Rev 8:12-13 – Part 1, The Fourth Trumpet

[Study Aired July 26, 2024]

Rev 8:12  And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Rev 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Introduction

The symbols of this fourth trumpet are 1) the third part, 2) the sun, 3) the moon, 4) the stars, 5) the day, and finally 6) the night. If any one of these six items are not symbols, then there is no way in the world for us to “keep the things which are written therein”, simply because we cannot “keep” the literal sun, moon and stars. On the other hand, if the sun and the moon were both somehow “kept” and experienced on the day of Pentecost, then maybe we, too, will now be able to “live by these words proceeding out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4).

So let’s look at the darkening of the sun and moon at that time, and see how Peter and those present at that time kept those words.

Act 2:14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Act 2:18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

According to the apostle Peter, the “Sun had been turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before” this day of Pentecost had arrived. If Christ is “the light of the world” and the “Sun of righteousness” and if he had been killed, then the ‘Sun’ had certainly been “turned into darkness” as he lay in the grave:

Joh 9:4  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

If the ‘moon’ really is the “lesser light” which of itself “has no glory at all”, then all of those who rejected our Lord and wanted to maintain the fading light of Moses’s face and had killed and denied their own Messiah, as we all have, then “the moon [had] been turned into blood” just before “that great and notable day of the Lord” which began on the day of Pentecost when Peter stood up and announced that “the last days had begun… and judgment was now on the house of God.”

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

Gen 1:16  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also.

2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written [and] engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away:
2Co 3:8  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
2Co 3:9  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory [Wonders in heaven above].
2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

“Blood, fire, and vapor of smoke” [Act 2:19] signify the Word of God in the mouths of the Lord’s elect:

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

Psa 18:6  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
Psa 18:7  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Psa 18:8  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Psa 18:9  He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
Psa 18:10  And he rode upon a cherub [His elect (Rev 5:8-10)], and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
Psa 18:11  He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Psa 18:12  At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

As we will be seeing throughout this revelation of Jesus Christ the “fire and blood” are both mentioned in the first trumpet.

Rev 8:7  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

The prophet, Joel, and the apostle, Peter, are both giving us part of the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is in this book of Revelation, given to us by Christ himself where Joel 2, Matthew 24, Acts 2, and all the prophecies of the Old Testament and the New Testament, are brought together into one cohesive “revelation of Jesus Christ” and revealing how He is being formed within each of us. It is the things written in this prophecy which show us clearly that all these symbols signify an inward work, and are to be read, heard and kept all within (Rev 1:3).

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

The emphasis at both the beginning and the end of this prophecy is on the fact that the time to keep the things written therein is right now. That was also stated in Matthew 24, but it is being drummed into us with a warning here in this prophecy.

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

No other prophecy makes clear the present application of the things written therein is right now as clearly as does this “revelation of Jesus Christ.” It opens and it closes with that clear instruction… “for the time is at hand.” It also closes with a warning which makes it super clear that we must never think that there is any part of this revelation that is not for each of us to read, hear, and keep.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass [NOT 2,000 years down the road]; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:
Rev 1:2  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 22:7  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Rev 22:18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 22:20  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Since Christ is the Word, the oft repeated phrases, “It is near, even at the door… the time is at hand… the time is come… Behold I come quickly… Surely I come quickly” all must therefore refer to the fulfillment and keeping of the words of this prophecy in the lives of those who are looking for the revelation of Jesus Christ in their lives as being “at hand… near, even at the door.”

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Christ’s second coming, like the resurrection itself, is a present truth in “earnest” for those who are given to understand that we are to “fill up what is behind of His afflictions, be crucified with Him, be resurrected with Him and walk in newness of life with Him” because “the time is at hand” to do so.

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.

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

It is with the desire to “fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ, that we approach the words of this prophecy, knowing “the time is at hand” to “keep the things written therein.”

Let’s take these symbols one by one and see what the scriptures say they represent in our lives.

What is the third part?

1) The third part. This first symbol is one we have covered in each and every one of our discussions of the first three trumpets.

The third part is mentioned in the first trumpet in verse seven.

Rev 8:7  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

The third part is mentioned again in the second trumpet is in verses eight and nine.

Rev 8:8  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
Rev 8:9  And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

It is mentioned again in the third trumpet in verses 10 and 11.

Rev 8:10  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
Rev 8:11  And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

In each of these trumpets we saw that “the third part” symbolizes the “little by little” process of the work of judgment that is being accomplish by the Word of God in these seven trumpets.

Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

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.

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.

Peter informed us in Acts 2 that this is the last days for those who are “the house of God.”

Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

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?

In the first trumpet, the third part of our trees is burned up by God’s fiery Word. In the second trumpet, the third part of the seas become blood, killing a third part of the creatures in the sea, and destroying a third part of the ships in the sea, when the fiery word of God is cast into the fleshly seas of our lives. In the third trumpet the third part of our own rivers and fountains of water are made bitter by the word of God “burning as a lamp,” just as they are made bitter in our stomach in these verses.

Rev 10:9  And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

Our waters are made bitter by the words of this prophecy, as its words begin to destroy and kill our old man within us. We saw the verses in Ezekiel 31 that likened the king of Tyre to Pharaoh whose “root was by great waters.”

