Book of Colossians 1:24-25 Filling up That Which is Behind

[Study Aired August 25, 2026]

“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: 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” (Colossians 1:24–25).

Whereof I Am Made a Minister

The last study stopped on a hinge. Verse 23 ends with Paul naming himself: “whereof I Paul am made a minister.” He says it again two verses later, and the repetition is not habit. In verse 23 the thing he ministers is the gospel — the word heard, preached, and not to be moved from. In verse 25 it is the church: one man, one commission, and two objects – a message and a body.

Between those two sayings stands the hardest sentence in the letter so far. Paul says he fills up “that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ.”

The series has spent two studies making that sentence impossible. The third study said the fullness is closed: “there is nothing left over to go looking for.” The fourth study said the reconciling was one act and over — not begun, not offered, not made available on terms.

Nothing left over; that which is behind. The words collide, and we ought to feel the collision before we handle it.

It is worse than an inconsistency for the Colossian readers. Teachers are at the door of this church telling them that what they hold is not sufficient — that a fullness must be sought beyond Christ, through a higher knowledge, or a discipline, or beings ranked between themselves and God (Colossians 2:8, 2:18, 2:21). Paul is about to say that he supplies what is behind in the afflictions of Christ. If that means what it sounds like, he has handed the teachers their argument in his own hand and signed it.

Either the last two studies overstated, or there is something behind that is not behind in the cross.

Paul does not begin with the difficulty. He begins with joy.

Who Now Rejoice in My Sufferings

“Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you.”

The man writing is in prison. The second study found him there, praying without ceasing for a church he had never seen; here he tells them what the praying costs. “My sufferings” — his own, and he does not soften them.

However, he rejoices. Not endures, not accepts — rejoices, chairō (G5463), the ordinary word for gladness.

This is what the second study saw coming. Paul prayed there that the Colossians would be “strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power” — and the whole of that power issued in something unspectacular: “unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (Colossians 1:11). We said then that the hardest thing the divine strength does in a man is hold him steady, and cheerful, under what does not move. Here is the man who prayed it, chained, and cheerful.

Nor is the joy in the suffering itself. Paul is not a man who has learned to like pain. The joy has an object, and he names it in the same breath: “for you.” The sufferings are pointed at somebody. He speaks the same way elsewhere, and always with a direction fastened on: “I take pleasure in infirmities… for Christ’s sake” (2 Corinthians 12:10); “the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).

A man may be glad in what is bitter if the bitterness is spent on something. Paul says his is.

That Which Is Behind

Now the clause that makes the trouble: “and fill up (G466) that which is behind (G5303) of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.”

Everywhere else Paul speaks of filling up a lack, he means one thing, and it is not repair. Epaphroditus hazarded his life “to supply (G378) your lack (G5303) of service toward me” (Philippians 2:30). The Philippians’ love was not deficient. They were far off and could hand him nothing, and a man came and carried to Paul what the distance had withheld. He speaks the same way of Corinth — “that which was lacking (G5303) on your part they have supplied (G378)” (1 Corinthians 16:17) — of the collection that “supplieth (G4322) the want (G5303) of the saints” (2 Corinthians 9:12), and of his own need met out of Macedonia: “for that which was lacking (G5303) to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied (G4322)” (2 Corinthians 11:9). Four places, one picture: something owed could not reach where it was needed, and a person carried it there. Not the repair of what was flawed. The delivery of what was distant.

That has to be said carefully, because the words will not all bear the same weight. The verb in verse 24, antanaplēroō (G466), stands nowhere else in Scripture, so Paul’s habit with it settles nothing — there is no habit. Two near relatives of it do stand elsewhere, and he uses them more than one way: of men who hinder the gospel “to fill up (G378) their sins always” (1 Thessalonians 2:16), which is a measure filled to the brim and not a want supplied, and elsewhere of a prophecy brought to its term — “And in them is fulfilled (G378) the prophecy of Esaias” (Matthew 13:14). The word by itself decides nothing, and a survey that showed only the instances suiting us would be worth nothing.

So the four places above are narrower than the word. They are the places where such a verb stands joined to the noun that stands in verse 24 — hysterēma (G5303), a lack, a thing wanting — and the last two are a further relative again, prosanaplēroō (G4322). Within that narrower company the picture holds. Outside it, it does not.

Nor will the noun carry it alone. Paul can use hysterēma of a real deficiency: “and might perfect (G2675) that which is lacking (G5303) in your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:10). The verb there is not this one. It is katartizō (G2675), to mend what is broken.

All of which corroborates and none of which proves, and it need not, because what decides the verse is not the lexicon.

Paul locates the lack, and the locating settles it. It is “in my flesh.” Not in the cross, and not in Christ. Whatever is behind, it is behind in Paul.

He names who it is for. The reconciling of verse 20 was Godward — “to reconcile all things unto himself,” peace made toward God through blood. What he names here is aimed elsewhere: “for his body’s sake, which is the church.” The cross settled a matter with God; these sufferings serve a people.

Then how are they Christ’s afflictions at all?

Paul of all men knew, and he learned it on the road. The voice that stopped him did not say why persecutest thou my people. It said, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4). He was arresting Christians and was told he was striking Christ. A head owns what his body bears, and Paul had that sentence burned into him before he ever wrote a letter.

So the afflictions are Christ’s because the body is Christ’s. He states it plainly to another church, and in the word he uses of Christ’s sufferings borne in His members, pathēma (G3804): “For as the sufferings (G3804) of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation” (2 Corinthians 1:5–6) — Christ’s sufferings, borne in Paul, spent on other men. He asks for the thing by name: “the fellowship of his sufferings (G3804)” (Philippians 3:10).

Here the third study’s own words hold the two together. Of those raised with Christ it said that the company raised into His life shares that life without displacing Him. That is what stands at verse 24. Paul shares the afflictions of the One whose body he serves, and the sharing adds nothing to what was finished at the cross — he has already told us where the lack is, and it is not there. So the risen share a resurrection they did not accomplish. Nothing left over to go looking for, and something still behind to be carried; the work done toward God was settled, and the service owed to the body is running.

One thing the clause will not supply is a measure. Paul names no quantity of affliction, no total to be reached, no hour at which the filling is done. Scripture does speak elsewhere of a completion attached to suffering — the martyrs under the altar are told to rest “until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:11) — but what is numbered there is sufferers, not affliction, and it is said of another scene. Whether any measure is to be held, and on what ground, this clause does not say. We let the silence be silence.

For His Body’s Sake, Which Is the Church

There are now two bodies in this letter, and Paul has set them three verses apart.

The reconciling was done “in the body of his flesh through death” (Colossians 1:22) — a body that could die, and did. The sufferings are borne “for his body’s sake, which is the church” — a body that cannot die, and is still in the world. The third study established who stands over the second: “he is the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18).

The head is beyond reach; the body is not. A head does not watch its body from a distance — “no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: for we are members of his body” (Ephesians 5:29–30). What falls on one member is felt through the whole: “whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

That is what makes Paul’s chains service and not misfortune. He is a member of a body, bearing in a Roman prison what the head owns as His own, and bearing it toward the rest of the members.

Which forces a question the passage will not let us leave alone. Is the filling up Paul’s alone?

The verse is emphatically his — “my sufferings,” “in my flesh,” “given to me” — and nothing said of other men may be got by dissolving those words. The principle just stated of the body does not stop at apostles, and Paul can use the name of Christ for the whole, head with members together: speaking of the many members he says “so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). The very word for affliction that stands in verse 24 is laid on believers at large elsewhere, and laid on them with the same gladness verse 24 opens with: “we glory in tribulations also” (Romans 5:3). “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), and John writes to seven churches as “your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9). It was granted to the Philippians “not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29) — granted, as a thing given.

So the bearing is the ordinary condition of members in a body whose head owns what falls upon them, and Paul’s is a particular case of it — the largest case in the New Testament, and still a case.

According to the Dispensation Given

“Whereof I am made a minister (G1249), according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you.”

The word is diakonos (G1249), a servant — and the first study has already met it. Epaphras was “a faithful minister of Christ” (Colossians 1:7), the same word, and we said of him then that he was a sower and not a source. Paul claims nothing higher for himself here than he granted to Epaphras there.

Nor does he claim it as his own doing. “Am made” — he did not make himself one. The letter opened the same way, with “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” (Colossians 1:1), a commission received rather than achieved. The second study watched every verb of rescue run in one direction — delivered, translated, made meet, always the object and never the agent — and here the pattern reaches the apostle himself. Paul is done to, like the rest.

Then the ground of it: “according to the dispensation (G3622) of God.” The word is oikonomia (G3622), the managing of a household by a man who does not own it — the word the Lord puts in a master’s mouth, “give an account of thy stewardship (G3622)” (Luke 16:2). Paul takes the title for himself and his fellows and states in the same breath the whole of what it requires: “stewards (G3623) of the mysteries of God… it is required in stewards (G3623), that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1–2). The goods are another’s. He is trusted with them, and answerable for the handling of them.

It is “given to me.” Paul says it almost word for word to the Ephesians: “the dispensation (G3622) of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward” (Ephesians 3:2).

Once more, “for you.” Twice in two verses Paul has aimed what he holds at somebody else — the sufferings for you, the stewardship for you. Nothing he was given was given him to keep.

To Fulfill the Word of God

The stewardship has a purpose, and Paul names it last: “to fulfil (G4137) the word of God.”

The word is plēroō (G4137), and it will bear more than one sense here. It can mean to carry a thing out to its full extent, as Paul says of his own circuit of preaching — “I have fully  preached (G4137) the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19). It can mean to bring a thing to its full disclosure, so that what was folded is now open. The verse as it stands does not decide between them, and Paul’s sentence does not end at verse 25. What follows is an apposition — “even the mystery which hath been hid from ages” — and that is the next study’s ground. We name the question and leave it standing rather than settle it out of a clause we have not yet read.

What does not wait on the choosing is whose word it is. It is “the word of God,” and the first study established what such a word does. It is a living seed that bears its own fruit; a sower may cast it and sleep, and it springs up “he knoweth not how” (Mark 4:27). God said of it, “it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please” (Isaiah 55:11).

So the minister fulfills a word that was never going to fail. He is not its power; he is its steward. Paul suffers to carry it and rejoices to suffer, and the accomplishing was never his.

