying that our judgment yields righteousness.

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

Dan 6:23  Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

Our judgment is not to hurt us. Rather, it benefits us by making us the beloved of the Lord as we live by His words. It is when we learn righteousness that our Lord will command our judgement to cease.

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.

Dan 6:24  And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. 

On one hand, our judgment is achieving salvation for us. On the other hand, the suffering of those who are not given to know the mind of Christ in this life hardens their heart and makes them worse off or sends them into more darkness. It is just like the word of God. To us, we are getting more understanding, and to others, it is sending them into more darkness.

Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
Exo 14:20  And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. 

Dan 6:25  Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 
Dan 6:26  I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. 

The decree has already gone out throughout the world that we were created to be to the praise of His glory and that men should tremble and fear the Lord. However, the sum of the Lord’s words makes us know that in this life, it is only a few He is causing to tremble and fear Him. In the fullness of time, all humanity will tremble and fear the Lord.

Rev 7:9  After this 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, 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.

Dan 6:27  He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. 

The Lord working signs and wonders relates to taking us through His judgment to purify us and bring us into our safe haven.

Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
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!

Dan 6:28  So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

The name Darius means ‘lord’, and it refers to several kings of Media and Persia. Cyrus, on the other hand, means ‘possess thou the furnace’. Therefore, this verse is another way of telling us that all things work together for the good of our Lord’s elect, who are represented here by Daniel.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

What we are being told in verse 28 is that irrespective of those ruling over us or changes in our environment, it is the hand of the Lord at work and will finally work things out for our good. Possessing the furnace is being prepared to suffer for the sake of Christ. Paul gave us an example of what it means to be prepared to suffer for Christ by making the following statement in his speech to the elders at Ephesus:

Act 20:22  And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
Act 20:23  Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
Act 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

May the Lord give us the strength to say, like Paul, that none of these things (our afflictions) move us. Amen!!

]]> The Book of Jeremiah – Jer 23:1-20 In My House Both Prophet and Priest are Profane https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-book-of-jeremiah-jer-231-20-in-my-house-both-prophet-and-priest-are-profane/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-book-of-jeremiah-jer-231-20-in-my-house-both-prophet-and-priest-are-profane Sat, 06 Nov 2021 21:53:23 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=24682 https://www.dropbox.com/s/1h1re0x8uaqwg4k/20211107-Study_MikeV-PriestsPastorsProfane.m4a?raw=1

Jer 23:1-20  In My House Both Prophet and Priest are Profane

[Study Aired November 7, 2021]

Jer 23:1  Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jer 23:2  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:3  And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
Jer 23:4  And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:5  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jer 23:7  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 23:8  But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
Jer 23:9  Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
Jer 23:10  For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
Jer 23:11  For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:12  Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:13  And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
Jer 23:14  I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
Jer 23:15  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
Jer 23:16  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
Jer 23:17  They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
Jer 23:18  For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
Jer 23:19  Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
Jer 23:20  The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

The Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him:  for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The same is true for those who rebel and disobey and ignore Him. Disobedience and iniquity also have their reward:

Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth  generation.

Holding the father’s sins over their children was changed, and each person was made to give an accounting for his own sins in the time of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel:

Jer 31:28  And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
Jer 31:29  In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
Jer 31:30  But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Eze 18:2  What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
Eze 18:3  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

Every generation will now be made to give an accounting for itself, and every individual will stand before the judgment seat of Christ:

Rom 14:10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

It was Christ Himself who told us:

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.
Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

It is this “fire” of the Lord which will judge every man when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. If we have been “given…much”, and yet have not freely fed the Lord’s sheep, then this is the “fire which will judge us in that day:

Joh 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Therefore, it is those who know so much, or who think they know so much, to whom these words are addressed:

Jer 23:1  Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jer 23:2  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

“The pastors that feed my people” in the Lord’s day were the chief priests and the Pharisees, as we are told in the parable of the “householder which planted a vineyard…and let it out to husbandmen.”

Mat 21:33  Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
Mat 21:34  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
Mat 21:35  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Mat 21:36  Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
Mat 21:37  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
Mat 21:38  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
Mat 21:39  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
Mat 21:40  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
Mat 21:41  They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
Mat 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat 21:43  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Mat 21:45  And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake  them.
Mat 21:46  But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

You and I are living out these words. The vineyard the Lord has given us is each other, His people, and we are His husbandmen. The winepress and the tower signify Himself and His words which He has given to us to shepherd and pastor His people and remind them of His judgments:

Pro 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Mat 26:27  And he took the cup [of wine], and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom [which “is within you” (Luk 17:20-21)].

Joh 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

“The last day” is also called “the end of the world” (Greek: aion, age):

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [Greek: G165 ‘aion’, age] are come.

We are living in “the end of the age” because we are being judged in “this present time” by the fiery words of Christ who “[came] to bring fire”:

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

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 4:17  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?

All these words which the prophets of the Old Testament and the prophets of the New Testament are speaking are intended only for those with eyes that see and ears that hear. All the rest of mankind have been given eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear.