Eze 31:7  Thus was he fair in his [Pharaoh’s] greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.

The king of Tyre and Pharaoh are both planted by God Himself. They are both types of us prospering by God’s own decree, in our own “great waters” even as we live our lives contrary to the words and laws of our God.

Jer 12:2  Thou [Lord] hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

Where are the heavens and the earth which are mentioned in all these trumpets?

Psa 50:4  He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

God’s people are in both the heavens and the earth. It is there that He is judging His people. That judgment is taking place within the heavens and the earth which are both within us, where our God dwells.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

Isa 13:13  Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

God is not judging or addressing His “rebellious children” in the physical bodies of the physical heavens. That is not the heavens in which He or His children dwell. He dwells in the heavenly realm within His people.

Eph 2:5  he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!
Eph 2:6  Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

God “puts His words in our mouths” for the purpose of “planting the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth in His people.” That is what is being done as we read His words concerning His works in the heavens and in the earth in these seven trumpets.

What is the sun?

2) What is the sun and what does “a third part of the sun was smitten” mean?

A darkened sun is signifies “another Jesus and another gospel” with which we replace the True Christ and the true gospel.

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

As is always true with every word of God, the sun, the moon and the stars all have a negative application when they are worshiped as Gods in their physical form, instead of being seen as spiritual types of spiritual realities. We do that today when we worship this planet, and believe that the life of this planet comes from the physical sun. Believing that life on earth depends upon the sun is like believing that the milk and eggs comes from a store. They do not originate at a store. The store is just the channel for getting the milk and eggs to the public. Milk comes from cows, and eggs come from chickens, and the sun and stars come from God (Gen 1).

Jer 8:2  And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

Eze 8:16  And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [were] about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east.

It is the inclination of the natural man to worship the lesser light that rules the night. Yes, they think they are worshiping the Sun who is the greater light, but the sun they worship is in reality the light of “the lesser light.” Until this very day many churches in the Atlanta, Georgia area congregate on top of Stone Mountain, a seven hundred feet high rock east of Atlanta, to observe an “Easter Sunrise Service” thinking they are serving Christ while doing the exact opposite of what He tells us to do:

Deu 12:29  When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31  Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Christ “broke the sabbath” and did not go up to the feast at the appointed time:

Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Joh 7:8  Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.
Joh 7:9  When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.

Besides all of the very clear commandments and examples we have these words of the apostle Paul to the Galatians:

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

If we observe an Easter Sunrise service, or any other “day, month, time or year” Paul concludes that all his labors on our behalf are “in vain”, and we are willingly demonstrating that we fear men, families, friends, and the society in which we live, more than we fear the Lord:

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; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

What is the positive spiritual reality of the sun? Here it is again:

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

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; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Christ is God’s “Sun of Righteousness who arises on, and gives light to the just and the unjust.” We must realize that He does send His sun to rise on the evil and the good before we can understand the meaning of “a third part of the sun was smitten.” We first have to understand that the light that shines on us as carnal babes is the same sun, the same word, but with only the light and understanding that is given to Babylon. It is the beginning of the darkening of even that light which is “the third part of [our] sun [which] is smitten.” The three trumpets yet to sound will gradually blot out the light of our Sun completely and we will “gnaw [our] tongues for pain”:

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.

In the third trumpet, a third of our ships were destroyed. The great evangelical spiritual leaders we looked up to begin to be revealed as being more afraid of men than they are of God. As we see our ‘ships of the sea’ being destroyed and these great men being unmasked, we begin to realize that we ourselves have been in darkness as we are slowly but surely “brought to our wits’ end.” It all leads to our salvation, but we must first “keep the things which are written therein”.

Psa 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
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.

There is no way to short cut this revelation of Jesus Christ in our lives. Each of us must read, hear, and keep the seven seals, seven trumpets, and the seven last plagues of the Lord’s wrath upon the kingdom of our old man. It is not a pleasant experience. It is rather “an experience of evil” (Ecc 1:13, CLV). If we are given to remain faithful to the end, the reward will be much more than worth all the pain:

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

Rom 8:28  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.
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.

Our salvation at the first resurrection will be “the manifestation of the sons of God” who will rule this earth for a thousand years with our Lord, and then we will be honored to become “saviors upon Mount Zion to judge the house of Esau in the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death.

[Study Aired December 4, 2022]

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
Act 2:7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Act 2:12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
Act 2:13  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Act 2:14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Act 2:18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Act 2:22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

In our last study Peter was inspired to remind the other ten apostles that King David had prophesied that Judas was to be replaced. In doing so, he demonstrated that any action against any Old Testament man of God is a prophecy of how Christ and His Christ will be treated by their enemies.

These are the verses in Psalms which the holy spirit inspired Peter to show us were referring to Judas’ betrayal of Christ:

Psa 69:25  Let their home be made desolate; let no one dwell in their tents.

Without explanation he jumped to Psalms 109 and added this verse to make his point that Judas must be replaced:

Psa 109:8  let his days be few; and let another take his office;

Peter tells us these verses refer to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus:

Act 1:20  For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Based on these words, the apostles appointed two men and cast lots to see who the Lord had chosen to take Judas’ ‘bishoprick’.