What These Verses Establish

Read as a whole, the two verses set a man beside the finished work and show what is left for him to do — which is not to finish it.

Paul rejoices in sufferings pointed at other people. He fills up what is behind of Christ’s afflictions, and what is behind is behind in his own flesh and not in the cross: a service the body needed, carried to it by a member. He serves a body whose head owns everything that falls on it, and he is not the only member of whom that is true. He holds a ministry he did not confer upon himself, under a stewardship he was given, aimed at people he had never met, for a word that accomplishes what God pleases.

The order the series has found three times holds again, now in an apostle rather than a congregation. The ministry was given before it was exercised; the stewardship was handed over before any account was rendered. What is new is the direction of sight. The first two studies looked at what the Colossians possess, the third at the Christ in whom they possess it, and the fourth at what the possession is for. This one looks at what it cost the man who carried it to them. It finds him in chains, and it finds him glad — not because the chains were light, but because they were spent on the very people reading the letter.

Threads Held for Later

One clause is left underdetermined on purpose. “To fulfil the word of God” will bear either a fullness of extent or a fullness of disclosure, and the phrase that would settle it stands in the next verse. We take it up there.

The rest of the ledger is unchanged. The hope of verse 5 and the “Christ in you” of verse 27 still stand apart, and the knot is tied at 1:27. How a man is moved, and what he ceases to hold when he is, waits where the letter warns against a teacher who takes the umpire’s seat and against “not holding the Head” (Colossians 2:18–19). What he forfeits waits further on again, where Paul names both sides of the reckoning: “ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance… But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons” (Colossians 3:24–25) — and the question waits there. And the body — the body of His flesh in verse 22, His body the church in verse 24 — comes due where the letter says that in Christ “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

Next study: (Colossians 1:26–29)

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 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: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”

Mal 3:1-5  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me

[Study Aired January 4, 2024]

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 
Mal 3:4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Mal 3:5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

The primary inward dispensational message of this chapter of Malachi is that when the messenger is sent to us, when Christ’s spirit is given and indwelling, we will be more than conquerors through him as He prepares the way before us, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: [Php 2:12-13] and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.“

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Christ came to earth and said, “It is expedient for you that I go away” in order to send the holy spirit on Pentecost to suddenly (Act 2:2-3) come to His predestined temple, the body of Christ (Joh 16:7, 1Co 3:16). 

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. 

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

Act 22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

Mar 13:35  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Mar 13:36  Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
Mar 13:37  And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

With God’s spirit within us (Rom 8:9) we can become a living sacrifice that can “walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4), and “serve in newness of spirit” (Rom 7:6), as God makes us His “able ministersG1249 of the new testament” [we are all servants of the King who are examples of being a servant (Php 2:7-10)]  (2Co 3:6, Joh 6:63, Mat 5:19). 

G1249 διάκονος  diakonos

Thayer Definition:

1) one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master, a servant, attendant, minister

1a) the servant of a king
1b) a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use
1c) a waiter, one who serves food and drink

Chapter 2 of Malachi focused on the marriage covenant and how treacherously wives were being put away, all this representing our breaking of the covenant we have with Christ and God’s word. The admonition is always for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear the message (Mat 13:16). Those who have God’s spirit are given the ability to carefully consider the warnings of the prophets as we patiently go about keeping God’s commandments which tell us to examine ourselves to be sure there is no root of bitterness that will cause many to be defiled (Heb 12:15). The only possible way that is going to be accomplished is to have one “greater than the temple” abiding within us as our hope of glory (Mat 12:6, Col 1:27). It is in the temple that the cleansing work of grace through faith is being accomplished in those few (Mat 22:14) who are being received by our Father and Christ in this life (1Co 3:13-16, Heb 12:6).

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

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

Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple [Col 1:27].

If Christ is working in our lives, there will be evidence of this via the token (Php 1:28-29) of our own afflictions, much tribulation and suffering we endure (Rom 8:18, 1Pe 4:13, 2Co 11:30, Act 14:22) in order to bear much fruit. We are blessed to have a desire and zeal to be careful to maintain good works, which is what the faith of Christ will produce as we die daily (Gal 2:20). 

God willing, Christ will continue to be the exemplary life that our Father gave us and is being reflected more and more as He increases within us and we decrease (Joh 3:16, Joh 3:30), knowing that God is giving that increase (1Co 3:6) so that all glory is His, as it was in the life of Christ when He was on earth, and now in His body the church (Tit 2:11-12, Luk 13:32, Rev 16:15, Rev 19:8, Tit 3:8, Joh 5:30, Joh 15:5, 1Jn 4:17, Col 1:24).

Chapter 3 of Malachi points to the hope of glory within Jesus Christ (Col 1:27) Who calls us to ‘come out of her, my people’ and to rejoice always for the wonderful works He is doing to the sons of men in this age (2Co 6:17, Psa 107:31-32). 

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

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.

It is “the general assembly and church of the firstborn” whose names are written in heaven who will be in that blessed and holy first resurrection. This hope-filled third chapter will go on to explain how God is going to accomplish this work of grace in the lives of the few who have been given this tremendous honor to be made ready as “the spirits of just men made perfect” who are the bride of Christ (Heb 12:23, Rev 20:6).

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 

There are many prophets and kings of old who sought the Lord with all their hearts “even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in“ which is what Christ told us in (Luk 10:23-24).

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

Those prophets and kings typify for us the “ever-searching but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” churches of Babylon out of which the elect are called, that ‘have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof’ because it is not given to them in this age to keep the commandments of God in the spirit (2Ti 3:5-9). From such we are commanded to “turn away”, which is just another way of saying “come out of her my people” (2Co 6:17).

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

Physically, Christ did come to His people as the “the messenger of the covenant“, and anon with joy the people delighted in Christ “whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts“, but then He was rejected of His own (Joh 1:11, Isa 53:3), including all His disciples who forsook Him and fled in His most dire hour of need (Mat 26:31). This is all a witness to us of how we cannot continue in a right relationship with Christ without God’s holy spirit being given to us. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6). It is when the spirit of God is given to us that the messenger is inwardly sent to us (Col 1:27, Rom 8:9) and what He does in the elect’s day of visitation is judge us and make us ready as the bride of Christ, delivering us from sin (Luk 19:44, 1Pe 2:12, 1Pe 4:17, Joh 8:36).

1Pe 2:12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles [1Th 5:22]: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

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

Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 

Now the question is asked, “who may abide the day of his coming?“ and “who shall stand when he appeareth?” which tells us right off the bat that some are not going to be able to abide the day of His coming, and were not meant to be experiencing God’s judgment (1Pe 4:17), which is likened to “a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap” that will purge God’s people “as gold and silver” burning out of us the lame, torn and sick offering to become “an offering in righteousness” through Christ who is our righteousness Who prepares the bride (Mat 25:1-10, 1Co 1:30-31). “Who shall stand when he appeareth?” is answered for us in these verses in Luke 18:7-8.

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?

How the bride is prepared:  a parable of our Lord for his bride:

Mat 25:1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 
Mat 25:2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves [Rev 3:18].
Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? [Rom 2:4]
Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 
1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

What is being asked in this second verse of Malachi 3:2 is ‘who will be able to abide the chastening grace-through-faith process (Heb 12:6-7, Eph 6:13-14) that is required to go onto perfection on the third day?’ (Luk 13:31-32). Christ gave Peter the answer to this question, which was written for the elect’s sake (Luk 22:31-32), to remind us that salvation is a gift of God given to those who are refined in this age, typified by this statement, “and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Luk 22:32, Eph 2:8, 1Jn 5:4, Rom 12:1-2).

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day [enduring chastening (Heb 12:7)], and having done all, to stand. [“Who shall stand when he appeareth?” (1Ti 6:12)]
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

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^G4102 fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren [maintain good works (Tit 3:8)]

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.^G4102

“Faith” G4102 (From G3982) also used as “assurance”, “belief”, “believe”, “faith”, “fidelity” (KJV 244 occurrences).

God knows that in order for us to be part of the process of being one who is sanctified in this age by His word, which is like fire (Jer 23:29), he (Christ) must sit on the throne of our hearts. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.“

It is only after we’ve been judged that we can offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness, telling us why the trial of our faith is so precious to God (1Pe 1:7, Psa 116:15, 1Co 15:31). It is the sons of Levi who have been promised to be purified (“and he shall purify the sons of Levi” vs 3), and those sons typify for us the bride of Christ who will be made ready through a life of much tribulation (Rev 19:7, Act 14:22). The purifying of silver, the purging of gold and of silver are all being accomplished by the “refiner“, the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, Who is ‘trying’ or ‘refining’ our faith through a process of which He is in the midst (1Pe 4:12, Dan 3:25-26), “and he shall purify the sons of Levi.“

Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Dan 3:26  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

Mal 3:4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Mal 3:5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. 

These verses confirm that judgment is an ongoing process for the body of Christ, and as such our lives can be presented as a living sacrifice which is pleasant to the LORD, “the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.“

The “as in the days of old, and as in former years” is in reference to our first love when we whole-heartedly served the Lord and “came behind in no gift” (1Co 1:5-7) but were the “yet carnal” of 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. The attitude and desire to serve was great, and we did many wonderful works, but when God works with the elect in this life to bring us to perfection on the third day, those works are brought into a proper perspective. After having been refined through a life-time of trials (Act 14:22), He brings us to cease from sinning and from glorying in those things God did through us as if we did it of our own free will (1Co 4:7). That is the strong meat which God prepares us in time to be able to digest and discern by His mercy (Heb 5:14). When we mature in the Lord, we will stop turning aside the stranger who represents our neighbor who we are to love, “and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me“, doing good to all men, especially unto the household of faith (Gal 6:10). When we conduct ourselves in that manner, we are truly moving with fear, knowing it is Christ who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is to ‘do unto others as we would have them do unto us’ (Php 2:12-13, Luk 12:32, Mat 7:11-12).

Mat 7:11  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

We are blessed when this is happening within us, “I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts“, which things would just naturally overtake the temple of God we are without the judgment of God upon us driving sin out of our lives as we die daily (1Pe 4:17, Joh 2:15-17). 

It is by the witness of God’s speedy execution of judgment in the lives of those He is saving in this age that “the sorcerers” and “the adulterers” and the “false swearers” and all those things within that would try to “oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me”, that we can go from that state of mind to practicing pure religion, which is defined for us in this way, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction (Heb 10:25), and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (Jas 1:27).