God’s judgments begin at His own house:

Eze 9:6  Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7  And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
Eze 9:8  And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
Eze 9:9  Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.

The Lord will not “destroy all the residue of Israel”. He always saves and spares His elect as He did in type to Noah, to Job, to the three Hebrew children at the fiery furnace, to Daniel in the lion’s den, and to you and me as a living sacrifice which is dying daily (Rom 12:1, 1Co 15:31).

Jer 23:3  And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
Jer 23:4  And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

What a blessing it is to have shepherds over us to feed us without fear, without dismay, and lacking nothing!

Jer 23:5  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

The Lord is that “Righteous Branch”, and if He is living His life within us, then we are His Christ.

Lest there be any doubt that what we are being told is that He lives within us, notice that His name is in the plural  – “Our Righteousness”:

Jer 23:6  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Furthermore, we are even told that we are no longer to consider ourselves as those who simply come out of Egypt. Rather, we are to come to see ourselves as those who come out of Babylon:

Jer 23:7  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 23:8  But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

We all see ourselves as slaves to Egypt long before we can even begin to see that we are not given to understand we are in Babylon, the great whore who rules over everything we think and do. We are all brought to Christ by some Babylonian minister, and we cannot see that the man, or group of men, whom the Lord used to bring us to see that we need a Savior could possibly be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Yet the very next words of this prophecy verifies our Lord’s words to the “pastors” of His day and the pastors of our own time:

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.

We have all come to our Lord and were then told we did so of our own free will, so making ourselves righteous, and thereby we commit iniquity:

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.

As the entire book of Job demonstrates there is nothing more abhorrent to the Lord than the sin of self-righteousness, which is iniquity:

This link deals with the sin of self-righteousness as written about in Job 40:1-14

‘The whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water’ are taken away from us while we are enslaved to this self-righteous spirit:

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

False prophets deceive those who have no bread or water by which to judge false prophets who then easily cause us to follow spiritually adulterous prophets and priests. Without the Lord’s ‘bread’ and without His ‘water’ we are not capable of trying the spirits to see whether they are of God:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

It is because we are in this helpless condition and at the mercy of merciless spiritual wolves that this is the lament of those who can and who do “try the spirits to see whether they are of God”:

Jer 23:9  Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
Jer 23:10  For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

“Their force is not right” because they get their ‘force’, their ‘power’, from the dragon who is that old serpent the devil:

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

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

“That old serpent, called the devil, and Satan [has] deceived the whole world” and the whole world gets its power from “the great dragon”. Nowhere is this more on display than in the religions of this world, even in the Lord’s own house:

Jer 23:11  For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

If we are those who lament these things, it is only because we have been there and done that. We, too, were all deceived by “the devil and Satan which deceives the whole world”, and it is all the work of the Lord Himself.

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

It is we ourselves who have been “like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness,” some of which are:

Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep [Because they have been through the storms, and they know who commands the storms of life].
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  or his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Here are more words which the deceived purveyors of “smooth things” cannot abide (Isa 30:10):

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself:  yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Isa 30:8  Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

Notice that “smooth things [and] deceits” are contrasted with “right things… much tribulation [and] dying daily (Act 14:22 and 1Co 15:31).

There are consequences when we fail to give all glory to the Lord and when we do not believe His words. There are consequences to refusing to believe that the Lord Himself made our own old man “wicked for [His own] day of evil”.

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

This is part of the consequences of refusing to agree with the Lord that He “creates evil” (Isa 45:7) and makes the wicked within us for our own day of evil:

Jer 23:12  Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:13  And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
Jer 23:14  I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

You and I have been and “have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem… [spiritual] adultery, walk[ing] in lies… [refusing] to return from [their] wickedness”.

Jer 23:15  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets [that prophesy lies]; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
Jer 23:16  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

Their words are not founded in “that which is written”, and they will always refuse to seek a multitude of counselors within the Lord’s body to keep them from slipping away from the safety of His Words.

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 15:22  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

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.

When the Lord removes His fear from us (Isa 63:17), “we cannot hear [His] words”:

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

We continue forth in our spiritually blind and deaf ways teaching the lies of the adversary:

Jer 23:17  They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

The adversary is “more subtle than any beast of the field” and knows just how to frame a false lying doctrine to make it appeal to our flesh and to our pride, even as it denies what the Word plainly teaches. The adversary is so subtle that he has convinced many that “the resurrection is past already”:

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.

It once puzzled me how anyone could possibly think that the resurrection is past already or that there is no literal thousand-year reign of the saints over the kingdoms of this world. After all, we are told to wait for the manifestation of the sons of God. We are told that Christ Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and we are told that those who are in the first resurrection will reign with Christ a thousand years, and then “when the thousand years are finished… we shall judge angels” at the great white throne judgment which does not take place until “the thousand years are finished”:

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.

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.
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.

It was obvious to Paul that there was a future ‘suffering’ which was not ‘of this present time’, and those who would have a part in that suffering were not “wait[ing] for the manifestation of the sons of God” to judge them via those ‘sufferings’ and to be their “saviors” (Obadiah 1:21).