Act 1:21  Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
Act 1:22  Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Act 1:23  And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
Act 1:24  And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
Act 1:25  That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
Act 1:26  And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Peter had observed how Christ Himself had applied this principle to Himself when quoting the Old Testament:

Joh 13:18  I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

This is the Psalm Christ referred to:

Psa 41:9  Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Verse 5 shows once again that King David is referring to “[his] enemies”:

Psa 41:5  Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

However, Christ identified with King David and with every righteous patriarch, king and prophet and every godly man or woman of the Old Testament who was persecuted for being obedient to Him and His Word. Therefore, every enemy of theirs was His enemy and was the enemy of His nation Israel and of His body, the church. Peter learned that principle from Christ Himself, and he and all the apostles use this principle when they quote the Old Testament.

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

This Pentecost is the day of the birth of the church of Christ. The church was born on this day because the feast of Pentecost is “the feast of… the firstfruits”:

Exo 23:14  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Exo 23:15  Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Exo 23:17  Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

Contrary to the false doctrine which teaches that this is the only day of salvation, the scriptures teach that there are three distinct harvests of the fruits of this earth which will bring “all in Adam” back to their Lord (1Co 15:22). The order of these harvests is of utmost importance to understanding the plan of God for His creatures.

The first harvest is the death and resurrection of Christ Himself. Christ is the first of the firstfruits as our spotless Passover Lamb who was offered at the beginning of the days of unleavened bread:

1Co 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

The second harvest was 50 days later. Hence the name Pentecost, which means ‘count fifty’. Fifty is a multiple of five and therefore signifies the “grace through faith” that was given to mankind on the day of Pentecost.

Here is the link to the study on the spiritual significance of the number five:
Significance of the Number Five

The feast of Pentecost is also called “the feast of… the firstfruits” signifying that we, too, with Christ, “are a kind of firstfruits”, being the beneficiaries of “the first resurrection”:

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

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.

The Lord’s work in the lives of His “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” began on the day of Pentecost, the “feast of… firstfruits”:

The “rushing mighty wind” was the gift of holy spirit which was given to those 120 people. The gift of the holy spirit was accompanied by “cloven tongues of fire”, signifying the fiery witness which was taking place at that moment. The Lord’s Words are called ‘fire’ in scripture:

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

The gift of the holy spirit is the ‘baptism of fire’ promised by both John the Baptist and by Christ:

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
Luk 12:50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

These same ‘fiery words’ of the Lord in Jeremiah’s mouth are the same fiery words of the Lord into which we are all baptized, and which are called a fiery ‘two-edged sword’ in:

Rev 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

“They were filled with the holy spirit, and began to speak with other languages.” They did not begin to speak in unintelligible gibberish which characterizes the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches of today. We are even told which languages were being spoken by those who were given the holy spirit that day:

Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

The multitude gathered in Jerusalem that day were devout Jews, “out of every nation under heaven”, and they heard the wonderful works of God being spoken of by ‘every man in his own language’:

Act 2:7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Act 2:12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
Act 2:13  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

There will always be skeptics. It is right and proper to “try the spirits”, but we should do so with a ‘Berean’ attitude to “see if these things be true”, not with a closed mind that is telling us this is all a hoax, “These men are full of new wine.”

Act 17:10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

“They searched the scriptures daily” with an open mind to see “whether those things were so”.

When the holy spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, Peter, who just a few weeks earlier had denied with an oath that he knew the Lord, was now publicly telling the “men of Judea” what he had found when he had “searched the scriptures [to see] whether these things were so”:

Act 2:14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

Notice that Peter’s words are not addressed to those who had come to Jerusalem to observe this feast from all the countries mentioned in:

Act 2:9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

None of these people thought those who had been given the holy spirit were drunk because they all said: “We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”

For many years I thought these were Gentile “devout men, out of every nation under heaven”, but notice what the scripture says:

Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

This is the very birth of the church. Peter has not yet gone to the house of Cornelius, and the apostles themselves are yet… carnal babes in Christ, still offering blood sacrifices for their sins, and still convinced that God is working only with the physical seed of Abraham. Remember what we read in our last study. These events took place over two decades following the death and resurrection of our Lord:

Act 21:18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Act 21:21  And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

If Paul had broken his word concerning the letter sent to the Gentiles in Acts 15, and if indeed he had been teaching the Jews among the Gentiles that they need not keep the law of Moses, this was the perfect opportunity to make that clear. However, Paul had never once told the Jews among the Gentiles that they need not keep the law of Moses, and he was more than willing to “Do… this we say unto you”:

Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself [according to the law of Moses] with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering [a lamb. A blood offering, as if the blood of Christ was not sufficient] should be offered for every one of them.

All who offer offerings at the temple in Jerusalem must be Jews. Gentiles were not the least bit welcome in that temple, and the thousands of Jews at the day of Pentecost at the birth of the church were just as “zealous of the law” of Moses, as they were these decades later when Paul made his final visit to Jerusalem.

Here on the day of Pentecost, Peter is speaking specifically to the “men of Judea”, who did not understand the “wonderful works of God” being spoken of by the apostles and the others who comprised the 120 who received the holy spirit that day.