The order of things is clear: God will “send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.” That preparation will take place in the hearts and minds of God’s people so that in time, saviors will come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau (Oba 1:21), being sent as Christ was sent into our lives to bring salvation to this world through the gospel (Joh 20:21, Joh 3:17, Rom 1:16).

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

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

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. 

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, focusing on these first few verses is a good starting point before we go into the next section of this third chapter. These first few verses really demonstrate for us how we can only ‘make straight the ways of the Lord’ by the Lord Who is the messenger who gives us the ability to fulfill the covenant. This fulfilling of the covenant is a process that takes time, as we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake (Col 1:24), and in the verses to come, the focus will be more on the blessing that now becomes ours if we are blessed to be dragged through this process of judgment while presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1) to God, symbolized by the whole tithe being brought in. 

The results, the fruit of being that living sacrifice being purified by Christ (Mal 3:1-5), is the primary point being looked at in the last section of chapter three, which we will look at next week, Lord willing (Mal 3:6-18). God is faithful to those who are His, and  as a result of being bound to the altar (Psa 118:27) by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9), there will be an abundance of spiritual fruit being produced in the lives of those whom God has called to endure to the end in this corrupt flesh in order to be saved (Mal 3:10, Rom 7:24-25, Mat 24:13).

Psa 118:27  God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

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

Mal 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved [Php 4:13]. 

Jdg 2:1-23 The Lord Raised The up Judges…and Delivered Them

[Study Aired January 31, 2021]

Jdg 2:1  And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 
Jdg 2:2  And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 
Jdg 2:3  Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. 
Jdg 2:4  And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 
Jdg 2:5  And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD. 
Jdg 2:6  And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. 
Jdg 2:7  And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. 
Jdg 2:8  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 
Jdg 2:9  And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash
Jdg 2:10  And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 
Jdg 2:11  And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 
Jdg 2:12  And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 
Jdg 2:13  And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 
Jdg 2:14  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 
Jdg 2:15  Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. 
Jdg 2:16  Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 
Jdg 2:17  And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. 
Jdg 2:18  And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 
Jdg 2:19  And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. 
Jdg 2:20  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; 
Jdg 2:21  I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: 
Jdg 2:22  That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. 
Jdg 2:23  Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua. 

The end of Chapter 1 of Judges focused on the disobedience of Israel for not driving out the Canaanites from the land but rather choosing to live among them and benefit from them by the tribute they paid. It is always God who takes the initiative to dislodge us from our comfortable situation with the old man as He came on the scene to help Israel out as follows:

Jdg 2:1  And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 
Jdg 2:2  And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 
Jdg 2:3  Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. 

If we are called and chosen, then God will not leave us alone to wallow in sin.  He will come to our aid by making us realize our transgression as the first step toward His salvation. He brings us to this awareness of sin through the agency of His angels (His elect), as was the case with the Israelites. The angel of the Lord in verse 1 is the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Father sent Jesus, even so Jesus is now sending His Christs (His elect) to show His people their sins. One of the key functions of God’s elect is to show God’s people their sins.

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

Isa 58:1  Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

In this journey of life, we should be ruthless in our dealing with the enemies within. There is no room for compromise (make league with the inhabitants of the land). Any little inclination toward error has the capacity of destroying our whole Christian walk.

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Deu 7:2  And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
Deu 7:3  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
Deu 7:4  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

We make room for the flesh when we think that it is not possible to defeat the flesh just as Israel thought they could not overcome the enemies of the land. We make excuses such as, “As long as we are flesh, it is impossible NOT to sin.” That is the same as saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” God has assured us over and over that He will give us the land!! In other words, we shall surely overcome the flesh.

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

Gen 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to [against] thy husband [Jesus], and he [Jesus and us] shall rule over thee.

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him [sin].

Our inability to obey God’s command to completely destroy the enemies of the land (the flesh) will cause God’s anger to be kindled against us resulting in our judgment. We then become powerless before our enemies, and this brings us under oppression to a point that we reach our wits’ end. That is when God brings us an angel of the Lord (His elect) to come and speak the word to us to lift us out of our situation!!

Psa 107:17  Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Psa 107:18  Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Psa 107:19  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

It is significant to know that the angel of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bochim. Gilgal means ‘rolling’ or ‘circle’ and Bochim means ‘weepers’. So what we need to understand is that even at this stage of our lives when we go through circles of defeats which brings us to our wits’ end (weeping), God is with us. This is what God is trying to tell us by the creation story when the earth (us) was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep (In darkness under the control of the flesh), but the spirit of the Lord was hovering over the face of the waters (God was with us).

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Jdg 2:4  And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 
Jdg 2:5  And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD. 

As a result of the spiritual words we hear from God’s elect (the angel of the Lord), we regret our actions and cry to the Lord. As indicated, the name Bochim means ‘weepers’. We weep, repent for what we have done and begin to seek the Lord again, but unfortunately, this is temporal as we will see in later verses. This is because when we are dominated by the flesh, symbolized by the Israelites being in league with their enemies, the sorrow we experience is of the world, and therefore it worketh death!! It is not like the godly sorrow that brings repentance leading to salvation. That is why we go through cycles of defeat and oppression.

2Co 7:9  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Jdg 2:6  And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. 
Jdg 2:7  And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. 

The Book of Judges was not written in a chronological order, and so this chapter is talking about the time of Joshua and the elders after him. Under the leadership of Joshua and the elders after Joshua, the people served the Lord!!  Joshua and the elders here represent God’s elect. What these verses are saying is that true fellowship of God’s elect grants us victory over the flesh because of the fiery word coming from His elect. We should also note that our fellowship is with the Father and His son, and when Jesus comes to us, He begins to drive out the oxen, the sheep, the doves and the changers of money from our temple which is our body!!

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.

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

Joh 2:13  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

One key characteristic of the elect as depicted in Judges 2:7 is the fact that Joshua and all the elders after him had seen the great works of the Lord!! In other words, they have experienced God’s great work in their lives. The great works of the Lord is also the good works of the Lord as explained in Psalm 107. The end product of the good works of the Lord is to bring forth our righteousness as shown in Jeremiah 51:10.

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

Jer 51:10  The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

So the wonderful or good works of the Lord is how He brings forth our righteousness through His judgment!! This is a long process with God bringing us into darkness where He seeks for an occasion to judge us to bring us to our safe haven!!

Jdg 2:8  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 
Jdg 2:9  And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. 

Finally, Joshua died at the age of 110. Here Joshua is represented in a negative sense – the flesh as portrayed by his age (110 = 11×10). Ten represents the completeness of the flesh, and eleven represents the ruin and disintegration of the flesh. The end product of God’s elect is the ruin and disintegration of the flesh to bring forth the new man to live for Christ!! Joshua was buried at his inheritance at Timnathheres which means portion of the sun!! Unless we die to our old man, we do not have a portion of the sun as our inheritance. The sun represents Christ, and so our portion is in Christ!! Gaash means ‘quaking’. So we possess Christ as our inheritance through quaking (tribulations) resulting in the death of the old man as signified by the death of Joshua!!

The Generation Which Knew not God

Jdg 2:10  And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 
Jdg 2:11  And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 
Jdg 2:12  And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 
Jdg 2:13  And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 

The verses here remind us of the apostasy of the people of Israel. The question is why did the Israelites follow after other gods?  Verse 10 explained the reason for following after other gods. It was because they did not know the Lord and His works towards them. We are aware that to have a good relationship with someone, you must know the person. If a marriage is to work, it means that the husband and wife know themselves well. So it is with our relationship with Christ our husband. As the bride of Christ, if we do not know our Husband Christ, then we will definitely end up following after other “men” just as the Israelites did here. As Paul puts it in Galatians 4:3-11, if we do not know God, we will do service unto them which by nature are no gods. As a result, we will turn again to weak and beggarly elements and end up in bondage as it happened to the Israelites.

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.

What we need to understand is that knowing God is a gift from God, and that gift is eternal life. If we are destined to be part of the elect, then at a certain stage of our walk, we will be given to know Christ. Looking back, we have all at certain stages of our lives played the harlot and resorted to weak and beggarly elements as we see the Israelites did after the death of the generation that knew God. Ironically, knowing the Lord entails going through all that the Israelites went through – that is, returning to our vomit of weak and beggarly elements. This experience is all to humble us and for us to realize that we are the worst of sinners to whom God has shown tremendous mercy.

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

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

This experience of going after other gods is actually orchestrated by God who is looking for an occasion to judge the Israelites (us) as shown in the following verses:

Jdg 2:14  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 
Jdg 2:15  Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. 

These verses of scriptures talk about God’s judgments. It is through these judgments that we learn righteousness, and as a result we avoid being condemned with the world. We are all going through God’s judgment at certain periods of our lives. There are times in our lives that it seems everything we do does not work as if we are cursed!!! We endure pains in our bodies, and sometimes we are living but mentally dead – as if a death sentence had been passed on us. We are greatly distressed at certain stages of our walk. There are times that it is as if the beast within is raging uncontrollably within us, taking us captives and causing us to do things we do not want to do. Our cry then was just like Paul saying, “Oh wretched man that I man, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

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.

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

2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Verses 14 and 15 clearly demonstrate that it is God who raises the storm and brings us to our wits’ end.

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

The end result of our judgment is that He brings us to our safe haven, which in the case for the Israelites. It means raising up judges to deliver His people from their enemies as shown in the verse below:

Jdg 2:16  Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 

The judges are God’s elect whom He raises up in every generation to bring His people out of bondage. The judges are those who go against the status quo. The status quo here is our acceptance that nobody born of flesh and blood can win this war against the beast within. Therefore we are dominated by the beast within, as we saw the Israelites being under bondage from their enemies. It is the judges (the elect) who are raised by God to defy the oppression of Israel (God’s people) by their enemies to bring liberty to God’s people. Just like Jeremiah, God has set the elect or the judges over the nations and over the kingdoms within, to root out and to pull down and to destroy and throw down. In the fullness of time, this dominion will be extended outwardly to the whole world when the kingdoms of this world will belong to Christ and His Christ. This should give us assurance that we will surely win this war against the enemies within.

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

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

Jdg 2:17  And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. 

