2Ki 20:1-21 “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God”

[Study Aired March 16, 2023]

God’s elect are “the light of the world”, and His workmanship (Eph 2:10) who are being given power to go from glory to glory (Rev 11:3, 2Co 3:17-18) as Christ works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Mat 5:14, Mat 5:20, Php 2:12-13). “This sickness is not unto death” that is spoken of by Christ in (Joh 11:4) represents all dying flesh that is outwardly perishing “yet the inward man is renewed day by day”, “that the Son of God might be glorified thereby”(2Co 4:16, Joh 11:4).

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

Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Joh 11:4  When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

The central point of this chapter of Kings is that God gives the spiritual increase in our lives, making it possible for us to be “renewed day by day” and that He will move heaven and earth in order to make that a reality for his people who are also called “the salt of the earth”.

To be the light and the salt of this earth means that God is working with us in this age so that His “righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, [otherwise] ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” [the kingdom of God within now (Luk 17:21), or the thousand year rule of God’s elect being in the first resurrection (Rev 20:6)]. Christ did not say “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” to inform us that he was depending on our righteousness, but to further reveal to God’s people that only Christ’s righteousness is what matters and that it is He alone who will enable us to be “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth” (Mat 5:20, Rom 3:27, Joh 5:30, 1Jn 4:17).

Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

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

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing:[my own righteousness] as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

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. [not depending on my own self, my own righteousness, but seeking our Father’s will (Joh 15:5)]

Hezekiah is at a stage in his life where he is sick and near unto death. God does not give up on him being a type of the elect, but rather tells him to get his house in order and prepare to die which prompts Hezekiah to then cry out to God who was going to show him that He was greater than all his weaknesses and infirmities (sicknesses) that God would use to His glory (Rom 8:28-29, Rom 8:38-39). All these events are written for the elect’s sake (1Co 10:11) to teach us that when we are brought to ‘weep sore’ as Hezekiah did for the sentence of death that was upon him (Heb 5:7), God hears those prayers and acts on them according to His will (Eph 1:11). God’s will is purposed to unfold exactly as it should in each life, however in the life of the elect that is typified by Hezekiah, His purpose is to deliver us from spiritual death through this life, and so this story of king Hezekiah holds out great hope for us and reminds us as well that our labours are not in vain in the Lord who will deliver his people from spiritual death as typified by the life of Hezekiah (Rom 8:28, Rom 14:8, 2Ki 20:3, 1Co 15:58).

Hezekiah’s life and kingship were written to encourage God’s people of these verses (1Co 15:55-58), that remind us that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith (Php 3:8-9, Heb 12:2, Php 1:6).

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

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. [not depending on my own self, my own righteousness, but seeking our Father’s will (Joh 15:5)]

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ (Gal 2:20), the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Eph 2:10)
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection [day by day], and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

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

2Ki 20:1  In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2Ki 20:2  Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
2Ki 20:3  I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s, and Hezekiah who is a type of the elect was given an extra fifteen years that tells us that his life typified one of God’s elect that was living and dying unto the Lord, therefore he was given to turn “his face to the wall^H7023” a symbol of being brought to repentance as he cried out and pray unto the LORD saying “I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore“(2Ki 20:6, Heb 5:7). The word “wall” is connected to repentance and the sacrifice that is needed to cleanse us of our sins. Being a type of the elect he did not despise God’s goodness that led him unto this repentance (Rom 2:4) at “the wall^H7023” (Lev 1:15, Lev 5:9, Lev 14:37, Lev 14:39, Num 22:25).

Lev 1:15  And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side^H7023 of the altar:

Lev 5:9  And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side^H7023 of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.

Lev 14:37  And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls^H7023 of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall^H7023;

Lev 14:39  And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls^H7023 of the house;

Num 22:25  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall^H7023, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall^H7023: and he smote her again. [Balaam’s walk with the LORD was not right and so his foot was crushed against the wall^H7023]

2Ki 20:4  And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
2Ki 20:5  Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.

Isaiah represents the comforter that comes to God’s elect in our time of need, a comfort that declares the end from beginning before we even enter into the court, “afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court“.

It is from the foundation of the world that God’s people were predestined to be saved (Eph 1:4), a message typified by what Isaiah is told to tell Hezekiah “Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people” before he gets to the “middle court” this joyous news that his life is going to be extended for fifteen years [The joy is in the meaning of the message for those who see the meaning that points to the promise of eternal life to those who are given to confess their faults in this age] (1Pe 4:17-18).