Act 2:14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

These were the same Jews which believed on Him one day and were calling for His crucifixion the next day, as Peter revealed when He said:

Act 2:22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

It is true that Christ died to bear the sins of the whole world, but that was not yet understood by these immature apostles and believers who were all Jews on the day of Pentecost. Gentiles were not yet welcome in Jerusalem, much less into the temple.

Deu 23:3  An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

This is what the holy spirit inspired the apostle Peter to say to the “men of Israel [among whom Christ had been] approved… by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you” (vs 22):

Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Act 2:18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

There is no dichotomy or contradiction between what Peter quotes Joel saying and what Paul says about women being quiet in the congregation. The word ‘silence’ is not a proper translation of the Greek word, sigao, which is more often translated ‘hold their peace’:

1Co 14:34  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

All speaking by women is not prohibited in the church as the commandment to Mary to tell the apostles that He had risen was done “in the church” shows us. Nevertheless, it was not done in a capacity of overseeing and teaching the church, which the holy spirit through the apostle Paul in his latest epistles prohibits:

1Ti 2:11  Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
1Ti 2:12  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Neither Deborah, the judge, nor Huldah, the prophetess, nor Anna in the temple, ever sought to usurp authority over men. Deborah even upbraided and shamed Barak for insisting that she go with him to the battle:

Jdg 4:8  And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
Jdg 4:9  And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

The whole story of Deborah and Barak is a testimony of how far from God Israel was at that time:

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

It is those nations who claim the Lord’s name to this day who produce the most women rulers.

There is a proper time and place for women to speak, and the story of Mary telling the apostles of the resurrection was such a place, and the women on whom the holy spirit fell on the day of Pentecost is another such example where “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” and do so properly, not seeking to “usurp authority over the man”.

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Act 2:22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

“Ye men of Israel” [who had seen the] miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by [Christ] in the midst of you” are those to whom Peter is speaking. It was they who could not understand the languages being spoken by the 120 disciples. If Peter has any hopes of being heard by these men, then they surely must truly have seen all these “miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did by Him in [their] midst”. Peter is not speaking to people with the mind of the spirit who could see any of this from a spiritual perspective. These were all unconverted people who had not the least bit of spiritual understanding. They had indeed seen all these “miracles, wonders and signs”, but what about “wonders in the heavens above, and signs in the earth beneath”? Had “the sun [appeared to have] been turned into darkness and the moon [appeared to be turned] into blood before the [judgment of] that great and notable day of the Lord” which was beginning on this very day?

Here is what all these men of Jerusalem had seen just seven weeks earlier at the crucifixion of Christ:

Mat 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

This time of darkness from noon until three P.M. was witnessed by all those in Jerusalem and far beyond Jerusalem. This was an incredible supernatural event because any natural eclipse of the sun lasts no more than a few minutes. It was recorded by many heathen historians as John Gill relates in his commentary on Matthew 27:45:

“…but it is evident, that it is taken notice of, and recorded by Heathen historians and chronologers, as by Phlegon, and others, referred to by Eusebius (d). The Roman archives are appealed unto for the truth of it by Tertullian (e); and it is asserted by Suidas, that Dionysius the Areopagite, then an Heathen, saw it in Egypt; and said, “either the divine being suffers, or suffers with him that suffers, or the frame of the world is dissolving.” (End Quote)

Mat 27:47  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
Mat 27:48  And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
Mat 27:49  The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

The Lord’s own stubborn people were less affected by these things than that Roman “centurion, and they that were with him”.

These events have great spiritual significance concerning the spiritual ‘earthquake’ which the Lord uses to drag us to Himself, but again these words are being addressed to very carnal Jews who were familiar with all these physical events but had not been given to repent of all they had done to facilitate the crucifixion of their own Savior. Like doubting Thomases, this audience had to see to believe, and they had seen all these “miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by [Christ] in the midst of you.”

These unbelieving Jews and Thomas are types of our own self-righteous, rebellious old man.

Joh 20:24  But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
Joh 20:25  The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
Joh 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
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.

Many have believed “that have not seen”, and they are being given a blessing for believing without having to physically see all these things we now are blessed to read about. I used to wish that I had been there with the original twelve apostles to see all the miracles of Christ in real time. Christ tells us “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”.

The disciples had witnessed many more signs and wonders than the Jews who cried out for Christ’s crucifixion:

Joh 20:30  And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Joh 20:31  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

“The things that are made”, including these signs and wonders to which Peter refers, must precede the spiritual:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

This principle applied to the events surrounding our Lord’s death and resurrection. Christ had to come first in a natural body before we could get to know Him spiritually. That principle also applied to all these “miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by [Christ] in the midst of [these Jews who dwelt in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost].” If the Lord grants us to continue in His faith in these things we have never physically seen, we will be blessed of all men:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
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.

This is the blessing to which we are hoping to attain:

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.