The Israelites did not listen to the words of the judges but rather chose to worship another Jesus. God’s sheep will definitely hear God’s voice through the elect. As indicated by Apostle John, our failure to hearken to the elect shows that we are dominated by the world in us, and we only understand things of the world at this stage of our walk. However, at the right time we will be caused to hear our judges and therefore get to know God.

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

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.

Jdg 2:18  And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 

The judges in our time are the elect whom God raises up to speak the fiery word of God to us and as we pay attention to these words, the enemies within are gradually destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming into our lives. Thus, in the days of the judges, God delivers His people from the hands of the enemies. The days of the judges here represent the period in our lives that God opens our eyes to see and our ears to hear what God’s elect (His Christ) are saying. As explained in an earlier review, the word ‘judges’ according to Strong’s definition means to pronounce sentence for or against. So in the days of the judges, Christ, through His elect, pronounces sentence against the enemies within, and therefore bring us out of bondage or domination by our flesh or the old man (representing the enemies within).

Judge
shâphaṭ
shaw-fat’
A primitive root; to judge, that is, pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication to vindicate or punish; by extension to govern; passively to litigate (literally or figuratively): –  + avenge, X that condemn, contend, defend, execute (judgment), (be a) judge (-ment), X needs, plead, reason, rule.
Total KJV occurrences: 203

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9  Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

At the latter part of verse 18, it says that God repented for what the Israelites were going through. This is what makes people say that the bible contradicts itself. We know that we need to know the sum of God’s words in order to know what God is actually saying.

Psa 119:160  The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever. (ASV)

Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

From Numbers 23:19, we can see that God is not a man that He should repent. So what is verse 18 trying to imply? What we are being told here is that when we go through suffering, Christ also feels our pain. My brothers and sisters, whatever we are going through now, let’s be assured that Jesus is also going through this pain with us and is interceding on our behalf.  We can see that when Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the grave and he saw the way the people were grieving, he wept. This is to let us know that he shares our pain. We are therefore not alone in this walk!!

Joh 11:32  Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Joh 11:33  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
Joh 11:34  And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
Joh 11:35  Jesus wept.
Joh 11:36  So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
Joh 11:37  But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

2Co 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2Co 1:4  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

In spite of the law of liberty that God’s elect (Judges) bring to us, we refuse to hear them at the early part of our walk with Christ, as indicated in verse 17 where the Israelites refused to hear the judges.

Jdg 2:19  And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. 

Not listening to the judges (the elect) is the same as considering them dead to us. We consider God’s elect as dead on the streets of Jerusalem (where we were walking in time past) which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt. When we were in Babylon (Christendom), we refused to hear the Lord’s song, and so we could not sing the Lord’s song in that land when we had been carried away as captives by our old man inspired by the great swelling words of man’s wisdom which are propagated by the leaders of Christendom.  In Babylon, we are tormented by our old man. When we go wrong, the old man comes to us telling us, “As far as you are concerned, this holy living is not for you. Look at your weaknesses!! Those that God is making them sons and daughters do not have weaknesses like you. You must as well give it up. You are full of sin!!” That is what the Israelites went through when they were carried away captives and their captors tormented them and required of them a song, and that is what we all are or have gone through in our walk with Christ.

The fact that your eyes are being opened and your ears are hearing God’s elect means that the old man has started his journey of death.

Rev 11:8  and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Our refusal to hear the elect (the judges) is because we are captivated by the teachings of our Babylonian leaders who speak man’s wisdom with which we can easily identify. As a result we end up in worse state in our walk with Christ than when we started. This is what Apostle Peter was talking about in 2 Peter 2. That was what happened to the Israelites after the death of the judges. They went back to their vomit as we also had gone back to our vomit in the past.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

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

Jdg 2:20  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; 
Jdg 2:21  I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: 
Jdg 2:22  That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. 
Jdg 2:23  Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua. 

Verses 16 to 23 summarize the whole book of Judges. It shows how Israel did not drive the Canaanites from the land and therefore came into bondage; how God brought deliverance to Israel and how Israel got into bondage again. The steps are as follows:

1. Israel did not drive the Canaanites from the land when they had the opportunity to do so.
2. Israel is enticed into serving other gods of the Canaanites.
3. God reacts to Israel’s disobedience by not driving the enemies from the land. As a result, they become powerless and the enemies oppress them.
4. Israel cries to the Lord for help.
5. God in His mercy sends judges to deliver them.
6. Israel obeys the Lord during the period of the Judges until the judges die.
7. Israel goes into sin again and the cycle continues.

The rest of the Book of the Judges is a detailed account of this cycle of defeat. The detailed accounts are extremely important because they give us the tools we need to possess the land (our body) by driving out the enemies from within.

This cycle of defeat is because there are certain aspects of our lives we have not yielded to the Lord, and therefore they become a snare to us. We can see from the latter part of Chapter 1 of Judges that the Israelites went through this cycle of defeat because they were not thorough in driving the Canaanites from the land. We all have experienced this cycle of defeat in our lives when we look back. If you are at this stage of your walk with Christ, do not give up because everything that is going on in your life is according to the counsel of God’s will. It is the Lord himself who decided to leave some of the nations in our land (verse 23). At the right time, God will devise a means so that His banished is not expelled from Him. The fact that your eyes are seeing and your ears are hearing means that salvation is on the way!! Let us therefore not grow weary in our walk, for in our struggle against sin, we have not resisted to the point of shedding our blood!!

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.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses [His elect], let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us [this cycle of defeat], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

[Next study in this series is here.]

[Study Aired April 2, 2020]

Psa 148:1  Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 
Psa 148:2  Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 
Psa 148:3  Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 
Psa 148:4  Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 
Psa 148:5  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. 

Praising God is another way of saying we give glory to God, and glory is an ongoing is-was-and-will-be event in the lives of those with whom God is working as we go from “glory to glory” or obedience to obedience, glorifying God or praising Him more perfectly every day (Php 2:12-15, 2Pe 1:19, Mat 5:16) with all that we say and do. It is through Christ that we’re given to bring every thought into subjection (2Co 10:5-6), glorifying God through the process. Through Christ we are being set free (Joh 8:36) so that we can endure until the end through Him (Psa 148:1, 2Co 3:18, 1Co 10:31, Mat 24:13, Php 4:13).

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: [Col 1:27]

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Psa 148:1  Praise^H1984 ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.

H1984 BDB Definition:
1) to shine
1a) (Qal) to shine (figuratively of God’s favour)
1b) (Hiphil) to flash forth light
2) to praise, boast, be boastful
2a) (Qal)
2a1) to be boastful
2a2) boastful ones, boasters (participle)
2b) (Piel)
2b1) to praise
2b2) to boast, make a boast
2c) (Pual)
2c1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise
2d) (Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one’s boast
2e) (Poel) to make a fool of, make into a fool
2f) (Hithpoel) to act madly, act like a madman

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.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

God’s elect are those who are “counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” in this age (Mat 10:22) and are “having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled”. There is a spirit of rejoicing and giving praise to God for that knowledge of knowing we are being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, as these following verses demonstrate revealing the patience and faith of the saints which is glorifying God as we bear those stripes of rejection for the world’s sake: (1Pe 4:12-14, Act 5:41, 1Pe 4:13, 1Pe 5:10, Act 16:22-25, Rom 8:18, 1Pe 2:20)

It is the “Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word” (vs 8) that are governed by God and used to typify His power which judges God’s elect today (1Pe 4:17). He is working everything on the earth and in our heavens to that end, and so we are told “his glory is above the earth [the church] and heaven” (vs 13), meaning he is working it all — the “Fire, and hail [Isa 28:17]; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word” according to the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11) — and it is by God that all things consist, whether that part of His creation is being perfected in this life through judgment or not (Col 1:17, Rom 8:21-28).

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 [each man in his order 1Co 15:23].
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. [Eph 1:12]
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. [Luk 21:19]
Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will 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 5:5]

God’s elect are not separate from His creation being in the world but not of it (Joh 17:15-16, Joh 15:19), and are spoken of in the last verse of this Psalm 148 as those who also give glory to God because he “exalteth the horn of his people“, giving us power to overcome and filling us with praise and thanks for the obedience He is working in our lives, blessing us (1Pe 3:9) to be “a people near unto him“, with the joy of that relationship expressed so well in this earlier Psalm (Psa 126:1-6):

Psa 126:1  A Song of degrees. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
Psa 126:2  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.
Psa 126:3  The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Psa 126:4  Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.
Psa 126:5  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. [Col 1:24]
Psa 126:6  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. [The sheaves explained in Leviticus as being Christ and His Christ mentioned in our last study (Lev 23:10-18)]

It is because of that close proximity, “a people near unto him” (vs 14), we have been blessed to have with God and His Son that we can worship them in spirit and in truth and go “from glory to glory”. It is also our communion in Christ found at the altar which is the cross where we are bound (Psa 118:27) where we will receive that power from on high, expressed as “He also exalteth the horn of his people“(Joh 17:3, Joh 4:23, Heb 10:22-25, Heb 4:16, Heb 10:20, Mat 27:51).

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
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.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; [The new and living way is with the body of Christ his flesh Eph 5:30, Col 1:24].

God’s power changes and establishes us for “ever and ever” (vs 6). God spares nothing for His children (Rom 5:10), and so we see even those who don’t believe and who have been blinded by the god of this world are experiencing that for our sakes as well (2Co 4:4, 2Co 4:15-16). They are holy “the lump also” (Rom 11:16) meaning they are set apart for their specific role that is working together in our heavens for good because of God’s goodness being shown to us in this age (Rom 2:4, Rom 8:28).

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

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

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.

God declares the end from the beginning in this Psalm and uses the heavenly hosts as a type of the elect who praise God, or give glory to God. Just as the physical sun, moon and stars are coursing about in a predestined direction, so the life of God’s children are also being directed and guided by the One through whom all things consists “whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Col 1:17-20, Isa 45:7).

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

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isa 45:8  Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

As we look at these verses with the inward intent in which they were primarily to be understood, we can see God’s mighty hand throughout the entire process of our lives, and that is why we give praise and thanks to Him, because “great is thy faithfulness” to carry out all the decrees that have been written in the hearts and minds of His people. The figurative language of this Psalm helps us remember His greatness and love toward the body of Christ where all things are working for the good for those who love God and were called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).