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Yes, it is true that we are already “dead with Christ (and) raised up together with (Christ)”, but this is all in the aorist tense in the Greek, meaning it is a process which is taking place at this present moment. However, the phrase “shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” happens to be in the Greek future tense:

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized [aorist tense, ‘being baptized’] into Jesus Christ were baptized [aorist tense, ‘being baptised’] into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with [aorist tense, ‘being buried with’] him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up [aorist tense, Christ is being raised up within us] from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk [aorist tense, ‘should be walking’] in newness of life.

We are being blinded by the Lord from seeing that what we have in Christ at this very moment, while it is a precious gift, is ours only in down payment, “earnest” form:

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.

“The earnest of our inheritance” is not “the redemption of the purchased possession”. It is a mere down payment. Here is how Strong’s defines the Greek word translated as ‘earnest’ in Ephesians 1:14:

“The redemption of the purchased possession” is the best part of our inheritance which is yet to come and for which we must ‘wait in hope’:

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now [“Waiting for (the first resurrection), the manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19)].
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Despite these very clear words, the adversary has convinced many that there is no difference between the two resurrections or the two judgments.

We are clearly made to know that we are merely “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb”:

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.

As Paul puts it in:

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

It was given to the apostle John to reveal to us what is meant by “to the praise of His glory”. Here is the “blessed and holy” meaning of that phrase:

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.

This is what Christ called “the resurrection to life” after having already been judged in “this present time”:

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

Despite these words which tell us of the reward the Lord has for those to whom He has given the gift of being the “first [to] trust in Christ”, the adversary has convinced many that “the resurrection is past already” and that there is no difference between the rewards of the two resurrections. Such a doctrine would have you believe that contrary to “that which is written” the great multitude which no man could number” will after all sing the song of which we are told:

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.

How has the adversary been able to even make that assertion considering all these statements and many, many more which make clear all the blessings given to those who “suffer with Christ” in this present time (Rom 8:17)? He has done it by teaching that there is no outward physical blessing for being the first to trust in Christ. He had been given the power to convince many that the inward, spiritual death and resurrection of Christ within us is all that matters, and that is all that is needed for the plan of God for mankind to be fulfilled. Nothing could be further from the Truth, because this is the Truth which is taught by scripture:

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Death cannot be destroyed if physical children continue being born to dying bodies of corruptible flesh and blood.

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

So, the prophet Jeremiah asks:

Jer 23:18  For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

It certainly has not been those who are teaching that the resurrection is past already or that there is no real difference between the first and the second resurrection.

I tell the story of two Concordant brothers approaching me at our conference in the Las Brisas Hotel in Alabama, back about 2004. They both asked, “Why do you make such a big deal out of being in the first resurrection?” I pointed to all these verses we have just read, but it all went right over their heads because they were blinded by the false doctrine of ‘two administrations’ which the Concordant Conferences teach. That doctrine teaches that there are two gospels – one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. That doctrine teaches that the Jews inherit the earth, and the Gentiles inherit the heavens. Nothing could be further from this truth:

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Christ is not making of twain, twain. He is making of twain “one new man…”

Then a sister who left our fellowship along with four of our elders, told me very plainly, “I don’t care which resurrection I am in. It doesn’t matter to me at all whether I am in the first or the second resurrection.” She said that because she had fallen for the false doctrine those four elders were peddling, that “Everything is within… if you see anything in an ordinal, outward sense then you can and you will miss the spiritual message of scripture.” Nothing could be further from these words of scripture concerning the ordinal and outward fulfillment of the prophecies of scripture:

1Co 15:44  It is [first] sown a natural body; it is [then] 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.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have [first] borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Truth is the exact opposite of what our apostate elders were teaching. The truth is that if you are not given to see the order of the events discussed in these verses, then you can and you will miss the spiritual message of the prophecies of scripture, and this is what comes upon us while we live under those lies:

Jer 23:19  Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
Jer 23:20  The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

“The latter days” come upon two separate groups. The first is in “this present time”, and the second group are those who come up in “the resurrection of damnation” (Greek: ‘krisis’ judgment – Joh 5:27-29).

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

The phrase, “the ends of the world are come”, is in the aorist tense. That means that “judgment [has] begun at the house of God” right now 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.

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 4:17  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?

The “whirlwind from the Lord in His fury” is the seven last plagues” of Revelation 15-16, of which we are told:

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.

“No man [can] enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled” is in the aorist tense. It is my fervent prayer that everyone of us is being judged in this present time.

Here are our verses for our next study:

Jer 23:21  I have not sent these propets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

Jer 23:22  But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Jer 23:23  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Jer 23:24  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:25  I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
Jer 23:26  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
Jer 23:27  Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
Jer 23:28  The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Jer 23:30  Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
Jer 23:31  Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
Jer 23:32  Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:33  And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:34  And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.
Jer 23:35  Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:36  And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
Jer 23:37  Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:38  But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
Jer 23:39  Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
Jer 23:40  And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

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