Whether we are given to “have part in the first resurrection” or not it will have nothing to do with anything we did of our own will any more than those who crucified the Lord chose of their own will to do so. Peter reveals who it was who had been determined in advance to be given the bitter task of crucifying our Lord:

Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

The same could be said of the wicked hands of the self-righteous treachery Joseph’s ten brothers conspired against Him. They thought for certain they had rid themselves forever of their pesky ‘Daddy’s boy’ brother. Nonetheless, the words of Joseph to His brothers apply to all things the Lord is doing:

Gen 45:4  And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
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.
Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Christ and His Christ are the real ‘daddy’s boys’, who have been given to know the Father and His Son as Joseph knew his father:

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

If it is God who has predestined that we are all guilty of our Lord’s crucifixion, then it is incumbent upon the Lord to deliver “every man” from the death into which He has placed “every man”. That is also the very thing we are told the Lord, through His judgments, is doing for every man in Adam:

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.

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.

Lest any man miss the point being made here, Paul puts it this way:

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

1Co 15:21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

The “all” of the first part of verse 22 is the same “all” of the last part of that verse. Christ’s sacrifice covers “the sins of the whole world”:

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

That is truly good news, and this is the message the Lord has given us to take to this dark and hopeless world. The resurrection of Christ and the giving of the holy spirit on the day of Pentecost are the first two harvests which will lead to the third and final harvest of “all in Adam” at the great white throne judgment where the elect will dwell comfortably in the everlasting flames, judging men and angels:

Deu 8:16  Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

Isa 26:19  Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

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

Joh 6:58  This [Christ and His Word] is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

There is a resurrection of the dead, and we, of all men, are most blessed (1Co 15:19).

Psa 71:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
Psa 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
Psa 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
Psa 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Psa 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
Psa 71:6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
Psa 71:7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
Psa 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust”, “be thou my strong habitation”, “deliver me, O my God”, “for thou art my hope”, “by thee have I been holden up”, are some of the key phrases that take us in the direction that God had the psalmist inspired to go, to reassure us of our complete and utter dependence upon God, who is our hope and the one who holds us up and delivers us from all our fears.

Psa 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Being able to trust in God and see him as our hope is something that God continues to demonstrate is possible not by our might or power but by His strong hand which is His spirit that delivers us through the storms of this life.

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.

Co 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.

Psa 107:30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

The act of trusting God and coming to see our inability to do so is very graphically illustrated in type and shadow by Israel, who were not given a diligent spirit nor a desire to obey God which would bring his favour and deliverance from all their fears.

Heb 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

Their lack of faith and short term memory of all the wondrous deliverance from Egypt that God brought for them (Exodus 14-15) was written for our sake to help us never take for granted the gift and measure of faith we have been given and how it is expedient that that faith is tried in the fire of this life if it is going to be found to be of any value to God.

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

We can learn from Israel’s journeys that God is not a respecter of persons and that every step of the way our deliverance and steadfastness are dependant upon God, who has Christ working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, including these verses.

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:

1Co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

This psalm is full of examples of the opposition that is needed against our souls (things that cause us to keep under our body) in order to bring us to see what a strong refuge God is against our enemies both within us and without, and how boasting is excluded by the law of faith.

Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

One graphic example of overcoming opposing forces is the experience at the Red Sea, where Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians (Exo_14:31), which is a type of how insurmountable sin is unless the Lord sets us free (Psa 71:9, Psa 71:13).

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.

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

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.

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

Our strength does fail us, and God knows exactly how much patience and faith we have, so part of the exercise of our faith is to come to see that we would be altogether sifted like wheat except for one glorious fact that all these victories of old in Israel’s day point to Christ.

Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Christ is the end G5056 [telos] of the law and brings us into remembrance of his suffering and our need to be connected to this process of dying daily that nourishes us spiritually. If Christ is working with us today, He is working with us in every spiritual battle and has declared victory already before the battle even ensues (se below plus Isa 46:10). The exercise of our faith is still needed (to fight the good fight of faith must happen for God’s elect regardless of the fact that Christ knows the outcome) and greatly to be desired seeing it is the means by which we can go unto perfection on the third symbolic day.

Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

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.

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

Num 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

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.

Mar 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

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

Our failure to overcome in battle (our falling seven symbolic times) is there to demonstrate what happens to us without the body of Christ (Gideon’s army) and when our own conceit blinds us to the reality of God’s sovereignty over the light and darkness within in without, meaning those who believe and those who don’t.

Pro 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

God is merciful to deal with us so that we don’t forget, among other things, that Joseph’s brothers are being sacrificed for us and are serving us in their unbelief. The body of Christ needs each other to overcome, and we need an unbelieving world that serves us now in their unbelief.

Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Rom 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
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.

Whether it is a story of David in battle against Goliath, or Israel in a situation of war where they are way outnumbered (Gideon’s army), all of this is to reinforce in our minds the gift of faith, the shield of faith that we take with us on our journey of spiritual warfare against powers and principalities. We can press on, we can go from glory to glory together as the body of Christ thanks be to God who is our “strong refuge”, and it is the prayer of faith “which worketh by love” that we pray for each other, as Christ did for Peter, that is key to us not failing or fearing because we can and will be convinced that we’ve been strengthened and can be strengthened through Christ who strengthens us to endure all things.

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

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 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

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.

Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

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.