There is a “hope of glory” being explained throughout God’s word, and we come together often to remind each other of that glory, of that praise which is ongoing and unfolding in the lives of His people. It is in “the hope of the gospel…which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven” that we can “continue in the faith grounded and settled“, and as this section in Colossians goes on to declare, it will be through the suffering and affliction we endure together as a body of Christ which will enable us to “continue in the faith grounded and settled” (Col 1:24, 1Pe 5:10-11, Col 1:23-24, Col 1:27-28).

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:

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
1Pe 5:11  To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Col 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; [2Pe 1:19]
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 1:27  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:
Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Keeping under our own bodies results in our taking the lower seat and remaining entreatable, actions that in turn keep us under our own body, the body of Christ which we are (1Co 9:27). We need every joint that supplies in love (Eph 4:16) and the safety that is found in a multitude of counsellors, and by examining ourself as the starting point as to whether we’re in the faith or not (2Co 13:5) we have the right foundation that makes it possible for us to be subject unto the rest of the body as unto Christ (Rom 12:4-5, Eph 5:21, 1Jn 4:1, 2Co 10:5).

Psa 148:1  Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 
Psa 148:2  Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 
Psa 148:3  Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 

It is “the heavens” and “all his hosts” and “the sun and moon” and “the stars of light” that are praising God and working together for a good purpose that God has purposed within the body of Christ created to be the first fruits who first trusted Him and “praise him” in a spirit of truth and love.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things [“the heavens” and “all his hosts” and “the sun and moon” and “the stars of light“] work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

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

The reason we live is to worship God, our loving Father who has given us all things through Christ, the one through whom we are accepted and able to bring all those typical elements of the heavens into subjection unto him [“the heavens” and “all his hosts” and “the sun and moon” and “the stars of light“] being far above them all through Christ.

1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [Psa 148:5]

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:
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; [Psa 148:5]
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

Psa 148:4  Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 
Psa 148:5  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.

These next verses speak to the order of God’s spiritual creation that is typified through the physical creation [What are the Three Heavens?]

It is the “heavens of heavens” and “ye waters that be above the heavens” that typify the elect of God who “praise him” for the witness of Christ in our lives, the spirit that bears witness that we are the children of God (Rom 8:16).

The “heavens of heavens” is a place reserved today for those who have God’s spirit in this earnest relation where we worship Him in spirit in truth being raised in heavenly places in the third heavens typified with these words “ye waters that be above the heavens“.

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

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

Of that group of  true believers to whom God is giving the power to continue in the truth, we are told “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created“, reminding us that we are here today by the grace and faith of Christ and were created for this purpose to show forth praise unto God who are the first fruit workmanship of his hand that “were created” and  called to have this confidence that what God has started in us He will finish.

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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:

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at the last nine verses of our study which point to that hope filled message of what God is doing within His little remnant who are blessed today to continue to “Praise ye the Lord” for His wonderful works to the children of men.

Psa 148:6  He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
Psa 148:7  Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
Psa 148:8  Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
Psa 148:9  Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Psa 148:10  Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
Psa 148:11  Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Psa 148:12  Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Psa 148:13  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
Psa 148:14  He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.

Sir,

Thank you for your previous correspondence. I am presently reading
“The biblical overview, 1st entry“ and the study on Revelation, ch #1.

Please help me to understand the scriptural agreement of Php 3:13 and
Col 1:24 in relation to the term “behind”.  They seem to be saying something
opposite, but could be that it is just where I am in my limited understanding​?​
Of course, I do know that the ‘​when​’ and ​’​what​’ of understanding is a factor of
God’s timing.

Thank you, D____​

Hi D____,

It is good to hear from you again and to hear that you have begun reading the Revelation commentary on iswasandwillbe.com. Be prepared to go through an “open door” in the realm of the spirit… the heavens of your heart and mind,​ because that is what ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’ is:

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

The two phrases​,​ “a door was opened in heaven” and “I was in the spirit”, are one and the same, both meaning that we are about to be given an exponential increase in our understanding of spiritual matters.

“The revelation of Jesus Christ” is much more than just the last book of the Bible. The revelation of Jesus Christ rests upon the prophecies of both the Old and the New Testaments. I know I wear this verse out, but I do so because it is a truth we must always remember when reading the Bible:

Psa 119:160  The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.  (ASV)

The operable word here is ‘sum’ which is completely missing in the KJV, the translation ​with which ​I am most familiar. I have quoted the ASV instead. Virtually all of the literal translations include the word ‘sum’. It is ‘sum’, and it is not ‘some’, as so many today seem to think.

So, let’s look at these two verses ​about which ​you inquire and see what we can learn of the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I will quote them in the order they appear in scripture, and we will look at what “the sum of [His] word” reveals about these two different Greek words which are both translated in the KJV as ‘behind’.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind [Greek:​ ‘opiso‘], and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Here is a cut and paste out of my e-sword of Strong’s number and definition of the Greek word translated as ‘behind’ here in Philip​p​ians​ 3:13:

G3694
ὄπίσω
opisō
op-is’-o
From the same as G3693 with enclitic of direction; to the back, that is, aback (as adverb or preposition of time or place; or as noun): – after, back (-ward), (+ get) behind, + follow.
Total KJV occurrences: 36

Here are those 36 total entries, cut and pasted from my e-sword. If you read every entry,​ then you will know what the holy spirit intended by the use of this Greek word ‘opiso‘:

G3694
ὄπίσω
opisō
Total KJV Occurrences: 35
after, 22
Mat_3:11, Mat_10:38, Mat_16:24, Mar_1:7, Mar_1:17, Mar_1:20, Mar_8:34, Luk_9:23, Luk_14:27, Luk_19:14, Luk_21:8, Joh_1:15, Joh_1:27, Joh_1:30, Joh_12:19, Act_5:37, Act_20:30, 1Ti_5:15, 2Pe_2:10, Jud_1:7, Rev_12:15, Rev_13:3
behind, 6
Mat_16:23, Mar_8:33, Luk_4:8, Luk_7:38, Phi_3:13, Rev_1:10
back, 5
Mat_24:18, Luk_9:62, Luk_17:31, Joh_6:66, Joh_20:14
backward, 1
Joh_18:6
follow, 1
Mat_4:19

Now let’s look at:

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

Here is Strong’s definition of this Greek word ‘husterema‘:

G5303
ὑστέρημα
husterēma
hoos-ter’-ay-mah
From G5302; a deficit; specifically poverty: – that which is behind, (that which was) lack (-ing), penury, want.
Total KJV occurrences: 9

Here are those nine occurrences, which I repeat, if you read every entry, you will know and understand what the spirit is actually telling you:

G5303
ὑστέρημα
husterēma
Total KJV Occurrences: 9
lacking, 3
1Co_16:17, 2Co_11:9, 1Th_3:10
want, 3
2Co_8:14 (2), 2Co_9:12
behind, 1
Col_1:24
lack, 1
Phi_2:30
penury, 1
Luk_21:4

I hope you can now see clearly that the ‘behind’ (forgetting those things which are behind [Greek​:​ ‘opiso‘]) of Philippians 3:13 is speaking of the position of time past, with all of its sins and struggles against the flesh,  whereas the ‘behind’ of Colossians 1:24, “behind of the afflictions of Christ”, is speaking of that which is lacking of the afflictions of “the Christ”, meaning you and I as “His body, the church”.

The ‘behind’ of Philippians 3:13 is the same as the ‘behind’ of this verse of:

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind [Greek: ‘opiso‘] me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

The ‘behind’ of Colossians 1:24, “…behind of the afflictions of the Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church”, is the “fiery trials” which are yet to come upon each of us who are faithful to the doctrine of Christ to the end.

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

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is [yet] 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.

The apostle Paul agrees with Peter, and I agree with both of them:

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.

Your brother who is also filling up in my body that which is behind of the afflictions of the Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church,

Mike

Part One (Psa 107:1-8) “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men”
Part Two (Psa 107:9-15) “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men”
Part Three (Psa 107:16-21) “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men”
Part Four (Psa 107:22-31) “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men”
Part Five (Psa 107:32-43) “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men”

Psa 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Psa 107:17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Psa 107:18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Psa 107:19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psa 107:21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Part one (Psa 107:1-8) speaks of the redeemed, or those who are being redeemed from the enemy against whom we wrestle in our heavens (Eph 6:12). It also speaks of how our lives are directed and guided by Christ “in the wilderness in a solitary way”, which is a shadow of how we all first come to hear the voice of the true shepherd telling us to ‘come out her my people’, “her” being the wilderness of sin, Babylon within each of us that we ‘come out of’ in order to be redeemed from the earth (2Co 6:17, Rev 18:4, Joh 10:27-28, Rom 8:14-15).

Part two (Psa 107:9-15) Redemption from the ‘earth, earth, earth’ is not accomplished in a ten second sinner’s prayer, as many of the churches of Babylon teach. As we see in this section of Psalm 107, redemption is a very hard-fought process that God is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:13), taking the old marred vessel and making it anew in the Potter’s hand, all according to the counsel of His will (Jer 18:4, Eph 1:11).

Part three (Psa 107:16-21) In order for any and all of humanity to be redeemed, the gates of brass within us must be broken and the bars of iron cut in sunder. The good news is that this imagery of overcoming the deceitful and desperately wicked heart of man (Jer 17:9) is something God has promised will happen through Christ (Mat 16:18, Rom 8:37).

This particular section of Psalm 107 focuses on how our own iniquities will chasten us so that our merciful Father can then send His word to heal us from the intended destruction which sin creates in our lives.

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

1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Amo 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

That deliverance and mercy which God extends to our marred vessels is happening to those with whom He is working in this age as God raises the storms in our life all “for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God”. This thanksgiving is spoken of only after we are shown the process of perishing that God puts us through to bring us to a point where we can “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men”. That is the stedfast pattern that is revealed throughout God’s word.

2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

What incredible hope surrounds these verses in Corinthians which explain the inner working of Psalm 107! We can liken these earthen vessels in which we live to the ships of old that had to go through the roughest of waters to get from point A to B.

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body (Col 1:24, Col 1:27).
2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
2Co 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
2Co 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

God brings us to our wits’ end, and then we cry out to Him, and He delivers us with His word which He sends for that purpose (Psa 107:20). Staying with our nautical theme, we reflect on this story in the gospels, which also parallels what we are looking at in this study.