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

The softening of Hezekiah’s heart is typical of the condition that God creates in the new heart that He is making in his people (Eze 36:26), the humble and contrite heart that God looks to so that our prayers of repentance are heard as was Hezekiah’s (Isa 66:2), “Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD“.

2Ki 20:6  And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

The “fifteen years” added to the life of Hezekiah represents the process of judgement that God’s elect go through in this life by way of grace through faith (process of judgement 3X5 grace through faith=15) in order to be saved. What we are being saved from is “the hand of the king of Assyria” who represents the devil and the powers and principalities that we war against (Eph 6:12) that only Christ in us can conquer and overcome (Eph 1:21, 1Jn 4:4), therefore we’re told, “I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.“

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.

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

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

2Ki 20:7  And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

It is through Christ who is typified by David “for my servant David’s sake” that we can overcome spiritually in this life. Christ is working within each member as a joint that supplies love and support (Eph 4:16, Gal 6:2), represented by “a lump of figs” that brings healing to the body. The parable of the fig tree in (Mat 24:32-46) is talking about the healing that comes to the generation that is being judged today, the Israel of God who is represented by the fig tree (Mat 24:32-34). Reading on in Matthew we learn that our heaven and earth will pass as a result of God’s judgement upon us and a new heaven and new earth will be formed within us (Mat 24:35, Rev 21:1). This entire parable is about how blessed we are to receive meat in due season and the meat being talked about that precedes (Mat 24:35-46), is connected to Christ’s body that is represented by the fig tree that God has nourished and prepared as our spiritual husbandman through Christ who is the vine (Mat 24:32-34, Joh 15:1, Jas 5:7).

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.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Joh 15:1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

God’s spirit leads us and teaches us to pray as we ought (Rom 8:26) for the needs of the body as we set out to be used of Him to cover a multitude of sins by laying our lives down for one another symbolized by the “lump of figs” that is laid on the boil that represents sin in our life being overcome, that leads to our spiritual healing, “he recovered“.

Deu 8:7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Deu 8:8  A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

[The good land represents our life when it is spiritually healed being blessed to be dragged to Christ (Joh 6:44) to find the ingredients that symbolize what God gives us through Christ – wheat – barley – vines – fig trees – pomegranates – olive oil – and honey]

2Ki 20:8  And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
2Ki 20:9  And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
2Ki 20:10  And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
2Ki 20:11  And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz. 

Hezekiah is asking what will be the sign given to him so that he can be assured that the LORD will heal him so that he can “go up into the house of the LORD the third day?” The answer to this question for God’s elect is found in these verses (Mat 24:2, Joh 2:19, Mat 12:39-40) and explained via a very dramatic parable found in these verses (2Ki 20:9-11).

Mat 24:2  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

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:
Mat 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

God can perform either miracle, he can cut our lives off short, if it is written in our books, symbolized by the shadow going down “ten degrees” (Psa 144:4) or he can extend our life in the LORD typified by this statement “the shadow return backward ten degrees“. That is the seemingly harder thing for our flesh to conceive happening, as expressed by Hezekiah’s words. Because he does typify the elect, Hezekiah’s desire was to have the day lengthened and so “Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of AhazH271“. The word Ahaz means ‘to seize’, and Hezekiah typifies our laying hold on eternal life or seizing it today (1Ti 6:12).

1Ti 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

The natural course of events for all mankind is ‘dying you shall die’, and that death is accelerated by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God knows that as soon as we do that “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” [Satan’s mixing truth with lies statement] which is what brings about death to our first man Adam, because that is the way that naturally seems right to man and leads to death (Pro 14:12). Knowing good and evil but not being able to discern it properly is what leads to our inability to become mature sons in this life (Gen 2:17, Gen 3:5, Heb 5:14, Heb 6:3).

Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. [Satan’s mixing truth with lies statement]

Pro 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. [partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that carried the sentence of death “thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:17)]

Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Death is being accelerated, typified by the shadow going ten degrees further. However the same ten degrees in the positive is represented by the shadow going back ten degrees meaning the day was going be extended with more sunlight, which typifies the extended life of Hezekiah that is going to be granted to God’s elect by way of the gift of being saved by grace through faith. (discussed above 3×5=15).