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,

Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

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

This study starts to look at the way in which God creates the struggles and circumstances in our lives so that we are brought low and made to see this need for each other’s prayers, provoking us unto love and good works. God is moulding and shaping the body of Christ so that the witness of His faith and love grows stronger and more effective, a witness that demonstrates that we are “of one heart and of one soul”.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
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.

1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Act 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

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:

We will see next week how the second half of this Psalm ‘explodes’ with praise and thanks to God for the victory which the psalmist now understands is coming to him from God alone after He shows him “great and sore troubles” (Psa 71:20, Act 14:22).

God destroys our confidence in our flesh or the flesh of any man, and brings us from “the depths of the earth” so that we can praise and sing unto the Holy One of Israel who is making a new creation through this process of judgment which is upon the elect today.

Psa 71:21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

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?

Our first verse tonight:

Psa 71:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion (H954).

We put our trust in God when we say with Christ “Luk 22:42 …”nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

The ‘less’ of ‘nevertheless’ is to not do the will of God, and unless Christ is in us working both to will and to do of our Father’s will (Php 2:13), we will just naturally take the spiritual road most commonly travelled and not the narrow way (Mat 7:14, Joh 14:6).

The trust that God is developing in Christ body is a profound trust that loses it’s life and is not concerned about the gentile spirit of the unconverted masses (Mat 6:32).

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Pro 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

Christ will honour and is honouring our Father by giving “the firstfruits of all thine increase” none of which will be lost (Joh 17:12). In the end however, some will weep bitter tears and be ashamed (H954 disappointed, or delayed) simply because they were not granted to come to true repentance in this age (2Co 7:10).

“…let me never be put to confusion” H954 בּוּשׁ bûsh boosh
A primitive root; properly to pale, that is, by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed, or delayed: – (be, make, bring to, cause, put to, with, a-) shame (-d), be (put to) confounded (-fusion), become dry, delay, be long.

God’s elect will understand intimately that repentance is a gift of a loving Father, having wept bitter tears ourselves as we come to learn and be convinced that He has always been the One doing all things, including the bringing of a few to true Godly repentance in this age, so we can then in turn show mercy to those who are delayed by God for our sake. [Gale’s analogy of waking a family up in the morning, starting with the youngest]

Joh 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Mat 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

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.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

On to our second verse:

Psa 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Deliver us in your righteousness as opposed to having us deliver ourselves from our own sense of what is right and wrong. If God inclines His ear unto us and saves us, it will be because we were delivered “in thy righteousness” knowing that we bring nothing to the altar, which is the huge lesson that we all must learn if we are truly going to be one body connected to one head who is able to “save” us.

Pro 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Joh 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
Joh 21:19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Let us continue…

Psa 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

What a hopeful prayer! The psalmist knows that his enemies are too great for him, and God has made it this way so that he may utter these words “be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort”. This makes me think of how our inheritance is in the saints today and how we “resort” together as the body of Christ and learn that God is “my rock and my fortress”

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

Now we will examine the next two verses.

Psa 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Psa 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

We all know who this wicked man is and how unrighteous and cruel we all would be except the Lord stay the hand of Satan and strengthen us through Christ.

2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

Verses 4 and 5 are connected thoughts because it is here that we will know deliverance from the wickedness within us. The ability to hope and trust in God will be made manifest as a result of God dealing with the wickedness within us, the “unrighteous and cruel man”.

Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

This next verse is very symbolic of the life of Christ and His body who are being matured in the church, with Christ’s mother being a type of the church (Luk 1:28, Luk 2:35).

Psa 71:6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

Christ was “holden (H5564) up from the womb” (which is ‘shown favour’ or ‘established’) not just in the womb of his mother which symbolizes the church but his entire life (Luk 2:40, 2Pe 3:18). And Jeremiah is another example of this predestined conditioned (type and shadow) that God has given to the elect to experience before the rest of humanity (Jer 1:5-7)

H5564
סמך
sâmak
saw-mak’
A primitive root; to prop (literally or figuratively); reflexively to lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or unfavorable sense): – bear up, establish, (up-) hold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay (self), sustain.

We are called to be “holden (H5564) up from the womb” and to go unto maturity so that we may, God willing, be used to help bring in the later harvest of humanity who will also be “holden (H5564) up from the womb” of the ‘earth, earth, earth’ condition (“my mother’s bowels”) that we all must come out of spoken of in Jeremiah 22:29.

The connection is made in this verse to praise unto God for the increase that He gives us in the womb – the church. We give thanks and worship Him in spirit and in truth because He has mercifully shown favour to us and lifted us, and is lifting us out of the womb or Babylon, which is the deliverance of which Jeremiah speaks, in type and shadow, for God’s elect and eventually all the world (Jer 23:4-6).

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Psa 71:7 I am as a wonder (H4159) unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

We are a peculiar people or “a wonder unto many”, we who are seated in heavenly places worshipping God in spirit and in truth, a truth that has been taken away from the world for today.

Isa 20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder (H4159) upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

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,

God has set in motion this witness being proclaimed throughout the body of Christ and has provided us “strong refuge” so that what has begun within us can and will be accomplished in Christ through whom we can endure all things.

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.

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.