Mar 4:35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. [in order to enter into eternal life we have to partake of the new life of Christ our Passover (1Co 10:16) and go in the direction that He would have us go – Rom 8:14]
Mar 4:36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. [it is not the masses or multitudes who are going on this journey with our Lord today “they had sent away the multitude” and so we are reminded right here that many are called but few are chosen in this age to be crushed by the stone (Mat 22:14, Mat 21:44)]
Mar 4:37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. [they took him on board, and now these storms happen, and that is the pattern with the white horse coming into our life and then the storms of war that the red horse brings next as we read in Rev 6:2-4]
Mar 4:38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish [2Co 4:16]?
Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [this section of Mark is paralleled wonderfully in this part of Psa 107:24-30]
Mar 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Mar 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? [the wind and the sea, the spirit and the flesh, the light and the dark: God is sovereign over the whole process and not knowing this as the “outward man” (of 2Co 4:16) these men reveal the answer that Christ poses in this parable “Why are ye so fearful?”. It was because of their lack of faith at this point “how is it that ye have no faith?”, and this was purposed by God and was all for our sakes (Isa 45:7-8)].

One very important point among many which we can take from Psalm 107 and this very harrowing story found in Mark 4 and other gospels (see Mat 8:23-27; Luk 8:22-25), is that every vessel of God is experiencing something which God is going to use for the sake of others and that we don’t always know while we are going through the storms of this life how our own personal struggle will one day be used of the Lord to help someone else, whether in the short term or in the long term.

What we do know is that God does not waste any experience which He has purposefully written in our books (Psa 139:16) and that all the crumbs in time will be picked up (Mat 14:20) and used to the glory of our great Father who is working all things according to the counsel of His own will, and Who has perfect oversight of the entire journey declaring the end [the foundation of his government being formed – Isa 9:7] from the beginning (Isa 46:10-13, Oba 1:21). We greatly rejoice today knowing that all of humanity will one day be filled full with the life of Christ which was being typified at that moment in Mat 14:20 “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.”

Now let’s look at more of the process that is going to make this journey unto perfection possible on the third day (Luk 13:32).

Psa 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Psa 107:17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

We have all defiled the temple of God and experienced God’s wrath for doing so, and one of the most common ways in which we all start off defiling the temple of God is by not being able to acknowledge His complete sovereignty over our lives, in all that we have learned and acquired in this very temporal life (1Co 3:17-23; in Luk 12:15 Christ tells us “Take heed, and beware of” materially and intellectual covetousness).

1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1Co 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. [the crafty fox within us must be burned out through a process explained in Luk 13:32]
1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

It takes great trials and heat to burn away our “transgression” and our “iniquities”, and if God is working with us in this age, our hearts will not be hardened to the affliction that sin brings upon us, rather we will see it as a tool which God is using to break “the gates of brass” and to “cut in sunder” the “bars of iron”.

At first our carnal minds have the man of perdition sitting on the throne of our hearts declaring that he is God, as we walk in darkness and naturally transgress and commit iniquities that are a result of being of our father the devil. At this time in our life, the beast is on the throne of God where Christ should be seated (2Th 2:8, Eph 2:6, Rev 20:4-5).

Thanks be to God His word declares that at the appointed time, Satan, “that Wicked [will] be revealed” and will be dethroned, and we will see him fall from our heavens like lightning just as Christ saw (Luk 10:18, 1Jn 4:17). That is the hope of our calling to be able to go from glory to glory through Christ, enduring until the end of our age through this fiery process of judgment (1Pe 4:17) which is keeping us alive in our Lord and dead unto sin (2Ch 23:6, Rev 15:8, Luk 10:20, Rom 6:11).

For much more on the significance of iron and brass (King James very often uses the word ‘brass’ for the metal, copper), I encourage you all to revisit studies that Mike has previously done, again showing us that these are base metals which signify our carnal and immature beginnings out of which we must come (gates broken, bars cut) in order to become the ‘wise’ of verse 43 of this psalm.

“Base Metals In Scripture – Iron”

The Spiritual Significance of Base Metals in Scripture – Iron, Part 2

“Base Metals In Scripture – Copper (Carnal Babes In Christ)” – Part 1

“Base Metals In Scripture – Copper (The Best Flesh Has To Offer – The Judgment Of The Flesh) – Part 2

“Base Metals In Scripture – Copper (The Necessity Of Copper In Bringing Us To Christ)” – Part 3

Psa 107:18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

What this verse is telling us is that the natural effect which sin has on us is to cause our hearts to harden so that we don’t desire any “manner of meat” (Mat 24:12, Heb 5:14). Without that hunger and thirst which can only come from God, we will see ourselves “draw near unto the gates of death” (Mat 5:6, Psa 107:9).

That gate^H8179 is our heart, the entry point to receiving or abhorring that which nourishes us in this case. We have looked in depth at what that word “gate/s” signify in Psalm 69 Part 3, and Steven Crook also expounds on this word in his study “the virtuous body of Christ Part 11. You can review both of those studies by going to this link:

http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/series/gate/

God has purposed that we go through this famine of the word for our own good, so that in due time, if He is working with us in this age, He will reignite our hunger and thirst for righteousness and not let the gates of hell within us prevail against His church (Col 1:24, Mat 16:18).

Once again, thanks be to God, we can “endure unto the end” through Christ (Php 4:13), and in so doing we witness to the world of His mercy and love working in our lives in this age (Joh 13:35). It takes the fiery trials described in Psalm 107 to bring us to a point where we can be partakers of strong meat which belongs “to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

It is of paramount importance that the elect narrowly escape (1Pe 4:18) and that we have all and any highmindedness and conceit burned out of us so that we see clearly that none can boast of this deliverance from the man of the sin (Rom 3:27), the wretched body of death that we have been given of God (Rom 11:20, Rom 7:24).

It is through this experience of evil and overcoming the evil within us through Christ that we, as the body of Christ, come to see clearly that there is one event unto all men and that God has mercifully shown us His favor in this age so that we can in turn show it to others in the next (Ecc 9:3, Rom 11:32).

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

Just like our Lord, it is in our trouble that we cry unto God and that we are then “saved out of their distresses”.

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:16 goes on to say “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Let us realize that the throne of grace was established for us through Christ’s suffering just as it is in our own minds which become more discerning and compassionate and loving after we are bruised as our Lord was for us. We cannot save others or be saved from our own distresses until the Lord shows mercy to us by sending His word to heal us and deliver us according to the multitude of His tender mercies which make this possible (Psa 69:13-18).

Psa 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
Psa 69:14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Psa 69:15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
Psa 69:16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
Psa 69:17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
Psa 69:18 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psa 107:21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

We will end our study this week with the very positive thought that God will “[send] his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions“, because that is what God does. He is our saviour and deliverer (Psa 18:2-6, Psa 22:4-11), and when we come to intimately experience that deliverance time and time again from our Lord, we become reassured and convinced and convicted of His mercies, and that brings about great joy and a lasting desire to “praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! ”

When we are delivered from the hand of Saul, we will want to love the LORD with all our strength, and that is why we go through these severe trials and storms which God raises so that we can learn of His faithfulness to not try us beyond what we can endure, and to learn of His tender mercies through the deliverance which He provides.

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

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Psa 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
Psa 18:4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
Psa 18:5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
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 22:4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
Psa 22:5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
Psa 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psa 22:8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Psa 22:9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
Psa 22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Psa 22:11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at Part 4 of our study as we look at the following verses which again describe the process by which the Lord brings us to be able to praise Him for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Psa 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psa 107:23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psa 69:10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
Psa 69:11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
Psa 69:12 They that sit in the gate^H8179 speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.

There is a right way to mourn for the sins of this world, and we ought to be ‘sighing and crying’ for the abominations that the Lord is showing us in this life (Eze 9:4). The emphasis as always is to first look within and be sure that we are not adhering to any of the traditions of the world that represent the vanity of our flesh (Mar 7:7).

Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

We are to do good unto all men as we have opportunity and as verse 7 of Isaiah 58 shows us, but especially unto the house of God who is “thine own flesh” that we hide not ourselves from (Col 1:24, Heb 10:20, Eph 5:30, Heb 10:25, Mal 3:16).

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

Isa 58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

It is when we are given to live the acceptable fast of (Isa 58:5-7), then we will know for ourselves what is this “reproach” unto our “soul” or what it is to become “a proverb unto them” as our Lord was (1Sa 8:7, Psa 44:14, Isa 53:3, Luk 6:23, Heb 11:25-27).

Zep 3:18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
Zep 3:19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth[^H6760 Gen 32:31], and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

We certainly are “the song of the [spiritual] drunkards” of verse 12 and their song is the opposite of ours. This is every man’s song at first, until we become sober, spiritually, by the grace and faith of God.

Jer 51:7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Eze 2:1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
Eze 2:2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Eze 2:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
Eze 2:4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
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 2:6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
Eze 2:7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
Eze 2:8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
Eze 2:9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

We sing a song to the world that speaks of a narrow way: “lamentations, and mourning, and woe”, written both “within and without” to remind us that this message is as much for our first man Adam ‘within’ who is being given the ability to heed the admonition, as opposed to those who we witness to ‘without’ who may like the fruit of our life, but are not willing or able to see the need to wear “sackcloth” as our “garment” or to heed the warning being given, by not just hearing the word but eating the roll that is sweet in our mouth but bitter in our belly (Rev 11:3, Eze 33:31-33, Eze 3:1-8, Rev 10:9).

To the unconverted world, this is the time to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die (Luk 12:19-22), whereas the elect know that we die daily (1Co 15:31, Heb 9:27, 1Pe 4:17), and that it is better to be in the house of mourning where we are reminded that better is the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth (Ecc 7:1-2) or than it is to spend a thousand days without (Psa 84:10-12) with those who are on slippery ground that God has delivered us from (Psa 73:18).

“They that sit in the gate”

With a negative and positive application revealed, the word “gate” is symbolic either of the heart of man that stubbornly withstands God or one that becomes compliant to God through judgment. But God has promised that one day we will “possess the gate of his enemies” (Gen 22:17), meaning the counsel of God will stand after our hearts have been judged, which is what happens symbolically at the gate (Pro 19:21).

Deu 21:19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

Deu 22:15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

Deu 25:7 And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.