2Ki 20:12  At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
2Ki 20:13  And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
2Ki 20:14  Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
2Ki 20:15  And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

The blessing of having Hezekiah’s life extended for fifteen years that typifies our being called and chosen is about to begin, and as a type of the elect he does what we all do at first when we learn of God’s true plans for all of humanity, we show “All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them“. Who it is that we are showing this to is the unbelieving and unconverted who have no right to eat at our altar (Heb 13:10).

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

We are too unskilled in the word at this point and cast our pearls before the unbelieving, symbolized by “Berodach- baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon”.

Berodachbaladan sends “letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick”. These gifts from the king of Babylon “letters and a present” represent the flattery of this world that overtakes the yet carnal Christian (1Co 3:3-4), and consequently we end up inviting people into our spiritual house who should not be there (1Jn 4:1, 2Jn 1:10-11). If Hezekiah had just gratefully received this letter and present that would have been fine, but in type and shadow he bid Berodachbaladan God speed by inviting him to see all that was in the temple and became a partaker of his evil deeds.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

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

Isaiah like all true prophets of God come to us in love and prick our conscience in regard to what we have unknowingly done wrong, “Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon“. The prophet Nathan coming on the scene to convict king David of his sin is akin to this event with Hezekiah being convicted of Isaiah of his wrong doing. He understands the details of the situation but does not yet understand that he is ‘the man’ (2Sa 12:1-7).

2Sa 12:1  And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

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;

2Ki 20:16  And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.
2Ki 20:17  Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

Hezekiah’s actions typify our own need to have God’s word that we have laid up in our house tried in the fire symbolized by being “carried into Babylon“. If God is working with us then we are dragged out of Babylon after we are taken into it, through much tribulation (Act 14:22), and this time around we see how impoverished we really are and how we were never truly rich and increased with goods (Rev 3:17), only having a house that was filled with the untried word of God represented by “all that is in thine house, [and] that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day“.

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

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

2Ki 20:18  And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
2Ki 20:19  Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

What is taken away from us when we go into Babylon is sound doctrine represented by “thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon”. Hezekiah is convinced that Isaiah is a prophet of God but is still hopeful for a peaceful outcome that typifies how we are still hopeful that we will have peace in this world, and in Babylon that will never be possible as long as we hold onto the idols of our own hearts (2Pe 2:19). There is no stay of bread or water in Babylon (Isa 3:1) no progenitors of the truth “and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon”  (Mat 10:34-36, Rom 1:25, Eze 14:4).

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

2Ki 20:20  And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2Ki 20:21  And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

Hezekiah represents the elect who are scarcely saved in this life (1Pe 4:18-19), and we are already being given a foreshadowing of what is to come after his death with the previous verse that states “thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon“. Hezekiah’s seemingly casual resolve and acceptance of what Isaiah is telling him with this statement “Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken” reminds us of (Act 20:29, 1Co 1:26) and how only by God’s hand can any increase come to the body of Christ (1Co 3:6-7).

Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock [typified by his son Manasseh].

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

God’s elect must labour therefore, and fight a good fight of faith as we continue to mature as a body, and lay “up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life”. We can and will be reassured and persuaded of what God can and will do through the “not many mighty, not many noble”(Php 2:12-13) of this world (1Ti 6:19, Heb 6:9, 1Co 1:26) and Hezekiah’s bringing water into the city is symbolic of our labour in the LORD that is not done in vain, which is why those actions are recorded “in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah” as a type of the works that God has ordained from the foundation of the world to be accomplished through the body of Christ (Eph 2:10, Eph 1:4, 2Ti 2:19, Heb 4:3, Heb 9:26, Col 1:24) who despite all that we come up against, and despite ourselves, we will be more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, the gates of hell not prevailing against us (Rom 8:28-29, Eph 1:5-6, 2Ti 1:9)

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

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.

It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, via a narrow way, where we will be scarcely, but without a doubt delivered, through Christ who gives us the power to be more than conquerors through Him (Mat 7:14, 1Pe 4:18, 1Co 10:13, Rom 8:37). The life of God’s holy remnant or royal priesthood, has been determined from the foundation of the world to be saved in this age (Rom 11:5, 1Pe 2:9), a thought that echoes back to our title “This sickness is not unto death,[our dying flesh and blood existence that can’t inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50)] but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby”.