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

Psa 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Our last verse is something I pray God will manifest more and more abundantly in His people. We ought to be a people with praise continually on our lips and with a spirit of gratitude that honours God continually.

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 55

“The Passover”

Feb. 12, 2013

In our previous studies over the ten plagues we have covered many types and shadows contained within these stories.

In our study today, we are going to cover the information building up to the 10th plague and what we are admonished with today and what the Passover and 10th plague mean for us.

We are going to briefly cover chapter 11 in Exodus and then jump into the start of chapter 12. Though we will not be able to cover the full extent of chapter 12 this study, we will get a start on it so that we can finish up the last plague.

“One more plague”

Exo 11:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
Exo 11:2  Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
Exo 11:3  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

There are a few points to take away from chapter 11 of Exodus. Moses is told that this last plague will be the one that accomplishes what Moses has been sent to tell the people, “let my people go”.

Next, Moses is told to tell the people to borrow silver and gold from their neighbors. Not only that, but Moses is said to be a very great man in the land of Egypt in the sight of everyone, so what does this mean for us?

Heb 4:4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Heb 4:5  And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

The idea given of borrowing from your neighbor is a type of what happens to “us and them” in the New Testament.

Egypt typifies those who come before us His holy people, who were established by God Himself, so that they could be used to graft in His people.

Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
Rom 11:29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
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.

We also know that our enemies will be made to dwell peaceably with us and given all that Moses and Aaron are used to do to Egypt; we know it is a miracle that some in Egypt hold Moses in high regard.

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

Eze 2:5  And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

Eze 33:32  And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Eze 33:33  And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

Nonetheless, the wonders which the Lord does to Egypt are done to show His power and to give salvation and freedom to His people.

Exo 11:4  And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
Exo 11:5  And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
Exo 11:6  And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
Exo 11:7  But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
Exo 11:8  And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.
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.
Exo 11:10  And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

These same wonders mentioned in Exodus 11:10 are the same wonders mentioned in Exodus 7:3 and then in Exodus 4:21.

Exo 7:3  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exo 7:4  But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

Exo 4:20  And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
Exo 4:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

As has been mentioned before, but just as a recap, the Hebrew word translated as wonders is H4159:

H4159

מפת  /  מופת

môphêth
Total KJV Occurrences: 36
wonders, 19

Exo_4:21 (2), Exo_7:3, Exo_11:9-10 (2), Deu_4:34, Deu_6:22, Deu_7:19, Deu_26:8, Deu_34:11, 1Ch_16:12, Neh_9:10, Psa_78:43, Psa_105:5, Psa_105:27, Psa_135:9, Isa_8:18, Jer_32:20-21 (2), Joe_2:30

sign, 8

1Ki_13:3 (2), 1Ki_13:5, 2Ch_32:24, Eze_12:6, Eze_12:11, Eze_24:24, Eze_24:27

wonder, 6

Deu_13:1-2 (2), Deu_28:46, 2Ch_32:31, Psa_71:7, Isa_20:3

miracle, 1
Exo_7:9
miracles, 1
Deu_29:3
wondered, 1

Zec_3:8

This of course is all in reference to the plagues brought to Egypt, and that brings us to the start of chapter 12 and the last of the 10 plagues.

“The completeness of the flesh”

The number ten in scripture spiritually speaks to the completeness of the flesh. Since we are at the 10th plague, we are going to look at chapter 12 through the prism of this spiritual concept.

At the start of chapter 12, we are going to be told by the Lord, as is always the case, what He is going to do before He does it so that when it comes about we are not left unawares to what is happening as if some strange thing is happening to 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 4:13  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.

He does this these things so that we can be brought into remembrance of these things, but of course they did not know this concept here in Exodus but we know this Truth due to the “sum of thy Word”.

Once such example is what we are going to read at the start of chapter 12.

Exo 12:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
Exo 12:2  This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo 12:3  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exo 12:4  And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6  And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

That which proceeds the Passover will be a covering for the whole congregation. The process which starts at the 10th plague is that which is secure the salvation of the people of Israel.

Notice that it is very important to grasp the spiritual concept that the 10th plague, and those that lead up to the 10th plague happening are all VERY NECESSARY in the process of salvation.

Why then are the plagues necessary to salvation?

It is the preparation leading to the Passover that lets us know that we are going to be redeemed.

It is the suffering in our lives that leads us to call out in distress to our Lord for deliverance. It is going to take great sufferings of Egypt in order for the “King” to let us go.

It is the fiery trial which are Christ’s suffering for us (and by extension the body of Christ later) which BUILDS up Christ, so what does the start of Exodus 12 show us about this?

The “beginning of months” is the FIRST MONTH in which we will see salvation but it STARTS right before the 10th plague happens. What is the spiritual significance of this happening? Well, we can see the answer in HOW this comes about.

It is in the 10th day of this month that we separate our spotless lamb of the first year and “keep it” for 4 days until the 14th day of the month? Why is that important? Well, this is a total of 4 days and that represents the WHOLE of what we are talking about, and what are we talking about?

We are talking about the PASSOVER which will save us from the death angel! Who then IS THE PASSOVER?

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

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

This preparation of the lamb is none other than the type and shadow in the OT of the marriage supper of the Lamb in which Jesus Christ calls us His because He covers is with His blood.