Jos 20:4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

Rth 4:11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

We are given power to rule over or not rule over our own hearts or gates, that which enters into a man, and that which goes out of our gates, depending on where Christ our kinsman redeemer is situated in our life (Mat 15:9-14, Rth 4:1-11).


The most encouraging promise of our Lord concerning the church which is Christ’s body is that “the gates^G4439 of hell will not prevail against it” (Mat 16:18). In other words, all the ungodly counsel of evil men who are God’s sword (Psa 17:13) will accomplish only that which God has predestined for them to accomplish to His glory (Act 4:27). We overcome the negative Babylonian gate that Samson carries away (Jdg 16:3) by suffering with Christ outside the gate in this life we’re called to lose (Heb 13:12, 13).
gates^G4439

– Original: πu^G965 ́u⁹⁵⁵ ηpar
– Transliteration: Pule
– Phonetic: poo’-lay
– Definition:
1. a gate
a. of the larger sort
1. in the wall of either a city 2. a palace
3. a town
4. the temple
5. a prison
2. the gates of hell (likened to a vast prison)
3. metaph. the access or entrance into any state
– Origin: apparently a primary word – TDNT entry: 21:22,0
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Feminine
– Strong’s: Apparently a primary word; a gate that is the leaf or wing of a folding entrance (literally or figuratively): – gate.
Total KJV Occurrences: 4
•gate, 4
Luk_7:12; Act_3:10; Act_12:10; Heb_13:12



Mike,

I just ran across your site on the web. I too, am opposed to the pre-tribulation teachings and am the author of a couple of books on the subject.  I also agree with you that hell is not eternal.  But I must say that I was totally taken aback by your conclusions.

Eg. Scripture teaches Hell as destruction, not payment for sin and then earning salvation. So one would because they either reject Christ, or not having heard the gospel would pay according to their judgment for their sin, and then cease to exist or be destroyed in hell or the lake of fire.

So moving on to Thumos vs Orge wrath and your teaching.  Sorry, but in my opinion you miss the entire meaning of the gospel and being in Christ or in Him. We “were” children of wrath Orge, before we came to Messiah; but we are no longer meant for that wrath. Jesus paid the price for all that we put under His blood. Otherwise there was no need for His death if we were going to pay for our own unrighteousness; no need at all; and He says that He came for the purpose of laying down His life for His sheep.

What am I missing here?

Words are powerful, use them well. Not mine, not yours,  but only God’s truth matters.

J____

Hi J____,

Thank you for taking the time to communicate, but your e-mail reveals that you have read very little of what is taught on iswasandwillbe.com.

Nowhere on that site will you find anything remotely close to teaching:

Eg. Scripture teaches Hell as destruction, not payment for sin and then earning salvation. So one would because they either reject Christ, or not having heard the gospel would pay according to their judgment for their sin, and then cease to exist or be destroyed in hell or the lake of fire.”

You ask:

What am I missing here?”

What you are missing is this:

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

Christ did not come to save just some. He was sent by His Father “that the world through Him might be saved”, and that is what we are taught throughout scripture. I could cite literally hundreds of verses, but this one is about as direct as they come:

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.

But what you are really missing is the Biblical meaning of just who is “the Christ” who was prophesied to be rejected of His own people and the world, and to die for their sins. Here is what you, and this whole world, are missing:

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

Those are Christ words, and they accord with what He taught while He was in a body of flesh and blood when He said this:

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

It is not I who said “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute” and it was not I who said, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers you have done it unto me”. Those are Christ’s words concerning those in whom He dwells.

Now, what is the purpose for being the very body of Jesus of Nazareth? Is it simply to accept His sacrifice for our sins so we can go to heaven, or is there a function of salvation being performed by those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake to the extent that when we are being persecuted it really is the same as crucifying Christ?

As you said: “Words are powerful, use them well. Not mine, not yours,  but only God’s truth matters.” So these are Christ’s own words, which I will use to show you what you are missing:

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

So what did Christ’s Father send Him to accomplish? We just read the answer to that question:

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

How does Christ accomplish this:

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The apostle John know what is our part in the work of “the Christ” because he tells us plainly:

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.

“As He is, so are we in this world… that we may have boldness in the day of judgment”.  What then is judgment? This is what ‘judgment’ is:

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned [to a later, white throne judgment] with the world.

This accords with the rest of the doctrines of the New Testament concerning those who are called, chosen and loved of the Lord:

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

That verse is the definition of the word ‘fiery” in this verse:

1Pe 4:11  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffering as a Christian

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? [They will appear at the great white throne judgment to]:

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned [to the white throne chastening, judgment] with the world.

I did not write any of these verses, and yet here again we are told “[Ye] are partakers of Christ’s sufferings”. So what are we to make of the verses which tell us:

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

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

What we are to do is to stop denying verses like these and begin believing and living by and in them:

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. [Be not conformed to a doctrine that tells you Christ did everything for you and there is nothing He is doing in you and through you for His body’s sake]

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

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.

“I am crucified with Christ [and] I die daily… nevertheless I live [because I am] presenting [my] body as a living sacrifice…” for whom? Are we to do all of this just for ourselves and our salvation? No, and this is what you are missing:

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:

That is what “as He is so are we in this world” means. That is what “As my Father has sent me, so send I you” means. We are to fill up what is lacking of the affliction of the Christ of Nazareth, because He has sent us exactly as His Father sent Him.

I hope all of these verses, which are all in complete accord, demonstrate for you that the grace of God chastens us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts:

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

Grace is not a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Grace chastens us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts. It brings judgment and fiery trials upon us because our heavenly Father loves us, and whom He loves He chastens and judges with His grace.

This concluding verse is the fruit of the judgment that is now on the house of God, as well as the great white throne judgment which comes upon all the rest of mankind after the thousand years and the short season which follows the thousand years:

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.

I hope you are given to see that: “Words are powerful, use them well. Not mine, not yours,  but only God’s truth matters.”

Your brother who is filling up in his flesh what is behind of he afflictions of the Christ for His body’s sake which is the Church.

Mike

Hello Mike again,

Thank you for your prayers for me.

I felt my condition with an evil spirit subsided when I prayed to God to deliver me. I don’t know why, but it came back a little. Also I feel that I was released from the attachment to New age religion, thank you. I just want ask you personal question because I am confused. When you are judged by God, do you have problems to draw another breath? I cannot discern what it is that is my problem, whether it is evil spirit or it is normal.

Bad news is, and I am sad that I had to go back on anti- psychotic pills because of my problems with breathing. It was starting to get really serious; couldn’t concentrate, think, narrowing of consciousness – symptoms of a lack of oxygen (hypoxia) I think. Is it possible to be elect when someone is taking anti- psychotics – can Jesus Christ take a seat in my heavens even in a case like this, and can judgment happen? Because I had some insights into truth without pills, but with them I doubt something will happen like that. I hope that you will write me something back even when I am not discussing scriptures, but personal issues.

Your brother,

R____

Hi R____,

Thank you for your questions. I will, as always, given you the scriptures relevant to your questions. You ask two questions. The first is:

When you are judged by God, do you have problems to draw another breath?

That has never been a problem I have had to endure, except for a few minutes following a fall I had which could easily have killed me, back in 1975. I fell 22 feet head first. I just remember being unable to breath for several moments immediately after that fall. It all turned out well in the sense that there was no permanent damage, and I had a complete recovery after four days in the hospital. I know the Lord worked that experience for my good, and to this very day, I am very much aware of how easily the Lord could withdraw His breath from me.

Psa 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Psa 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

It is very instructive to know that the word ‘breath’ in verse 29, is the exact same Hebrew word which the translators have translated as ‘spirit’ in the very next verse. Both are the Hebrew word ‘ruach’, and it by far most often translated as ‘spirit’. But having problems breathing has not been a recurring problem for me. I do not pretend to know what the Lord is working in your life, but if you are having problems breathing, then that too, is under the hand of the Lord, even when it is being carried out by an evil spirit. As the book of Job demonstrates so very graphically, Satan is nothing more than the Lord’s “hand” for Job’s and for our good.

Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

It is God who is in complete charge of removing the hedge and then sending Satan to take “all that [ Job] had”. The next chapter repeats this scenario of God sending an evil spirit to afflict Job.

Job 2:4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Job 2:5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 2:6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
Job 2:7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

So our trials are not out of His hand or His control, but are instead His very work:

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:

Our trials are designed to teach us that our “old man”, our carnal nature, is designed by God to be destroyed, and through that destruction to be remade like an ugly, earth- bound caterpillar, crawling on its belly, becoming a beautiful butterfly, free to fly through the heavens.

Jer 18:4 and marred is the vessel that he is making, as clay in the hand of the potter [ our “old man… the first man, Adam”], and he hath turned and he maketh it another vessel, as it was right in the eyes of the potter to make [“the new man… the last Adam”.
1Co 15:44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body; there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body;
1Co 15:45 so also it hath been written, ` The first man Adam became a living creature’, the last Adam is for a life- giving spirit,
1Co 15:46 but that which is spiritual is not first, but that which was natural, afterwards that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is out of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord out of heaven;
1Co 15:48 as is the earthy, such are also the earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are also the heavenly;
1Co 15:49 and, according as we did bear the image of the earthy, we shall bear also the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 And this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood the reign of God is not able to inherit, nor doth the corruption inherit the incorruption;

That is what God is doing with you! It is a wonderful thing to know that the end is a glorious end.

Your second question is:

Is it possible to be elect when someone is taking anti- psychotics – can Jesus Christ take a seat in my heavens even in a case like this, and can judgment happen?

God’s elect are His elect “before the world began”.

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
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,
Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

But that does not mean that they are not judged and made to give an accounting for the evil they do that God uses to bring His own elect to repentance. God’s judgments are “fiery trials” which bring us to repentance:

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.
2Co 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
2Co 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

So then, the apostle Paul was God’s elect “before the world began”, but that was not evident while he was “yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord”.

Act 9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Act 9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Saul of Tarsus was not suffering from any form of psychosis, but he was certainly being influenced by “an evil spirit from the Lord”, which caused him to want to kill anyone who followed Christ. Psychosis is also a work of God, as indeed, He is “working all things after the counsel of His own will.” So just as Saul of Tarsus was delivered from his hatred for the people of God, so are God’s elect, to this very day, brought to repentance and are delivered from all of the evil spirits God sends to afflict them. Then it is evident that the Lord is living in His elect, delivering them from the afflictions they must first endure. I hope my words serve to give you hope for the day of your deliverance from these psychotic drugs. Stay in touch and stay in God’s Word, because His words are spirit, and His spirit will overcome all evil spirits in time.

Your brother in our Lord’s service,

Mike

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The Spiritual Significance of The Meat (Meal) Offering – Part Two

Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

The meat offering is the second of the of five types of offerings. 1) burnt, 2) meat [meal] 3) peace, 4) sin, and 5) trespass.

The meal offering is of four ingredients 1) “finely ground flour” with 2) oil, and 3) frankincense and 4) salt. We have covered the significance of an offering which does not include the shedding of blood, an offering of the “fruit of the ground.” That ‘fruit of the ground’ represents the offering of our flesh:

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The fact that part of this offering is not burnt but is given to the priests shows us that this is an offering whose emphasis is our debt to our fellow men who we are to see as Christ:

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them [the sheep] on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

So the sheep on His right hand, who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in strangers, clothe the naked, visit the sick and come to the prisoners, are the meat offering.

This offering shows us Christ in us, but it is a certain part of Christ in us. This is Christ in us as “finely ground flour… of the fruit of the ground.” It is Christ being ground to powder for us. It is also Christ being ground to powder in us. It is us being ground to powder for Christ’s body, which is the church:

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

What do we see here in Colossians? How can anyone say that there is something “behind of the afflictions of Christ? Isn’t Paul blaspheming? Did not Christ say “it is finished?”

Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

How then can Paul say: “I… fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church?”

Paul can say this because Paul knew that it wasn’t really him who was filling up those afflictions at all. Paul knew his Bible, and Paul had the mind of the spirit. So Paul knew what this verse was all about:

Exo 20:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

While this offering shows us what Christ accomplishes in being bruised and crushed to powder for us, it also shows us that this is accomplished through us by having Christ in us. This is the only offering which is not a blood offering. It is an offering of the fruit of the ground. It represents what and how the fruit of the ground is given in service to God. It represents our good works toward our fellow man, who is also Christ. The fact that it must never be offered without a blood offering tells us that our good works alone cannot save us. The fact that it is always offered with a shed blood offering tells us that our good works are not our works at all. They are rather ‘Christ in us.’

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.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by [my own efforts of keeping] the law [for the lawless], then Christ is dead in vain.

Whose works are they if they are worked in us?

Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of [our own] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Is “in the ages to come” an ‘Is, Was and Will Be statement? What say the scriptures?

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.

That is the meat offering. It is bruised for Him:

Isa 28:28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
Isa 28:29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

“Bread corn is bruised.” That is what we are if we are to be of service to our brothers. We must fill up in our flesh “what is behind of the afflictions of Christ, for His body’s sake which is the church.” That is the finely ground and even consistency of the meat offering. It was not just “finished” 2000 years ago on His cross. It ‘is, was and will be’ being finished “in our bodies, for His body’s sake which is the church.”

Christ suffered not just from His enemies. He suffered from His own apostles who left Him to whatever the Jews and the Romans wanted to do to Him. What the two-horned, like a lamb, beast wanted when he opened his mouth and spoke as “the dragon” was Christ’s death, and the seven-headed beast which the two-horned beast rode upon was willing to accommodate her.

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one [of his father the Devil – Joh 8:44], and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Second ingredient – Oil

The second ingredient in the meat offering is oil, “he shall pour oil upon it.” What does oil signify in scripture?

Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17 (a) And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:

Oil is not mentioned in the burnt offering. In the burnt offering, the spirit is signified by water:

Lev 1:9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, [to be] a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Here is the ‘oil’ being poured out on the ‘flour:’

Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Here is what that ‘oil’ generates:

Luk 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luk 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

What He reads in the synagogue tells of what He does under the anointing of the ‘oil’ – the spirit:

Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

The spirit is mentioned in this offering of our bodies to Christ in service to our fellow man, as oil, because it is in service to one another that the smoothing and healing affect of oil is needed to heal the wounds we find or inflict on one another:

Luk 10:34 And went to him [one of the least of these my brothers], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Here is the one verse which best describes the meat offering:

Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

What was the result of Him “going about doing good?”

Luk 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Luk 4:29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

All who present themselves to God to be given Christ in them will always be “the bruised corn,” the meat offering.

The Third ingredient – Frankincense

The third ingredient is frankincense, “and put frankincense thereon:” But look what is said in connection with commanding this ingredient to be part of the meat offering:

Lev 2:11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

No leaven and no honey were ever to be burnt in any offering made by fire unto the Lord. Why is that? Why is frankincense to be burnt on the altar of the Lord, but leaven and honey are never to be burnt on the altar?

The reason is that both honey and leaven corrupt when submitted to heat. Frankincense, on the other hand, is a most precious and fragrant and enduring perfume whose scent is released when heated. That is the symbolism of Christ in us as the meat offering. It is contrasted with the sweetness of honey which is in many of us until we are put through the fire of God’s words. Then all of our sweetness, like honey and leaven, begins to ferment and sour immediately. Our sweetness must never be placed on the altar of God. Here is a story which gives the contrast of incorruptible, enduring, fragrant frankincense to the never to be burnt on God’s altar, honey and leaven:

1Sa 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
1Sa 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
1Sa 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1Sa 15:4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
1Sa 15:5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
1Sa 15:6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
1Sa 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over against Egypt.
1Sa 15:8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
1Sa 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all [that was] good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing [that was] vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1Sa 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1Sa 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul [to be] king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
1Sa 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
1Sa 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1Sa 15:14 And Samuel said, What [meaneth] then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
1Sa 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
1Sa 15:16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
1Sa 15:17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
1Sa 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
1Sa 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1Sa 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

1Sa 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass [Meaning simply, clean up your life!].

1Sa 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.

These words are not for Samuel and Saul. They happened to them, and they are written for us:

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.

How can I say that these experiences were not for those who experienced them?

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.

1Sa 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1Sa 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1Sa 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
1Sa 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1Sa 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
1Sa 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
1Sa 15:30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
1Sa 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
1Sa 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1Sa 15:33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
1Sa 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
1Sa 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

This is leaven and honey in us. This is never to be offered with fire on the altar of God. It is contrasted with Christ in us. It is contrasted with the enduring, sweet, fragrance of frankincense, Christ in us as the meat offering:

Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Psa 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Son 1:3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

Who are “the virgins?”

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

This is the virgin who says:

Son 1:13 A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
Son 1:14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

It is for God that Christ is all of these things which the meat offering symbolizes in us and for us.

The Fourth ingredient – Salt

The fourth and final ingredient in the meat offering is salt:

Lev 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

All meat offerings had to be seasoned with salt: “Every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt;” But notice the next part of this same verse: “neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering”.

When anything is intended to be understood as lasting and being preserved it is called “a covenant of salt.” Salt both “seasons” and salt also preserves.

Num 18:10 In the most holy place shalt thou [Aaron and his sons only] eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.

Num 18:19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

That is why it is emphasized in this offering that there must be no leaven offered by fire on the altar of the Lord, except on Pentecost. Leaven is contrasted with salt. Leaven corrupts, and salt preserves: “neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering“.

Leaven, on the other hand, is used like this in scripture:

Luk 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mar 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and [of] the leaven of Herod.

Paul gives us this admonition using the word ‘salt’:

Col 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Speaking with grace means that you understand how God works correcting and disciplining His chosen few. When this is so, our words are “seasoned with salt” and are not distasteful to the hearer. “Fitly spoken” words are words spoken “with grace [and] seasoned with salt:”

Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

The meat offering differs from the burnt offering in that it is not all burnt:

Lev 2:2 And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he [the priest] shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
Lev 2:3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons‘: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

The priest takes a handful of the flour and of the oil and all of the frankincense to burn on the altar to the Lord. “And the rest of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons.“

While it is not all burnt like the burnt offering, it is all consumed with nothing going to the offerer. Here is what the meat offering is:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable [Greek: divine] service.

Christ in us is our meat offering, and He Himself feeds His priests:

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Psa 132:15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.

Who is “her poor?” Look at the preceding verses:

Psa 132:13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Psa 132:14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

Where does God desire to dwell forever?

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

So the meat offering, with its flour, its oil, its frankincense and its salt is intended to be consumed for the most part by man, it is nevertheless “for the Lord.” We may tend to do what we do for recognition of others. Christ in us does it all for God:

1Th 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
1Th 2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

The last thing we need to know about this offering is how it differs from the meat offering at Pentecost.

Lev 2:12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.

What is the “oblation [offering] of the firstfruits? It is mentioned in Lev 23:

Lev 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

Why is this offering not to be “burnt on the altar for a sweet savour” while the wave sheaf on the marrow after the sabbath during the days of unleavened bread was to be burnt on the altar?

Lev 2:14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.
Lev 2:15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.
Lev 2:16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and [part] of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

The reason why the meat offering of the days of unleavened bread is allowed to be burnt upon the altar as a sweet smelling savor is that its ‘first fruit’ is Christ. Christ had no leaven in Him. However, the church which was established fifty days after Christ’s acceptance as the very “first fruit to God of them that slept”, is commanded to be offered with leaven and is therefore not a sweet smelling savor which can be burnt on the altar to God:

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

We, too, are a ‘kind of first fruits’:

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.

We are a “kind of firstfruits” but the meat offering of Pentecost is the only offering which is mixed with leaven:

Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

The “bread of the firstfruits” was to be offered with the burnt offering. It was to be offered with fire on the altar.

Lev 23:19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

Leaven could not be offered with fire on the altar to the Lord except on the day of Pentecost.

Lev 2:11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

Then what is this all telling us is the difference between the offering of the firstfruit at “the morrow after the sabbath” and the offering of the firstfruit at the day of Pentecost fifty days later? Here is the difference:

Phi 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Phi 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Phi 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

As opposed to this:

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Christ in us is our meat offering accepted as a sweet savor and burnt upon the altar to God, and the offering contrasting us with Christ is also a sweet savor. It is “baked with leaven” on the day of Pentecost. Christ is all of these in us. As a sweet savor He is our meat offering. As a sin offering, the cakes of bread baked with leaven are a sweet savor and can be burnt with fire on the altar. Christ is both our sweet savor and our sin offering. He is all of these things, and He is doing all of this in us:

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:

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

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