The reason the lamb is kept for 4 days is because Jesus Christ is a complete and whole covering for the sin that must be “passed over” when the death angel comes flying over the door post.

Additionally, the family responsible for the killing of the lamb is responsible to take CARE of the lamb for those four days. This is to tell us that we are all involved with the caring and slaughter of the lamb in our care.

However, the Passover is NOT to be eaten alone.

Exo 12:7  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Exo 12:8  And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exo 12:9  Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
Exo 12:10  And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
Exo 12:11  And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover.

After we are told how to prepare for this we are then told what will come about AFTER this preparation.

Exo 12:12  For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
Exo 12:13  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Exo 12:14  And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

This will indeed happen to all generations of all time due to the fact that we know the sum of thy word tells us that “this generation will not pass till all these things be fulfilled” and “all things are yours”.

Of course, these are very spiritually statements.

“Unleavened bread”

When we come to realize what all this means for us today, we will see that Christ being the lamb represents the start of us putting sin out of our lives.

A better and more precise way to think of it is this is the START, the type and shadow of the “beginning of months” in which we will start to be given dominion of the things that cause sin in out lives.

Exo 12:15  Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Exo 12:16  And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
Exo 12:17  And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Exo 12:18  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
Exo 12:19  Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
Exo 12:20  Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

We can conclude spiritually speaking that this is when “judgment begins at the house of God” because the days of unleavened bread span for seven days and seven represents the number of the completeness especially judgment.

You may think, “Wait a minute Steven, there is a whole lot more that happens after the Passover and days of unleavened bread” and I completely agree.

This is just a type and shadow in the micro version of what God is working in all of our lives and the others stories all throughout scripture and in the sum of thy word bare out more defined details of this process.

As proof of this concept, look at how Moses gives FINER details on HOW to execute the process of putting blood on the door post that was not previously revealed before.

Exo 12:21  Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
Exo 12:22  And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Exo 12:23  For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Exo 12:24  And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

We are told WITH what we are to dip the blood in and also to not leave the house until morning.

In other words, we are to do exactly what the Lord commands and wait for the morning star to immerge new into our lives.

Exo 12:25  And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
Exo 12:26  And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
Exo 12:27  That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
Exo 12:28  And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

It is while we are in the land of Egypt that the Passover and the tenth plague occur. This proves to us that the Lamb of God is the only one capable of bridging the divide that is impassable by any other.

In the next study, we are going to see the execution of this tenth and final plague and map it to what happens next with the people of God as we exit Egypt to go on and into the wilderness experience of our walk with our Lord and savior.

Hi,

I am trying to come to grips with the location and stated finds of artifacts from the crossing of the Red Sea and Noah’s ark, which I have thought to be very understandable and a good candidate for the actual site. However after reading some assertions on some other claims, though there was no mention of the crossing, I am beginning to wonder a bit.

Can you throw any light on the subject?

Regards,
S____

Hi S____,

Thank you for your question concerning claims certain people have made to have discovered the ark of Noah and gold clad chariot wheels at the place where Israel crossed the Red Sea, etc.
It is not in the scope or purpose of this web site to prove or disprove any of the thousands of claims of discoveries which either bolster or refute the inspired words of God.
What this website does is point you to what the scriptures say. If God has given you faith in His Word, then I can be of some help to you. On the other hand, if your faith is based on what you see, I can be of no assistance to you whatsoever.

/ Here is why that is so:

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.

Faith, contrary to what many teach, is not based upon provable, demonstrable science. It is based upon verifiable historic Truth, but faith cannot be demonstrated in a laboratory.
“Blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe”. If one’s faith is based upon being able to see Noah’s ark, gold clad chariot wheels, or the ark of the covenant, then one has no faith at all. The entire Christian religion is based upon a Truth which cannot be duplicated in a laboratory. No one yet has ever demonstrated how a virgin can get pregnant without knowing a man.

Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Crist was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

It is true that many physical signs and wonders followed Christ and his apostles. Why were there physical signs and wonders? Here is why for all of us:

“… Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:”

But the last part of that verse is just as true as the first part:

“… blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

You say,

“I am trying to come to grips with the location and stated finds of artifacts from the crossing of the Red Sea and Noah’s ark, which I have thought to be very understandable and a good candidate for the actual site.”

The only ‘grip’ you need is faith in the Word of God which tells us:

Gen 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

Those words are far more reliable than any artifact that will ever be proffered by any man. As our Lord also told us:

Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Those are Christ’s words, and they are solid as a rock. Those who stand on Christ’s Words need no artifacts to bolster their faith in those words.
I would like to suggest that you read the article “Will God’s Strong Delusion Deceive You” which is located at this URL, http:// iswasandwillbe. com/ strongdelusion. php
In light of these words of scripture, it is far more likely that those who are seeking either artifacts from the ark of Noah to the so- called ‘holy grail’ or the ‘shroud of Turin’ are all simply making merchandise of the gospel.

2Ti 3:13 Yet wicked men and swindlers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (CLV)
2Co 2:17 For we are not as the majority, who are peddling the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God in Christ, are we speaking. (CLV)

I hope this is all of some edification to you.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike