Body of Christ – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty Wed, 26 Nov 2025 02:07:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cropped-headerlogo-32x32.png Body of Christ – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com 32 32 The Spiritual Significance of Man vs Men in Scripture https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-spiritual-significance-of-man-vs-men-in-scripture/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-spiritual-significance-of-man-vs-men-in-scripture Tue, 25 Nov 2025 22:55:04 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=34674 Audio Download

The Spiritual Significance of Man vs Men in Scripture

[Studies Aired November 25, 2025]

Introduction

Scripture’s precision extends even to the distinction between singular and plural forms. When we examine the use of man versus men throughout the Bible, God reveals a spiritual principle woven into the very grammar of His Word. This distinction illuminates the relationship between giving personal account and collective identity, between individual experience and unified purpose, and ultimately between the first Adam and the last Adam.

The Hebrew word for man, adam (אָדָם, H120), carries both singular and plural meaning. This same word describes the first created human being and refers to mankind generally. Another Hebrew term, enosh (אֱנוֹשׁ, H582), emphasizes man’s mortal, frail nature—humanity in its weakness and dependence upon God. The Greek equivalent, anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος, G444), likewise functions as both singular and plural, describing an individual human or humanity as a whole. This linguistic flexibility is not accidental but reveals God’s design: we are created as individuals in whom God reveals true identity within a collective whole, and that collective whole manifests through individuals in whom God works conversion.

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 (Genesis 2:7). Here man is singular—the individual Adam—yet this one man contained all humanity within himself. As Paul writes, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). The singular man becomes the representative head of all men, just as Christ, the last Adam, becomes the representative head of all who are in Him.

This study will explore how Scripture uses the singular and plural forms to reveal spiritual truths about our identity in Christ, examining the personal dimension of God’s transforming work alongside the communal reality of the body of Christ.

A Note on Imperatives and Divine Agency

Before proceeding, we acknowledge a crucial hermeneutical principle: Throughout Scripture, when we encounter imperatives and exhortations, we understand these not as commands requiring independent human performance, but as descriptions of what God works in us. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Even our willing and doing originate in His work, not in autonomous human effort. When Scripture says put on, cultivate, or be renewed, these reveal the pattern of God’s transforming work rather than obligations for self-generated human activity. God is the actor; we are the recipients and witnesses of His sovereign work.

The Individual Man: Giving Personal Account Before God

Scripture consistently emphasizes that God requires each individual to give account, using the singular man to establish this personal answering. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:12). This verse underscores that regardless of our collective identity, each person gives account of his own walk with God—reporting what God has worked in him. The singular man in this context does not hide behind communal identity or shared justification.

The apostle Paul declares, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19). Here the individual believer is addressed—your body is singular, not plural. God makes each person a distinct temple for His dwelling. This brings both privilege and the necessity of giving account, for if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are (1 Corinthians 3:17).

The Hebrew word ish (אִישׁ, H376), often translated man, emphasizes the distinct person. When Scripture uses ish, it typically highlights what God works personally in each individual—personal action wrought by God, personal faith given by God, personal experience of God’s work. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things (1 Corinthians 9:25). God produces self-control in each person—this is fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), not human achievement. The singular form reminds us that God works in each heart individually.

Jesus taught that God requires each to give personal account in the parable of the talents: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability (Matthew 25:14-15). Though the servants formed a group, each received according to his capacity and would give answer separately regarding his stewardship. The master’s reckoning addressed each servant individually, requiring each man to give account of what he alone had been given—to report what had been accomplished through him.

This personal dimension appears throughout Scripture’s revelation of God’s work in believers. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind (Romans 14:5). But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another (Galatians 6:4). These passages reveal that while we function within a body, God cultivates conviction in each member and works faithfulness in each one individually.

The prophets consistently addressed individuals within the nation. Ezekiel received the word: The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him (Ezekiel 18:20). Though Israel existed as a unified nation, God required each person to give account of his own experiences. Communal identity did not eliminate the requirement to give personal account of what God had worked in individual lives.

The Common Men: Collective Identity and Unified Purpose

While Scripture establishes that God requires each person to give account, it simultaneously reveals a communal dimension where men function as a unified whole. The plural form often describes the church, the body of Christ, operating together to fulfill God’s purposes. Paul writes, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12). Individual believers, though many men, form one collective entity in Christ.

The Hebrew word anashim (אֲנָשִׁים, H582), the plural of enosh, and the Greek anthrōpoi (ἄνθρωποι, G444), the plural of anthrōpos, describe groups functioning as a whole. When God addresses men, He often speaks to the collective people with a shared purpose. Ye men of Israel, hear these words (Acts 2:22). Peter addressed the gathered assembly as a unified people with common identity and destiny.

This communal reality appears clearly in the building metaphor. Peter declares, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). Though each believer functions as an individual living stone, God builds these stones together into one spiritual house. The plural stones construct the singular house—many men become one temple. Paul elaborates: Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Notice Paul’s movement between plural and singular: ye (plural) are fellowcitizens (plural), yet together form a holy temple (singular), a habitation (singular). Individual believers maintain distinct identities while simultaneously being formed by God into one collective dwelling place for Himself. This is the mystery of many men becoming one man in Christ.

The concept of the body demonstrates this unity. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). Many men with diverse backgrounds are united by God into one body through the Spirit. Paul continues, And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you (1 Corinthians 12:21). Each member remains distinct—the eye is not the hand, one man is not another—yet God causes all to function together as one organism.

This shared identity extends to spiritual warfare. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-11). Though God clothes each believer with this armor individually, He does so within the context of a collective army. The plural brethren suggests communal strength, mutual support in battle, and shared victory through Christ.

Male and Female: The Pattern of Union

Before examining the two Adams, Scripture reveals God’s original design for humanity as both singular and plural. Genesis presents a unique use of man that reveals profound spiritual truth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27). Notice the shift from singular to plural: man (singular) becomes male and female (plural), yet both are encompassed in the one creation of man. This grammatical movement demonstrates that God designed humanity to function as a unified whole from the beginning.

The creation account continues: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (Genesis 2:18). God determined to complete the singular man through relationship. When God formed Eve, Adam declared, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man (Genesis 2:23). Two distinct individuals—man and woman, masculine and feminine—yet both originating from one flesh, designed by God for reunion as one flesh.

This physical pattern establishes a spiritual principle that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ and the church. Paul reveals this mystery: For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). The singular man (Christ) unites with the collective men (the church, His bride) to become one flesh—many members forming one body with one Head.

The relationship between man and woman in marriage thus illustrates the relationship between Christ and the church. As husband and wife are two distinct persons who become one flesh, so Christ and His church are many distinct persons who become one body. The singular man (husband) represents Christ; the singular woman (wife) represents the collective church. Yet the church consists of many separate men and women who together form the bride. The movement between singular and plural throughout Scripture’s teaching on marriage and the church reflects this profound spiritual reality. This pattern of one becoming two, then two becoming one, prepares us to understand the greater mystery of the two Adams.

The First Man Adam and the Last Adam: Representative Headship

The most profound use of singular man versus plural men appears in Paul’s teaching about the two Adams. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). Here Scripture uses the singular man to describe representative heads who contain multitudes within themselves. The first man Adam represents all natural humanity; the last Adam (Christ) represents all who bear the heavenly image. One man stands for many men.

Paul elaborates this principle: For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Two singular men determine the destiny of all men. In Adam, the representative head, all humanity participated in death. In Christ, the representative head, all who are His participate in life. The entire Bible concerns itself with these two men—the first man Adam and the last Adam.

The principle of representative headship explains how one man’s actions affect many men. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12). One man (Adam) brought consequences upon all men. This is not merely forensic imputation but representative identification—Adam was not simply the first to sin; he was the head of humanity, the singular man who contained all men within himself.

Similarly, For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). The singular one man (Christ) reverses what the singular one man (Adam) initiated. Christ’s representative headship means that His victory becomes the victory of all men who are in Him. The many find their identity in the One.

This understanding illuminates Scripture’s constant movement between singular and plural. When Scripture speaks of putting off the old man and putting on the new man (Ephesians 4:22-24), it uses the singular to describe both the Adamic nature from which God divests us and the Christic nature with which God clothes us. Yet this singular man manifests in many separate men. Each believer experiences the death of the first man Adam and the life of the last Adam as God works this transformation, yet all share in one collective dying and rising from the old to the new.

The struggle between these two men plays out in every believer’s experience. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would (Galatians 5:17). The first man Adam (flesh) wars against the last Adam (Spirit) within each person, yet this is simultaneously the shared experience of all who are being changed by God from the natural to the spiritual.

Individual Transformation Within United Identity

Scripture reveals that God’s transforming work never occurs in isolation but always within the context of communal identity. God reveals to the singular man his true identity only as He places him among the plural men who form Christ’s body. Conversely, as God works transformation in each singular man, the collective body functions properly according to His design.

Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts illustrates this balance. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal (1 Corinthians 12:7). God gives each person spiritual endowment, yet the purpose extends beyond personal blessing—to profit withal means for the benefit of the whole. God’s gifting in individuals serves communal edification. Paul continues, For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-9). God gives distinct individuals diverse gifts, yet all emanate from the same Spirit working through many members to serve the one body.

This interdependence reflects both God’s work in individuals and His work in the collective. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). Notice the movement: we all (plural) come to a perfect man (singular). God matures many persons together toward one unified maturity, the fulness of Christ achieved not through any single man but through all men together in Him.

The building metaphor reveals this dynamic. Each believer stands as a living stone, yet God joins these stones properly to form the temple. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16). God’s work in each part (the effectual working in the measure of every part) contributes to collective growth (maketh increase of the body). Paul also writes, But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him (1 Corinthians 12:18). God sovereignly places each member; the singular man cannot reach maturity apart from the plural men, nor can the communal body mature if God’s work in separate members remains incomplete.

This principle appears in Jesus’ teaching about the vine and branches. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5). God causes each branch to maintain distinct identity and to abide in Christ, yet no branch exists independent of the vine or the other branches. God gives life to the singular man only through connection to Christ and simultaneously through connection to the collective body.

The Wisdom of Men Versus the Wisdom of God

Scripture uses the plural men to describe human wisdom and systems that stand opposed to God’s wisdom. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). The collective wisdom of natural men—their philosophies, reasonings, and traditions—cannot comprehend spiritual truth. The plural emphasizes the accumulated knowledge of many minds all functioning from natural understanding.

Paul continues, Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory (1 Corinthians 2:6-7). The wisdom of men represents collective human understanding operating from the first man Adam—natural, carnal, limited to the five senses. This stands opposed to the wisdom of God, which comes through spiritual revelation to those being transformed by the last Adam.

James further clarifies this distinction: This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy (James 3:15, 17). The contrast between earthly and heavenly wisdom parallels the contrast between the first Adam and the last Adam—one earthly, the other heavenly.

The distinction between singular and plural illuminates this truth. When Scripture speaks of the natural man, it uses the singular: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). The singular man describes the unified Adamic nature shared by all unregenerate humanity. Yet when describing the collective wisdom produced by this nature, Scripture uses the plural men—for many individuals operating from the same natural mind produce a body of thought called the wisdom of men.

Similarly, spiritual wisdom operates both individually and communally. God gives spiritual understanding to each believer: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5). God gives wisdom when the singular man seeks it from Him. Yet this wisdom, given by God to many persons, forms a collective spiritual understanding that transcends any single person’s perception. The body of Christ, with its many members all receiving from the same Spirit, manifests wisdom that no singular man could produce—wisdom that God alone generates through His people.

From Natural Man to Spiritual Man

Scripture traces God’s work in transforming humanity from the natural to the spiritual, using singular man to describe both states. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:47-49). The two singular men represent two communal realities—two humanities, two natures, two kingdoms.

God works in every believer this transition from being in the first man to being in the last man. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The singular man experiences transformation by virtue of being placed in Christ. This is not merely moral reformation but fundamental change of identity—from being in Adam to being in Christ, from the first man to the last Adam—all wrought by God’s sovereign work.

The process continues throughout the believer’s life as God progressively transforms. 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 (2 Corinthians 3:18). The plural we all indicates shared experience—God works this transformation in all believers—yet God causes each singular man to behold the Lord’s glory. God’s transforming work in individuals and His transforming work in the community proceed simultaneously as many men become one man in Christ.

This transformation manifests in practical righteousness. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). The singular man describes both the nature from which God divests us and the nature with which God clothes us. This putting off and putting on is God’s transforming work in us, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God works in each believer to divest him of the first man Adam and to clothe him with the last Adam, yet this is the shared experience of all who are in Christ—making it both individual and communal reality.

The Son of Man: Individual and Common Identity in Christ

Jesus’ favorite self-designation, Son of man, reveals the profound connection between singular and plural, individual and collective identity. The Greek phrase ho huios tou anthrōpou (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, G5207, G444) literally means the son of the man or the son of mankind. Christ identifies Himself with humanity while simultaneously standing as representative head of a new creation.

Daniel’s vision prophesied this title: I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14). The singular Son of man receives a kingdom comprising all people, nations, and languages—the One represents the many, and the many find their identity in the One.

Ezekiel was addressed as son of man ninety-three times throughout his prophetic ministry, emphasizing his identification with frail, mortal humanity (enosh) even as he received divine revelation. Christ’s use of this title thus connects Him both to prophetic ministry and to identification with humanity’s weakness, yet He transcends both as the perfect man who brings redemption.

Jesus used this title to describe both His suffering and His glory. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works (Matthew 16:27). As Son of man, Christ identifies with humanity in redemptive suffering, yet as Son of man, He exercises divine authority to judge all men. The singular title encompasses both personal mission and collective representation.

The title also emphasizes Christ’s role as the last Adam. And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man (John 5:27). Christ’s humanity qualifies Him to judge humanity, yet His humanity is not that of the first man Adam but of the last Adam—the spiritual nature being God’s outcome from the beginning. Calling Himself Son of man, Jesus declares both identification with mankind and distinction from corrupt mankind. He is the true man, the pattern man, the representative head in whom all men find redemption.

Moreover, Christ’s body—the church—shares in this identity. Paul writes, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). God makes believers sons through union with the Son. The singular Son of man extends His sonship to many sons, God creating a collective sonship. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10). The singular Son brings many sons to glory, yet all these sons find their sonship only in Him as God works this identification.

Conclusion: Many Members, One Body

The scriptural distinction between man and men reveals the beautiful tension between giving personal account and communal identity that defines the Christian life. God calls each of us as singular men to experience personal relationship with Him, to receive holiness, to manifest faithfulness. Yet God reveals our true identity only within the collective whole, only as He places us among the many men who together form the one body of Christ.

This tension between singular and plural, between one and many, ultimately resolves in Christ. He is the singular representative head who contains all men within Himself. In the first man Adam, all died; in the last Adam, all are made alive. The entire Bible tells the story of God’s work transforming humanity from the first man to the last, from the natural to the spiritual, from the separate Adam to the unified Christ.

As individuals, we each give account before God—reporting what He has worked in us, testifying to His transforming power. Our personal transformation never occurs in isolation. God builds us together as living stones, fits us together as members of one body, grows us together toward the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16). God causes every part—each singular man—to function according to its measure, yet the goal is not individual perfection but communal maturity. We are many members, yet one body. We are many men, yet one man in Christ Jesus.

This is the great mystery Paul revealed: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones (Ephesians 5:30). Just as Eve came from Adam’s side, so the church comes from Christ’s pierced side. Many persons form one unified bride for the one Bridegroom. The singular man and the plural men both find their ultimate meaning and fulfillment in Christ, who is both the individual Son of God and the collective head of a new creation. In Him, God reveals that we are simultaneously distinct persons who give personal account and unified members with shared identity—many men becoming one man, one new man in Christ Jesus our Lord.

]]> Numbers 36:1-13 Marriage of Female Heirs https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers-361-13-marriage-of-female-heirs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=numbers-361-13-marriage-of-female-heirs Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:14:56 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=29102 Audio Download

Numbers 36:1-13 Marriage of Female Heirs

[Study Aired January 15, 2024]

Introduction

Chapter 36 is the last chapter of the Book of Numbers, and it focuses on how we can guarantee our inheritance through marriage with Christ. In Chapter 27, we encountered the five daughters of Zelophehad who came to Moses to demand the inheritance of their father. Their father Zelophehad did not have a son but only five daughters. This is how the story unfolds in Numbers chapter 27: 

Num 27:1  Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Num 27:2  And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying,
Num 27:3  “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons.
Num 27:4  Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
Num 27:5  Moses brought their case before the LORD.
Num 27:6  And the LORD said to Moses,
Num 27:7  “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.
Num 27:8  And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.
Num 27:9  And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
Num 27:10  And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.
Num 27:11  And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the LORD commanded Moses.’”

Zelophehad means ‘firstborn.’ From the scriptures, we know that the Lord is the firstborn of creation. What this implies is that Zelophehad symbolized our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

What we need to understand is that during the Lord’s life here on earth, He did not convert anybody and therefore died without having sons. However, after His death, the church was born when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples to endow them with power on the day of Pentecost. We can therefore say that at the Lord’s death, He left us the church of the firstborn. The five daughters of Zelophehad therefore represent the church. Being five daughters means that the church is born by grace through faith, which is the significance of the number five.

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

The names of the daughters of Zelophehad reveal to us the process the church goes through to become mature to receive an inheritance. The first daughter’s name “Mahlah” means ‘disease.’ We start our walk with the Lord being diseased. That is, we were burdened by sin. The second daughter’s name is “Noah” which means ‘rest’ or ‘relief.’ It is when Christ comes to us that we begin to experience relief or rest in Him. The third daughter’s name is “Hoglah” which means ‘a partridge’, a kind of bird. It is when we find rest in Him that we are likened to a bird that has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Psa 124:6  Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! 
Psa 124:7  We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 
Psa 124:8  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

The fourth daughter of Zelophehad is called “Milcah” which means ‘Queen.’ Since the Lord is the king of Kings, being His bride means we are queens. The fifth daughter is called “Tirzah” which means ‘Delight.’ On the day that we shall sit on thrones with our Lord Jesus Christ, that will be a delight!!

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

The daughters of Zelophehad told Moses and Eleazer that their father did not have sons and was not part of those who rebelled against Moses and Aaron. However, he died in his own sin. The statement “he died in his own sin” must be interrogated. According to Strong, the statement can mean sin or the punishment for sin. Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) also affirms that the statement could also mean punishment for sin as shown below:

As we indicated, Zelophehad symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ. As shown in verse 4, Zelophehad did not rebel against Moses and Aaron. This implies that our Lord Jesus Christ never rebelled against God the father who is symbolized by Moses and Aaron. As explained, Zelophehad dying in his own sin means that our Lord Jesus Christ died as a result of the punishment of sin as the sins of the whole world were laid on Him. As indicated, Zelophehad having no sons implies that while Jesus was here on earth, He did not convert anybody.

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

The daughters of Zelophehad petitioned Moses and Eleazer to consider giving them an inheritance since it was not the fault of their father for not having sons but only daughters. At His death, the Lord gave birth to the church, which is represented by the five daughters. However, before He died, not any of the disciples was converted to become a son.

One good thing about Moses is that he consulted the Lord in everything. When this matter was brought before him by the daughters of Zelophehad, he did not use his own discretion to judge the matter. As the Lord’s elect, we need to depend wholly on the Lord for guidance and not rely on our own understanding.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

The bride of Christ or the church of the firstborn, represented by the daughters of Zelophehad shall surely be rewarded with an inheritance. Verses 9 to 11 all say the same thing but in different perspectives. We, His elect, are Jesus’ brethren, His sons and at the same time, His kinsmen that are next to Him of His family and therefore are destined to receive an inheritance. 

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

The time the church of the firstborn shall receive an inheritance is when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. That is at the time of the first resurrection.

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

With all these in mind, let’s look at today’s study which shows us what we must do to maintain our inheritance.

The Request not to Marry from Other Tribes

Num 36:1  And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel:
Num 36:2  And they said, The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.
Num 36:3  And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance.

The elders of the families of Manesseh, the son of Joseph, came to Moses concerned that if the daughters of Zelophehad married men from the other tribes of Israel, they shall lose their inheritance to other tribes over time. As a result, the inheritance of the families of Manesseh which they received by lot will diminish. The inheritance signifies the reward we shall receive in the fullness of time. Receiving our inheritance by lot means that it is the Lord who does all the work through us to make us worthy of a reward or prize. 

Pro 16:33  The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

These verses bring to our attention the fact that our reward is not guaranteed. The Bible has in several places warned us about not being able to receive the reward. That is the same as being disqualified for the prize or crown.

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Heb 6:7  For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 
Heb 6:8  But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
Heb 6:9  Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.

In these verses under discussion, we are made aware of one of the specific reasons why we may fall short of receiving the prize – through marriage. In other words, if the daughters of Zelophehad marry men from other tribes, they run the risk of losing their inheritance. That is to say that we must avoid being unequally yoked. It is not only in marriage that we become unequally yoked. When we find ourselves still under the dictates of the flesh, even though the light of Christ has shown forth in our hearts, then we are unequally yoked. 

2Co 6:14  Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 
2Co 6:15  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Co 6:16  What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17  Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
2Co 6:18  and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

In the Bible, a typical example of a man who lost it even though he started well is Solomon. No wonder his name is absent from Hebrews chapter 11 which talks about the hall of fame of faith. That is, those who had persevered in faith. The reason for Solomon’s fall was due to being unequally yoked. 

1Ki 11:1  Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
1Ki 11:2  from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 
1Ki 11:3  He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
1Ki 11:4  For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
1Ki 11:5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6  So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done.

These things are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

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.

Num 36:4  And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.

The Jubilee year is the fiftieth year. It is the time that liberty is proclaimed throughout the land of Israel as each person returns to his property and to his clan. It is a time that the people of Israel rest from their labors and slaves are set free. This time of Jubilee is when the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad shall be added to the inheritance of the tribes that they marry other than their tribe. Spiritually, we are being told that it is during the first resurrection that we come to see those who had lost their reward during their time here on earth.

Lev 25:8  “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. 
Lev 25:9  Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. 
Lev 25:10  And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. 
Lev 25:11  That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. 
Lev 25:12  For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.

Num 36:5  And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well.
Num 36:6  This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.
Num 36:7  So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 
Num 36:8  And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.
Num 36:9  Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.

In these verses, the daughters of Zelophehad are required to marry within the tribe of their father in order to keep their inheritance. That is another way of saying that we must marry only those who are in the Lord. Marrying anyone who does not share in our common faith or being unequally yoked is a sure way to lose our crown.

1Co 7:39  A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

We can easily become unequally yoked by association. We can depart physically from Babylon, but if we continue to retain in our heavens their false doctrines, then they can become false idols which will eventually cause us to lose our inheritance. 

Eze 14:1  Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came to me:
Eze 14:3  “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? 
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, 
Eze 14:5  that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.

Num 36:10  Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 
Num 36:11  For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons:
Num 36:12  And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 
Num 36:13  These are the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.

At the Lord’s command, the five daughters of Zelophehad all married their cousins to retain their inheritance within the tribe of Manasseh. We can see that it is what the Lord wants that is important and not what we desire. The five daughters may have had their preferences in terms of who to marry which may be outside their tribe. However, they set their desire aside to be obedient to the Lord since they value their inheritance more than their lives here on earth. Moses also was looking forward to the reward as He considered the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt or the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ set us the ultimate example of focusing on the joy that was set before Him as He despised the shame of what He was to go through.

Heb 12:1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 
Heb 11:25  choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Heb 11:26  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Talking about how we can guarantee our reward or inheritance, we are also told through the word of the Lord to keep our bodies under subjection.

1Co 9:24  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
1Co 9:25  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we, an imperishable.
1Co 9:26  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
1Co 9:27  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (ESV)

The question is how do we keep our bodies in subjection? The word of the Lord tells us that if we walk in the spirit, then we do not come under the dictates of our flesh or bodies. The “walk” in this case means being ‘occupied with’ according to Strong’s Dictionary. The word of the Lord is spirit, and as we desire to live by His word or become occupied with His words, the Lord enables us to obey His words and therefore we are able to walk in the spirit.

Gal 5:16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Gal 5:17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Gal 5:18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

May the Lord help us to focus on the joy that is set before us just as our Lord did and is seated on the right hand of God!! Amen!!

]]> Zec 6:1-15  These are the four spirits of the heavens which go forth… https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/zec-61-15-these-are-the-four-spirits-of-the-heavens-which-go-forth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zec-61-15-these-are-the-four-spirits-of-the-heavens-which-go-forth Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:35:34 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=27896

Zec 6:1-15  These are the four spirits of the heavens which go forth…

[Study Aired July 6, 2023]

Zec 6:1  And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. 
Zec 6:2  In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 
Zec 6:3  And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 
Zec 6:4  Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? 
Zec 6:5  And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
Zec 6:6  The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. 
Zec 6:7  And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 
Zec 6:8  Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country. 
Zec 6:9  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Zec 6:10  Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; 
Zec 6:11  Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; 
Zec 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 
Zec 6:13  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 
Zec 6:14  And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 
Zec 6:15  And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

The natural progression of our sojourning in Christ has been shown in the last three chapters of Zechariah. Chapter four was about the two witnesses who have been given the power of God to prophesy for a time, times and half a time and chapter five explains how God’s elect, by the grace and faith of Christ, come to see Babylon, out of which we are mercifully being dragged in this age. This sixth chapter details for us the four sore judgments (Eze 14:21) we must go through as we come out of Babylon, not by our own might or power but rather by God’s spirit (Zec 4:6). God’s power is used in our lives to overcome the complete beasts we are, typified by four horses, each horse having their own symbolic meaning and presence in our life-long journey of coming out of her my people (2Co 6:17). 

Most people will not love Christ’s appearing and will say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev 6:16-17). Hiding from Christ’s appearing is hiding from His judgments which we need in order to learn of His righteousness, and few are given to desire and endure that process in this life which forges that crown of life we are called to “hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Isa 26:9, Heb 12:6, Psa 107:21-31)]

Zec 6:1  And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. 

Zechariah turns and lifts up his eyes to typify for God’s elect our believing what God is doing in the midst of His people, “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zep 3:17). He looks and behold, “there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.” These chariots typify our weak flesh through which God makes his strength perfect so we can have complete assurance that we can overcome Babylon, represented by the symbols of two brass mountains; brass being the best the flesh can produce (Php 3:3). The negative example of chariots that describes the power of our flesh would be the enemies of Israel who pursued them across the Red Sea to be destroyed by those waters, which typify the destruction of our old man (Deu 11:2-4).

Deu 11:2  And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
Deu 11:3  And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 
Deu 11:4  And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day; [Joh 8:36, 1Co 15:31]

Zec 6:2  In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 
Zec 6:3  And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 

These four horses are an earlier type of the four horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8.

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, “four chariots out from between two mountains” one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 

This statement in Revelation 6:1 parallels “And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains” (Zec 6:1). As we know, Christ is the one who is riding all of these horses according to the counsel of God’s will (Eph 1:11), and there is a distinction in the old covenant witness in the order that the horses are ridden, versus the order they are shown in the new covenant. 

The old covenant reveals the natural order that precedes the spiritual order in the new covenant, and both are profitable to tell us something about our sojourning in the Lord, as the old covenant prophecies were for our sakes (1Co 15:46, 2Ti 3:16, 1Pe 1:12). The one horse that is common in its order in both recountings of four horses is the grisled and bay and the pale horse, which falls into the fourth category, both horses representing flesh and blood that cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 

Each horse is telling us something about our Adamic nature which only Christ can overcome by riding these horses to their predestined conclusion of not being able to inherit the kingdom of God. So, the fourth horse represents the persistent sickness of flesh that is naturally against the spirit right up until the end of our lives. In the old covenant the fourth horse is described as being spotted and gray (Zec 6:3 CEV),  and in the new covenant, as being pale (Rev 6:8), both symbols of our more mature flesh which still cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 

Right after we learn of the demise of our flesh, typified by these words in Revelation 6:8, “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth”, we see the glorious outcome for those who are blessed to endure until the end overcoming our enemy, spiritual death, in this life in (Rev 6:9, 1Co 15:55-57, Rom 7:24).

Rev 6:9  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 
1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ [Rom 7:24-25].

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. 

Christ is the one who has power over life and death, heaven and earth, demonstrated by His riding and controlling each of these horses to the glory of God. The statement “which they held” of Revelation 6:9 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:” is made possible by the fit man, Jesus Christ (spoken of in Leviticus 16:12) who holds the reigns of our hearts and minds unto salvation as the author and finisher of that faith (Pro 18:21, Rev 1:16, Heb 12:2)

So, what of this order? I’ve taken some excerpts from Mike’s Revelation series to give us a brief description of what each horse represents in the new covenant, which should help us see why the order is different from the old covenant to the new covenant. The meaning of the colors doesn’t change, however the order tells us something about the state of the typical overcomer in the old covenant versus the overcomer in Christ in the new covenant.

excerpts from Mike’s study (Rev 6:1-4 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/rev-6_1_4/ and Rev 6:5-8)

Zec 6:4  Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? 
Zec 6:5  And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

These four horses represent the complete or whole means by which Christ will judge all the world, each horse demonstrating a facet of that judgment which must ride through our heavens as “the four spirits of the heavens” to purify our lives so we, having done all through Christ, can stand “before the Lord of all the earth” (Heb 9:23).

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

If we endure until the end, the judgment of these horses in our heavens, then we will be used by God to bring about His judgments into the earth upon a white horse, which represents Christ’s power in us giving us the ability to judge all nations with a rod of iron (Rev 19:14).

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

Zec 6:6  The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. 
Zec 6:7  And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 
Zec 6:8  Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country. 

These black horses, which go forth into the north country, represent the elect who are judged in this age (1Pe 4:17), which judgment is required in order to be received by God being given the righteousness of Christ typified by the white horses that go after the black horses that are first judged:  “the white go forth after them.” (Light comes out of darkness Joh 3:19-21, Mat 5:14, Col 1:27)

The grisled horses going south remind us that we are still in bodies of death which are naturally wretched and do not want to be judged by God (Rom 7:19). Going south symbolizes going away from judgment, which is in the north (Joh 21:18-19). 

The bay horses ‘go forth’ representing our day-to-day living and moving and having our being in Christ like the rest of humanity (Act 17:28), the difference being that God’s elect are being judged and received by God via that chastening and scourging judgment which is endured through His love being shed abroad in our hearts, making is possible for all things, good and bad, to work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom 5:5, Rom 8:28). 

When we are judged by God, we come to our senses like the prodigal son and say, “Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.” It takes the storms of this life God raises to bring us to our wits’ end, realizing that He alone knows how to “quiet my spirit” and He does this through judgment “in the north country.” This all typifies for us how these horses, representing the powers and principalities against which we wrestle (Eph 6:12), are broken by Christ, the rider, who sits far higher than all those powers and principalities (Psa 107:26-30, Eph 1:21).

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. 

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,

Zec 6:9  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Zec 6:10  Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; 

These next verses typify the reward for those who are judged in this age (1Pe 4:17), and the names and places of those who are taken out of captivity, reveal in type and shadow language, something about the process and the fruit of the lives of those who are being delivered from sin through Christ today (Joh 8:36).

Zec 6:10 Take of them of the captivity, even of “HeldaiH2469, of TobijahH2900 of JedaiahH3048, “which are come from Babylon, and come thou  the same day, and go into the house of “JosiahH2977 the son of Zephaniah;H6846“.

“Heldai of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah” reveal to us that while we were yet sinners and part of the world, the Lord loved us, as we were known of Him from the foundation of the world and are now hidden in Christ (Col 2:3, Col 3:3).

“Josiah the son of Zephaniah” remind us that we are founded of God from the foundation of the world and that we are hidden in Christ as God’s workmanship (Col 2:3, Col 3:3, Eph 2:10).

Zec 6:11  Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; 
Zec 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 

“Josedech” the high priest represents Christ, and “the BRANCH” represents the body of Christ (Joh 15:5). The crown is made of silver and gold, which typify the unwavering desire Christ had and has to accomplish the cleansing of the temple [silver] (Joh 2:17, Mat 21:12) so that the [gold], which represents God’s word in us, can be purified. 

Christ is the one building the temple (Psa 127:1), and He is doing this through the church, through the many joints that supply in love (Eph 4:16) and bear each other’s burdens, fulfilling the law of Christ (Gal 6:2, Joh 13:35, 1Jn 5:2) so that the bride can be made ready for His return (Rev 19:7).

Zec 6:13  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 
Zec 6:14  And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 

God’s elect build the temple by Christ’s [“Josedech”] direction “and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” The four men, Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen, the son of Zephaniah, who is mentioned earlier, represent the whole (4) of the body of Christ who are sent as Christ was sent into the world to save it, if the world will be given to “diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God“, which in time they will.

The crowns “And the crowns shall be to” that are given to “HelemH2494, and to TobijahH2900, and to JedaiahH3048, and to HenH2581 the son of Zephaniah” are a “memorial in the temple of the LORD” of God’s power that worked in the lives of the very few who were blessed to experience His power working in their lives to the end that they could become kings and priests who would rule under Christ (Mat 22:14, Rev 20:6). The memorial is represented by the crowns that belong to God (Rev 4:10-11) and, like the book of remembrance, serve this same function of reminding the world and ourselves that we are God’s workmanship, and what has been accomplished in our lives was all by the hands of the Almighty and for the salvation to be given to rest of God’s creation (Mal 3:16, Eph 2:8-10, Oba 1:21, Rom 11:31).

Zec 6:15  And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

What that work of God will produce in our lives is saviors that will come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau (Oba 1:21), so that “they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.” This will come to pass if the world “will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God” which is not possible without God’s spirit within. The consummation of the ages is brought about by the lake of fire, which is what it will take for the world to finally hear “the voice of the LORD your God” (Deu 6:4-5).

The world will know that we are blessed to be coming in the name of the Lord (Mat 23:39), and in time the words that the elect fill the world with will accomplish what God has sent them out to do (Isa 55:11). If God will grant us that diligent spirit in this age, we will rule in the next (Pro 12:24). 

Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: [1Co 15:28] 
Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

]]> Study of the Book of Kings – 1Ki 7:13-22 Him that Overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-713-22-him-that-overcometh-will-i-make-a-pillar-in-the-temple-of-my-god/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-713-22-him-that-overcometh-will-i-make-a-pillar-in-the-temple-of-my-god Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:59:31 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=24740 1Ki 7:13-22 “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God”
[Study Aired November 18, 2021]

1Ki 7:13  And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
1Ki 7:14  He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work. 
1Ki 7:15  For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about. 
1Ki 7:16  And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits: 
1Ki 7:17  And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter. 
1Ki 7:18  And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter. 
1Ki 7:19  And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits. 
1Ki 7:20  And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter. 
1Ki 7:21  And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. 
1Ki 7:22  And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

In this section of the construction of Solomon’s temple we will be looking at the “two pillars“, among other sections of the temple, that typify the elect of God (Rev 3:12, 1Co 3:16). The two witnesses of Revelation 11:3, like the two pillars, witness to where our strength and power come from to witness and overcome in this life as we learn to bear each other’s burdens as the body of Christ made up of those pillars who are fulfilling the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 

Our power comes to us from God through Christ (Php 4:13). When we read about the workmanship (1Co 3:16, Eph 2:9-10) that went into the pillars in Solomon’s temple, we are learning about what God is doing today in the lives of those who He has predestined from the foundation of the world to be those pillars of truth that’s God’s government will be established upon (1Ti 3:15).

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

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

Eph 2:9  Not of 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. 

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 

These pillars being built in the temple of God were for our sakes “upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1Co 10:11).  We know we are in the last days within us (1Jn 2:18) when we see the negative example of two pillars being pushed down in our own heavens by God’s power within us which will result in the destruction of all things within (Jdg 16:26, 2Pe 3:11, Mat 21:44).

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.

1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 

Jdg 16:26  And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. 

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 

Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

The destruction that we are hoping and praying for is of the man of perdition within who will be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming (2Th 2:8). So we pray our flight won’t be on the Sabbath or in the winter (Mat 24:20).  As God’s elect we cry out to God for deliverance like Christ did (1Jn 4:17) and was heard in that He feared (Heb 5:7).

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: 

Mat 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 

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; 

As God’s pillars we are told that we must become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God (Mat 18:3-4) as we are led by the spirit of God, typified by the lad who guided the hands of Samson to push on the pillars that would kill more people in his death than he killed in all his life (Jdg 16:30). God has called the elect to die daily and to knock down those ungodly self-righteous idols in our lives that cause us to think we stand by our own power (1Co 10:12-14) as opposed to acknowledging God who is working all things according to the counsel of His own will both to will and to do of His good pleasure within us (Eph 1:11, Php 2:12-13).

Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven [to be converted and become as a little child is to be led of the spirit of God (Rom 8:14-15) that guides our old man into death going where we do not want to go (Joh 21:18)].
Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Jdg 16:30  And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 
1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

This is the idolatry from which we must flee spoken of in 1Corinthians 10:14 as we die daily acknowledging His sovereignty over the entire process, both the light and the darkness (Isa 45:7), that is accompanied with His mercy telling us that as we go through this dying daily destruction process that “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” as pillars of God in His hands that learn to joyfully bear the burden (1Co 10:12-14, Joh 10:28-30, Gal 6:2).

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

1Ki 7:13  And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. 
1Ki 7:14  He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.

When God calls us into his service we don’t have a choice in the matter as we are dragged to Christ (Joh 6:44, Jer 20:7). Solomon in this instance represents the Father who has “sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre” from where we all symbolically come. Tyre means “a rock”, but it is in the negative sense of the word rock and not the rock that church is built upon, Jesus Christ (Mat 16:18).

Hiram, whose name means ‘noble’, has been called and chosen in type and figure unto this noble calling to help in the construction of Solomon’s temple and more specifically in the construction of the pillars. Hiram who was “a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass” represents the work that Christ is doing through the church where the wisdom and understanding, unlike Hiram’s is not for the building of a physical temple but rather for the temple of God that we are that is being build by Christ (Psa 127:1, Heb 9:23-24).

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 

We are told Hiram “was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass“. The significance of this sentence is that his father is now dead who represents his old man who worked in Tyre [Babylon] with brass which represents fleshly works. Hiram who is “a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali” which means he’s come from a place of wrestling (“Naphtali”) and is now ready to come “to king Solomon, and wrought all his work” which is what we are able to do when God puts to death our old man making us “meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2Ti 2:21).

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

1Ki 7:15  For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about. 

These numbers describing the dimensions of the two “pillars of brass” represent the judgment (18+18=36) that is needed in our lives in order for the foundation of Christ to be formed within our heavens represented by “a line of twelve [Christ is the foundation] cubits did compass either of them about” [1+8 is 9, 1+8 is 9 and 3+6 is 9]. That judgment [9] leads to life [12]!

The two pillars being “eighteen cubits high apiece” are also symbolic of the two Cherubim who are accompanied with “a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen 3:24) again reminding us that the life of Christ we have within us is kept through judgment which God’s word brings to our hearts via His ministers and each other who have that sword in our lives that we pray will never depart from us (Rom 13:3-4, 2Sa 12:10, Psa 139:21-24). Once we have these truths established and along the way we then hold fast to the truths we have proven and guard the truth like these two cherubim who are guarding the way to the tree of life (Psa 11:6-8, 1Th 5:21).

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 

Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 
Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 

2Sa 12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 

Psa 139:21  Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? [within ourselves]
Psa 139:22  I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. 
Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 
Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

1Ki 7:16  And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits: 
1Ki 7:17  And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter. 

These pillars represent a place of judgment that is needful if we are going to enter into a right relationship with God. The physical location of these pillars in the temple reminds us of the order that leads us into the holiest place which represents where we can boldly go to obtain mercy and help in time of need (Rom 2:4, Heb 4:16, 1Jn 2:1).

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 [through the pillars – Eph 3:10]?

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. 

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

The “two chapiters of molten brass” that are “set upon the tops of the pillars” which are both “five cubits” in height are a witness [2] of how we are saved “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).

The positioning of these “chapiters“H3805 “upon the tops of the pillars” is significant as well, seeing it is only when we are granted to be abased through the chastening grace of God teaching us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust in this age (Tit 2:12) that we can through that process of suffering, which is brought about by judgment, be among those who will receive a crown of life (2Ti 4:8) that is represented by these crown-like structures that are “upon the tops of the pillars” (2Ti 2:12). Our salvation will come about through His leading us unto repentance (Rom 2:4) that requires we learn to not grow weary of that correction as we patiently possess our souls in this life by the strength God gives us to do this through Christ (Heb 12:6, Luk 21:19).

Network, lattice, and checker are all the same Strong’s number H7639, and in the positive use of the word snare, these “nets of checker work” remind us how we are bound to the altar (Psa 118:27) as Jeremiah was in type and shadow realizing he was bound to his commission unto the Lord (Jer 20:7).

The “wreathsH1434 of chainH8333 work” reminds us also in the positive sense how we are bound to Christ on his chest like the breastplate with chains of Exodus 39:14-15 and John 13:23. The word wreathsH1434 is also used in Deuteronomy 22:11-12 which tells us that our whole [4] relationship with Christ is to be pure and not mixed with another cloth as we are being covered with His righteousness, and the linen is the righteousness of the saints (Rev 19:8).

Exo 39:14  And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes. 
Exo 39:15  And they made upon the breastplate chainsH8333 at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. 

Joh 13:23  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

H7639 śebâkâh seb-aw-kaw’:  Feminine of H7638; a net work, that is, (in hunting) a snare, (in architecture) a ballustrade; also a reticulated ornament to a pillar: – checker, lattice, network, snare, wreath (-enwork).

Total KJV Occurrences: 17

network, 5 1Ki_7:18, 1Ki_7:20, 1Ki_7:42, Jer_52:22-23 (2)
networks, 2 1Ki_7:41-42 (2)
work, 2 2Ki_25:17 (2) 
wreathen, 2 2Ki_25:17 (2) 
wreaths, 2 2Ch_4:12-13 (2) 
checker, 1 1Ki_7:17
lattice, 1 2Ki_1:2
snare, 1 Job_18:8
wreath, 1 2Ch_4:13

1Ki 7:18  And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.

The chapiters were covered with a lattice, or ‘network’H7639 as it is expressed in the KJV. In another instance, not related to the temple, this Strong’s number is used in the KJV is in 2Kings 1:2, where we read of Ahaziah the king of Israel making this request to enquire of “Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease” having fallen through the “latticeH7639, in his upper chamber”. What needs to be noticed in this story is that the lattice did not prevent him from falling and going to “enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron” which would be equivalent to one going to find spiritual healing in the churches of Babylon. There is no stay of bread or water at their table (Isa 3:1) that can bring spiritual healing, “for he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snareH7639” (Job 18:8 – same Strong’s number).

2Ki 1:2  And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

If we compare this story to Christ who was in the upper room at the last supper (Mar 14:15), we then see the example of where true healing and life comes through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and are reminded how our spiritual healing comes about by touching the hem of His garment (Luk 8:43-44). The high priest, who is a type of Christ, had pomegranates around the hem of his garments (Exo 28:34), and we can connect these thoughts together to see that these chapiters that had lattice work represent the strength of our relationship with Christ.  It is something we receive when we are granted repentance, which is symbolized by the blood red fruit of the pomegranates, found on these raised chapiters as well as on the garment of the high priest, which represents Christ’s blood “which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mat 26:27-28).

Mar 14:15  And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 

Luk 8:43  And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 
Luk 8:44  Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 

Exo 28:33  And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 
Exo 28:34  A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

Mat 26:27  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 
Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

1Ki 7:19 And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.

The chapiters were on the top of the pillars, and they were four cubits in size and “of lily work” which reveals to us that the whole (4) (1Co 15:22) of mankind will be saved through Christ and His Christ (Son 2:1, Act 4:12, Oba 1:21).

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

Son 2:1  I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 

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

1Ki 7:20 And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter. 

There were two hundred pomegranates in rows around each cap or chapiter that covered these two pillars. The “belly” was the rounded area at the top by the network or lattice. The two hundred pomegranates in rows that are round about upon both chapiters represents the salvation of all [4×50=200] men by grace [5×10] through faith (Eph 2:8) that will come through the body of Christ (Rom 10:17) whose witness of having eyes within and round about the entire pillar is represented by the pomegranates (Rev 4:8, 2Ch 16:9, Eph 5:30, 1Co 12:17, 1Co 12:21). Unless the Lord had given us those eyes we could have never understood how our communion in God is connected to the body and blood of Christ, which fruit of repentance is demonstrated with the pomegranates (1Co 10:16). They are also next to the lily which shows us that this work of salvation is being accomplished through the strength God gives us through Christ (2x10x10=200). We have been eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord unworthily most of our lives and as such were guilty of the body and blood of the Lord (1Co 11:27). It is only when we are given to acknowledge our transgressions as we’re led to repentance (Rom 2:4) that we are truly being blessed with the strength of Christ’s life within us, which is life indeed (Joh 6:51-57).

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

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

1Co 11:27  Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 

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? 

Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world [Eph 5:30].
Joh 6:52  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 
Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you [Eph 5:30, 1Jn4:6]. 
Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day [Heb 10:25]. 
Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 
Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 
Joh 6:57  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

1Ki 7:21  And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. 
1Ki 7:22  And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished. 

Setting up “the pillars in the porch of the temple” the right pillar and the left pillar is represented by this verse:

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.

The pillar on the right is called “JachinH3199” which means ‘he will establish‘ the ‘right’ representing the power of God that makes it possible for our lives to be established in Christ.

The one on the left is called “BoazH1162” which means ‘fleetness‘ tying into the word “spoudazō” that we heard on the Sunday study. We must be diligently about our Father’s business (Luk 2:49), and if Christ is working in us we will be consumed for the temple as He was because we are as He is with God’s spirit within us (Col 1:27, Rom 8:9).

Having God’s spirit within us (Rom 8:9) is typified by the lilys which are mentioned in the same context of these two pillars. It is therefore Christ alone who can do this work within us, and all glory and honour are his “upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished“, which is what this section of Kings is telling us.

Excerpt from Mikes study:

‘To him who overcometh’ is something God has already predetermined from the foundation of the world as to whom that will be, and in line with this last thought, the fruit on the tree is what should determine at the end of this age who has this spirit of spoudazō and who does not (1Pe 2:9, Tit 2:14, Rev 3:12).

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 6:63, Mat 5:14-16]:

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

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

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

]]> The Book of Hebrews – Heb 13:11-25 “Obey Them That Have the Rule Over You, and Submit Yourselves” https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-book-of-hebrews-heb-1311-25-obey-them-that-have-the-rule-over-you-and-submit-yourselves/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-book-of-hebrews-heb-1311-25-obey-them-that-have-the-rule-over-you-and-submit-yourselves Thu, 13 May 2021 20:15:50 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=23546

Heb 13:11-25 “Obey Them That Have the Rule Over You, and Submit Yourselves”

[Study Aired May 13, 2021]

Heb 13:11   For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Heb 13:16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Heb 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Heb 13:18  Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
Heb 13:19  But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Heb 13:20  Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Heb 13:21  Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Heb 13:22  And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.
Heb 13:23  Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.
Heb 13:24  Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.
Heb 13:25  Grace be with you all. Amen.

This section of Hebrews reveals to us how we can avoid being “carried about with divers and strange doctrines” (Heb 13:9), and one of the main points that will be made over and again to prevent this from happening is our being persuaded (Heb 13:17) of our need to remember them that have the rule over us, mentioned three times in just this one chapter of Hebrews (Heb 13:7, Heb 13:17, Heb 13:24).

The scriptures we will look at in this study show us the sound pattern God has given us, which is realized through judgment upon our sinful flesh (1Pe 4:17, 1Jn 4:17).

When we go outside the camp with Christ (Heb 13:13) we are doing so in order to cease from sinning, livingG980[G5658 = aorist] the rest of our time in this flesh not to the lusts of men, but to the will of God where there is no condemnation in Christ because we no longer walkG4043 [G5723 = present (today)] after the flesh but in the spirit (1Pe 4:1-3, Rom 8:1-2). When we obey them that have the rule over us and follow each other as we follow Christ, we are in fact setting our “affection on things above (Eph 2:6), not on things on the earth” knowing and being persuaded that “your life is hid with Christ in God” which is what it means to have eternal life which we now have in earnest (Col 3:2-3, Joh 17:3, the world’s earnest expectation – Rom 8:19, the body of Christ’s earnest of our inheritance – Eph 1:14).

Our Father in heaven is likened to a husbandman (Jas 5:7-8). and the fruit that is first manifested in the lives of God’s elect is what He is producing, which will result in our being able to “walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Col 4:5-6). We are walking in wisdom when we “obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves”, and the fruit of that spiritual endeavour is described for us as well in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Jas 5:8  Be ye also patient[Luk_21:19]; stablish your hearts [1Pe 5:10, 1Pe 4:12] :for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Col 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

1Th 5:16  Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17  Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.

What of these beasts whose bodies are brought into the sanctuary by the priest for sin? What does this represent, and why must this be burned “without (outside) the camp“?

These beasts represent us, and the knowledge of who we are as beasts does not come about unless the Lord makes that knowledge manifest (Ecc 3:18).

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

The manifold wisdom of God which makes it possible for us to come to know God and Jesus Christ (Joh 17:3) is being made known or manifest through the church (Eph 3:10, Rom 1:19, 2Co 2:14) and no man can come unto Christ the High Priest who is in the temple that we are (1Co 3:16, Col 1:27), unless the Father drags us there (Joh 6:44).

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 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them [“by the church”].

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me drawG1670 = “drag” [G5661 = aorist] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

This dragging process is being talked about when it says “whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin“. It is our Adamic sinful flesh that is on trial, and we are all guilty of all and therefore, like our Lord, we are “burned without the camp” as we overcome through Christ being nourished by the very living sacrifice we have become through Him (Lev 4:1-21, Heb 13:13, Rom 12:1, Gal 2:20).

Lev 4:3  If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.

[The anointed priest in this instance is the elect, and the bullock represents Christ who is the sin offering.]

…Lev 4:5-7  And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary. And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

…Lev 4:11-12  And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung, even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.

Lev 4:13  And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance [Rom_3:23], and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
Lev 4:14  When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.

[The young bullock represents Christ, who is sacrificed for the sins of the whole congregation, representing all the worldJoh_3:16]

Lev 4:15  And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
Lev 4:16  And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock’s blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
Lev 4:17  And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the vail.
Lev 4:18  And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 4:19  And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.
Lev 4:20  And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
Lev 4:21  And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. [Col 1:24]

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.

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. [We lay down our lives for each other (Joh 15:13), 1Jn 3:16)]

Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

Suffering “without the gate” or being “burned without the camp” are the same thing, and it represents our coming out of the knowledge of this world, the wisdom of men, as we begin to live by the power of God (1Co 2:5, Pro 9:10, Luk 12:5) that tells us we must lose our life in order to gain it (Mat 10:39) and suffer “without the gate” with Christ who is represented by the bullock that is burned outside the camp (Pro 24:7, Col 1:24, Exo 29:14). Christ “gave himself for [us]” so we could live the rest of our lives “by the faith of the Son of God”, and that is what happens when we die daily and are “born of God”(Gal 2:20, 1Jn 5:4).

1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Pro 24:7  Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

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:

Exo 29:14  But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

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

The rich young ruler does not want to give up his knowledge, his own righteousness, by going outside the camp with Christ by selling all he has so he can then obtain the true riches and wisdom that comes with suffering, with the people of God who are being “born again” (Mat 19:21, Luk 13:32, Heb 11:25-27, Joh 3:3, Luk 17:21).

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 [the riches of the world], not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

That “strait gate” God’s elect are blessed to enter into and are heading toward is described for us in this parable of Christ found in Luke 13:22-33. Christ has to direct and control the foal of an ass in order for it, the beast, to enter into the gate, which again represents the wisdom of Christ toward which He directs us by giving us eyes to see and ears to hear (Mat 13:11). Otherwise we would continue to be ever searching and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (Mat 21:5, Joh 12:14-16, 2Ti 3:7).

Luk 13:22  And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

[Regarding God’s sovereignty, we are told we are journeying toward a city (Heb 11:10), which in the elect’s case is the city called “Jerusalem above, the mother of us all” (Jas 4:13-15, Heb 6:3, Gal 4:26]

Luk 13:23  Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able [Mat 22:14].
Luk 13:25  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Luk 13:26  Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence [Isa_4:1], and thou hast taught in our streets.
Luk 13:27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. [Php 3:9]
Luk 13:28  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

[‘When the world finally sees the spiritual completion through judgment (3) 1Pe 4:17) that God’s elect have gone through, represented by this parable of three men “Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob“, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’]

Luk 13:29  And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
Luk 13:30  And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. [Mat 22:14]
Luk 13:31  The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee [Luk_12:5].
Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
Luk 13:33  Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. [Gal 4:26]

[We cannot die daily unless we are blessed to be bound to the altar (Psa 118:27) pursuing our dying daily relationship with Christ (1Co 15:31) as we journey toward Jerusalem which is above (Gal 4:26) through Christ (Php 2:12-13) being blessed to be raised in this heavenly place where we must perish or die daily outside the camp or the gate.]

Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Heb 13:16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

We have so much to be thankful for when we can believe in the faithfulness of the one to whom we have committed our souls (1Pe 4:19) who tells us that “here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Heb 11:10, Psa 127:1). We are finding that “one to come” through Christ “by him” being accepted in him (Eph 1:6).

1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

How much praise, how much thankfulness should be on our lips? The answer is: “therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” as also confirmed with these verses: (1Th 5:16-18).

1Th 5:16  Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17  Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Th 5:19  Quench not the Spirit.
1Th 5:20  Despise not prophesyings.
1Th 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

The context is relevant here in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18, reminding us that when we are not continually thankful, we will in fact quench God’s spirit within, but if God is working with us it will be through judgment that we will learn to appreciate more and more the fruit which this judgment brings about as we pass from death to life and grow in our ability through Christ to love and encourage each other as a healthy joint in Christ’s body (1Jn 3:14, Eph 4:16).

Luk 17:13  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luk 17:16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
Luk 17:18  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luk 17:19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole [1Jn 5:4].

Heb 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

It is important to understand in these last few verses of the book of Hebrews what is being told to us when we are commanded to “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves“.

We all must give an accounting to God today if we are His elect, and those who are in leadership positions are to look well to themselves and to the flock “over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God” (Act 20:28).

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

That looking well to ourselves is accompanied with the knowledge that “we shall receive the greater condemnation” or judgment so that we can properly call ourselves leaders not just in name but by being a tree that is known by the fruit of our life (Mat 7:16, 1Ti 3:1-7) that God’s judgment upon us will bring about (Jas 3:1, Joh 15:1-8).

Jas 3:1  My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnationG2917.

Joh 15:1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit [Heb 12:6].
Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing [1Co_3:14].
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned [1Co_3:15].
Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

That word condemnationG2917 in James 3:1 is the same Strong’s number found in Romans 2:2-3 translated as “judgment”.

Jas 3:1  My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnationG2917.

Rom 2:2  But we are sure that the judgmentG2917 of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgmentG2917 of God?

As long as we do not despise “his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance”, we will be blessed by that process of judgment which is upon all of us so that our love may be made perfect (1Pe 4:17, 1Jn 4:17-18).

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

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

God’s leaders are held to a very high standard as “they watch for your souls, as they that must give account [of both themselves and the little flock], that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you“. We should have joy in our hearts, and that joy of the Lord is our strength which we pray will never leave us (Neh 8:10, Php 4:4).

Neh 8:10  Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

They are helpers of your joy (2Co 1:24) and should always want to bring that good report to our Father which brings great joy as we labour in the word that does not perish, and see the fruit of that labour reflected in the desire of our family to want to walk in the truth (3Jn 1:4). So with this all in mind, let’s look at the meaning of the words obeyG3982 and submitG5226 in this verse:

Heb 13:17  ObeyG3982 them that have the rule over you, and submitG5226 yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Php 1:6 Being confidentG3982 [“obeyG3982“] of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Heb 13:7  Remember them which have the rule over G2233,[esteemG2233 1Th 5:13] you who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

“Them which have the rule over”G2233 hēgeomai hayg-eh’-om-ahee Middle voice of a (presumed) strengthened form of G71; to lead, that is, command (with official authority); figuratively to deem, that is, consider: – account, (be) chief, count, esteem (1Th 5:13), governor, judge, have the rule over, suppose, think.

Heb 13:24  Salute all them that have the rule over youG2233, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.

1Th 5:13  And to esteemG2233 them very highly in love for their work’s sake [Php 2:12-13, 1Co 11:1, 2Co 1:24]. And be at peace among yourselves.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyedG5219 [hupakouō hoop-ak-oo’-o = to listen, to harken] 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.

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

2Co 1:24  Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand [Rom 3:27, 1Co 3:6, Eph 2:8, 1Jn 5:4, 1Co 3:5].

There is safety in a multitude of counsellors (Pro 11:14) and the spiritual battles we fight in this life are established with wise counsel as that counsel helps us make sense of the process of maturing that we are all going through so we can go on to perfection by being stablished, strengthened and settled by God through Christ (Pro 20:18, 1Pe 5:10).

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.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; [Gal 2:20] and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Being persuaded of someone and finding safety in a multitude of counsellors means that we are trying the spirits upon the word of God (1Jn 4:1-6). God will reveal His mind through our obedience to that word (Act 15:28), which is what it means to be led by the spirit of God that convicts us that we are His sons. (1Co 14:37-40, 1Co 2:16, Rom 8:14-16).

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world [Col_1:27 , Exo_29:14].
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 hearethG191=akouō ak-oo’-o not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us [‘the multitude and consensus‘], to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

1Co 14:35  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church [Rom_1:20].
1Co 14:36  What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1Co 14:37  If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
1Co 14:38  But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
1Co 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues [1Co 14:3].
1Co 14:40  Let all things be done decently and in order.

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. [‘a mind that does things decently and in order‘]

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
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.
Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: [“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us” (Act 15:28)]

All that we just read is how we “walk in the truth” of 3John 1:4.

3Jn 1:3  For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
3Jn 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Heb 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

We all need each other’s prayers, but Paul in this instance in regards to maintaining “a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly“, asked the brethren to “pray for us“, the elders, just like Christ prayed for Peter who He knew Satan wanted to sift like wheat (Luk 22:31-32, Mat 26:31). When we don’t “obey them that have the rule over you”, we are in essence smiting the shepherd “and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad”, so we need to obey that commandment to pray for one another that we can be healed (Jas 5:16).

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

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

We are all weak and have infirmities and God is making his strength perfect through that weakness (2Co 12:9), and it is by the fervent continual prayers of the righteous that we are all held up. When we pray for our leaders, we are in effect praying that the Lord will not let their faith fail so that they may continue to do the work of strengthening the brethren: “when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Jas 5:16).

Those prayers are needed “for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly” (Mat 26:41). We want to continue to trust Him by putting off our flesh as we help each other bear the burdens of this life which we need in order to keep us humble and under our body (1Co 9:26-27).

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

Heb 13:19 But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Paul goes on to say what he believes these prayers will accomplish, by simply saying: “But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner“.

His desire was to “be restored to you the sooner” just as we desire the coming together of the saints every chance the Lord provides. So we should continue to pray that God will make a way for that to happen (Mal 3:16, Heb 10:25).

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

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 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

These closing statements and blessings of God’s apostle Paul pronounced upon the church of his day is being pronounced in our lives right now through Christ who is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8).

What more reassuring words could be uttered that remind us of Romans 5:10-11 by stating how great God’s power is that will accomplish what He has ordained from the foundation of the world by saying, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will, (Php 2:12-13) working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.“

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

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.

Heb 13:22 And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.
Heb 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.

This final salutation in this book of Hebrews is a confirmation of Christ’s words to possess our souls patiently found in Luke 21:19 as Paul beseeches us to “suffer the word of exhortation” because in doing this we will be blessed to hear those words of encouragement and exhortation which help us understand our liberty in Christ (2Co 3:17, Joh 6:63).

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

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Paul knew “Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue”. This is the good fight of faith to which we are all called, and Paul was reminding the church to know those who labour among you by saying of Timothy, who was like a son unto Paul, “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you“. That liberty came about by Timothy learning from Paul, having the humility to be teachable like a son to a father, suffering “the word of exhortation” (Php 2:22, 1Ti 1:2).

Php 2:22  But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

1Ti 1:2  Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

Heb 13:24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.
Heb 13:25 Grace be with you all. Amen.

Finally, going back to the title in this study, “obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves“, we are again reminded of the same admonition with these similar words “Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.“

God’s favour or “Grace” will truly be upon us if we can be blessed to learn to “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit [ourselves]“.

Grace be with you all. Amen.

]]> The Book of Jeremiah – Jer 8:12-22 Is There no Balm or Physician in Gilead? https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-book-of-jeremiah-jer-812-22-is-there-no-balm-or-physician-in-gilead/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-book-of-jeremiah-jer-812-22-is-there-no-balm-or-physician-in-gilead Sun, 09 May 2021 02:17:58 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=23522 https://www.dropbox.com/s/tgkqh2m1492r07d/20210509-Study_MikeV_BalminGilead.m4a?raw=1

Jer 8:12-22 Is There No Balm or Physician in Gilead?

[Study Aired May 9, 2021]

Jer 8:12  Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Jer 8:13  I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
Jer 8:14  Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
Jer 8:15  We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!
Jer 8:16  The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.
Jer 8:17  For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.
Jer 8:18  When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
Jer 8:19  Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
Jer 8:20  The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
Jer 8:21  For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
Jer 8:22  Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

In our study today, the details of our judgment in this present time continue to be revealed, and in revealing to us our own judgment we are also told that the kingdoms of this world are groaning and travailing together with us as we are being judged:

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.

We must realize that our birth precipitates the death of our old man just as the birth of the nation of Israel precipitated the destruction of Egypt when the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt:

Exo 10:7  And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

The ten plagues which the Lord brought upon Egypt were His judgment against Egypt for enslaving Israel. The whole experience typifies His judgment against our own stubborn and rebellious flesh. In other words, the ten plagues upon Egypt typify the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the seven last plagues which are required to reveal Christ within us. It is a testimony against just how stubborn our corruptible flesh is. It is a testimony of how the Lord hardens our hearts against Himself to the point that we are literally as shameless in our sins and transgressions against Him as Pharaoh was of slaying all the firstborn males of Israel.

Therefore, it is of our own old man that we are told:

Jer 8:12  Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Jer 8:13  I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.

“The time of [our] visitation” is the time of our judgment. All men reap the fruits of their own ways, either in this present time or later:

Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

“There shall be no grapes on the vine nor figs on the tree” means there will be no fruit at all produced in us while we are in the realm of spiritual Babylon. Isaiah had said the exact same thing in these words:

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

In time, if the Lord makes us aware of what He is doing, we are made to realize that we are being judged in this present time, and in time we “learn righteousness”:

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

We are told in the New Testament that it is through the chastening work of the Lord’s grace in our lives that we learn 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: paideuō, chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

“Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” is just another way of saying that we are the “inhabitants of the world [who are] learning righteousness [through the] chastening… grace of God”.

This entire prophecy of Jeremiah is all about what we endure while being humbled and chastened to “learn righteousness”:

Jer 8:14  Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

It requires years of offering the loquacious offering of “a multitude of [a fool’s] words” before we learn to be silent before the Lord and appreciate the fiery work of His chastening grace in our lives:

Job 40:3  Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Job 40:4  Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
Job 40:5  Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

Ecc 5:1  Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Ecc 5:2  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Ecc 5:3  For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

It requires years of self-righteously looking down on “other men”, before we are given to see that we must get the log out of our own eye before we attempt to get the speck out of our brother’s eye:

Mat 7:1  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10  Two men [our self-righteous old man and our new man] went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

However, the Lord first blinds us to the fact we are spiritually blind until the day He begins to humble us and to open our eyes to acknowledge just how blind we have been from birth:

Isa 42:19  Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant?

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

If our heavenly Father has our name written in His book of life for this present time, then we will be searching for peace and wondering why it seems that nothing ever works out as we wish. We will wonder why God seems to have forsaken us as He pours out His chastening wrath upon us in the presence of the whole world as we are being judged and as we are being crucified with Christ:

1Co 4:9  For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

Gal 2:20  I was crucified together with Christ, and thus it remains (or: I have been jointly put on the crucifixion stake in Christ, and continue thus), yet I continue living! [It is] no longer I, but it is Christ continuously living within ME! (or: No longer an “I” — now Christ constantly lives within, and in union with, me). Now that which I, at the present moment, continue living within flesh, I am constantly living within faith by and in the Son of the God loving me and giving Himself over to another for the sake of me (or: even transmitting Himself, over me; also passing Himself along for me). (John Mitchell New Testament).

Galatians 2:20 is written with the understanding of our judgment being upon us in this present time. However, it requires much time and much chastening to have our eyes opened to that understanding.

Until that time:

Jer 8:15  We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!
Jer 8:16  The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.

“The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan” signifies that a powerful king has arrived to mete out judgment, which ‘judgment’ in scriptural terms always comes “from Dan… from the north”.

A few verses will suffice to make the point that ‘Dan’ is the northern most tribe in Israel, and that judgment always comes from the north:

Jdg 20:1  Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

1Sa 3:20  And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

2Sa 3:10  To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.

Eze 9:1  He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near,  even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Eze 9:2  And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.

Add to all this the meaning of the name ‘Dan’, and the connection to our judgment in this present time becomes much clearer:

Rachel felt that her barren womb was the Lord’s judgment upon her, and when she gave her maid, Billah, to Jacob as a wife she made this statement when Billah bore Jacob a son:

Gen 30:6  And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

Just before his death, Jacob blessed his sons and said this of Dan:

Gen 49:16  Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

We are “the land… the city… and those that dwell therein” (Jer 8:16) which is devoured in judgment as the Lord proceeds to humble us and bring us to our wits’ end:

Psa 107:25  For he [the Lord] commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.

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

It is all His work of judging us, and His judgments include these words:

Jer 8:17  For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.

Serpents symbolize the adversary and his messengers. They are sent to us from the Lord just as Satan was sent from the Lord to try Job (Job 1 and 2). The Lord sends lying spirits in the mouths of false prophets:

1Ki 22:23  Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

“Lying spirits” bring poisonous lies and false doctrines into our hearts and minds when we are bitten of them. However, we are blinded by the Lord to their deadly venom to the extent that we do not even feel the pain which the Lord gives them to inflict upon us:

Isa 42:24  Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.
Isa 42:25  Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

We all spend our own ‘70 years’ in the bondage of Babylon totally unaware of the fact that we are a captive of our own sinful ways and our own transgressions, which we refuse to acknowledge:

Jer 3:12  Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

Jer 25:8  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,
Jer 25:9  Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Jer 25:10  Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
Jer 25:11  And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

For what seems an eternity the Lord pours out His fury upon us, and yet we are unaware of the Truth that He is ruling in the kingdoms of men. We are unaware that all our trials currently in our experience are Him working them within us, judging us and dragging us to Himself:

Jer 8:18  When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
Jer 8:19  Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country:  Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?

Spiritually “a far country” is not a physical country. It is a spiritual condition which separates us from our Lord. We are not yet being made aware of the requirements of being the Lord’s elect, yet we are made to know that we are not pleasing the Lord, and it is a fiery pain to know that. We are being brought to our “wits’ end” (Psa 107:27), but we are not yet given to acknowledge our transgressions and repent of our sins against the Lord. We are being “burned with fire”, but we are not yet given to “know it [nor] lay it to heart” (Isa 42:25).

This is how we feel while we are enduring this time of great trial in our lives:

Jer 8:20  The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
Jer 8:21  For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved” is how we feel when being brought to our wits’ end” (Psa 107:27).

“For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt” are the words of Christ and His Christ.

Isa 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them:

We, too, are afflicted with the Lord’s people:

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 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Christ will, in the end, preserve and strengthen us:

Jer 8:22  Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

The answer to the question here implies that there is a balm and a physician in Gilead.

The Hebrew word translated, ‘balm’ is:

Brown, Driver and Briggs commentary adds:

When Joseph’s brothers sold him into Egypt, they sold him to a band of Ishmaelites “from Gilead” who were taking ‘balm’, among other spices, from Gilead to sell to the Egyptians:

Gen 37:25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

‘Balm’ was a soothing medicinal salve which was valued very highly.

The answer to the Lord’s question is, “Yes, there is a balm and a physician in Gilead.” That ‘balm’ is Christ who is our spiritual physician:

Mar 2:16  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
Mar 2:17  When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

“Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?”

As quoted already:

Isa 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them:

The reason the ‘balm’ and the ‘physician’ are not yet healing and soothing the wound of the Lord’s people is found in the very next verses of Isaiah 63:

Isa 63:10  But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
Isa 63:11  Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?
Isa 63:12  That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
Isa 63:13  That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?
Isa 63:14  As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

Rebelling against and vexing the holy spirit makes the Lord to be our enemy, and having the Lord as our enemy makes the adversary appear small by comparison because we know that the adversary is nothing more than “the Lord’s hand’ (Job 1 and 2).

In the New Testament we are specifically admonished:

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

The holy spirit poses the question:

Jer 8:22  Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

We are the land of Gilead, and Christ is our balm and our physician. It is through the holy spirit that Christ our ‘balm and physician’ dwells within us and tells us to “rejoice in [our] afflictions in [our] flesh”:

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:

We are also told:

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.

“Who now rejoice in my sufferings… in my flesh… as… partakers of Christ’s sufferings” proves that the “balm in Gilead” is a spiritual ‘balm’ which gives us spiritual joy and peace of mind even as we suffer physically “in [our] flesh”. There is no greater balm than the peace which the Lord gives us when He lives His life within us:

Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Christ’s peace is our ‘balm in Gilead”. Christ Himself is our ‘peace offering’, and that peace offering is “a sweet savor unto the Lord”. It is through His Father’s spirit that Christ Himself as “our peace” has removed any and every obstacle between all of us:

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

Along with the apostle Paul, this is my prayer for each of us:

2Th 3:16  Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

That is our study of our judgment for today. We will begin chapter nine next Sunday, Lord willing.

Jer 9:1  Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jer 9:2  Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
Jer 9:3  And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.
Jer 9:4  Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
Jer 9:5  And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Jer 9:6  Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.
Jer 9:7  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
Jer 9:8  Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
Jer 9:9  Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
Jer 9:10  For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
Jer 9:11  And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Jer 9:12  Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
Jer 9:13  And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;

]]> The Book of Jeremiah – Jer 3:9-19, Part 2 – Only Acknowledge Thine Iniquity https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-book-of-jeremiah-jer-39-19-part-2-only-acknowledge-thine-iniquity/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-book-of-jeremiah-jer-39-19-part-2-only-acknowledge-thine-iniquity Sun, 07 Feb 2021 04:22:58 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=22048 Jer 3:9-17, Part 2 – Only Acknowledge Thine Iniquity
[Study Aired February 7, 2021]

We ended our last study explaining how the Lord has devised means by which His banished adulterous wife will not be expelled from Him. No one here, nor in scriptures, is saying that His rebellious, adulterous wife will remain in that state, but what scripture is saying is that the Lord has arranged that “through death” we can and will all be brought back to Him. His “bride” will be first, then His wife’s children, who are all the rest of mankind.

We will begin today by repeating the last couple of paragraphs from our last study:

Job 27:1  Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
Job 27:2  As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
Job 27:3  All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Job 27:4  My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
Job 27:5  God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
Job 27:7  Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

As chapter 40 shows us, as well as chapters one and two, it was Christ Himself who had risen against Job, and it was God Himself with whom Job was contending, reproving and disannulling His judgment so Job could condemn God and make himself righteous:

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

Job typifies each of us as first Ahola, and then as self-righteous, yet even more wicked, Aholibah, because, like Job, we turn the grace of God into lasciviousness:

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Ungodly  men, turning the grace of God  into lasciviousness” is typified in Ezekiel 23 as Aholibah within us, whose adulteries were worse than those committed by the New Testament church while it was yet under the law.

Eze 23:11  And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms

Not being under the law, we do not see ourselves as “lascivious”. We see ourselves as under God’s all-forgiving grace, and we have not yet been given eyes to see that grace does not nullify judgment, rather grace brings us into the Lord’s chastening and judgment:

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

True Godly righteousness is the fruit of the Lord’s judgments:

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.

This is our spiritual attitude as Aholibah:

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

As Aholibah we have not been given eyes that see the need for being judged according to our works:

Ecc 11:9  Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
Ecc 11:10  Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

In other words, ‘Grow up and quit acting like an immature fool’. That is the admonition of scripture.

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

These “ungodly men [within us who] turn the grace of God into lasciviousness”, don’t believe they are denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ”. This is what they believe:

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

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

By giving us over to such self-righteous and foolish thoughts, the Lord has given Himself the occasion He is seeking to judge a blessed few in this present time, and judgment in the scriptures always comes out of the north:

Jer 3:12  Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

The Lord tells us, “I will not keep anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity.” It simply is not in our flesh to acknowledge our own self-righteousness which is the most insidious of sins. This is a humanly impossible requisite which requires a supernatural solution.

The Lord simply does not grant many of mankind in this present time to “acknowledge [their] iniquity” and admit that they “transgressed against the Lord”. What He has given the vast majority of mankind is to do a lot of very good works in His name. He Himself deceives the masses of mankind by answering their prayers for healing and for direction, “according to the idols of their hearts”:

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
Eze 14:5  That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
Eze 14:6  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Eze 14:7  For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
Eze 14:8  And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

As we already demonstrated, “He has devised means whereby His banished will not be expelled from Him”, and that ‘means’ is “through death”.

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.

Rom 7:4  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh [1Co 15:31, Eph 5:30] through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

When the Lord offers such a great honor, He gives that honor only to those whom He is preparing to be willing to die for Him and His doctrines. He does not give such honor to those whom He answers according to the idols of their hearts. He certainly does not  give it to those who do good works and think they do so of their own ‘free will’:

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

This is exactly what Job said to the Lord, and Job is a type of every man:

Job 27:2  As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
Job 27:3  All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Job 27:4  My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
Job 27:5  God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
Job 27:7  Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

Job 40 makes clear that it was not Job’s comforters with whom he was contending. Just as with Joseph’s brothers (Gen 45:4-8), which we quote so often, it was actually God with whom Job was “contending… reproving… disannulling His judgment and condemning God to make himself righteous”:

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

The honor of becoming “the bride, the Lamb’s wife… ruling with Him for a thousand years, and judging angels [in the] white throne judgment” is given to very few of the “many called”. They alone are given to acknowledge the vileness of their own self-righteousness and acknowledge they have actually condemned their own Creator to maintain their own righteousness. Lord willing, that is you and me. Only the Lord’s elect will remain faithful to the doctrines of Christ and be willing to withstand the pressures of this life, the “suffering of this present time… being hated of all men… and “endure… much tribulation… to the end”. This is how Christ explains His calling and His own sifting process:

Jdg 7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
Jdg 7:4  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
Jdg 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

Here is another of the Lord’s perspective of those who are ‘called but not chosen’ (Mat 22:14) to become saviors on Mount Zion (Oba 1:21):

Mat 22:1  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2  The kingdom of heaven [within you] is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Mat 22:4  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them [‘hated them’ (1Jo 3:15)].
Mat 22:7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: [The humility of Job after he was judged]
Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14  For many are called, but  few are chosen.

What we fail to see is that the book of Job reveals the guests who finally came to the feast are typified by Job Himself. It was He who first refused his own judgment, and while he was being judged, he accused God of “taking away [his] judgment”:

Job 27:2  As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

Job typifies each of us. We are all first Ahola, the elder sister harlot, then we are Aholibah, the even more wicked younger sister whose name means:

Here in the Old Testament are those “few [who] are chosen” (Mat 22:14) to endure tribulation (Mat 10:22) and suffer with Christ for His body’s sake and die daily (1Co 15:31) with our Lord:

Jer 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, [Aholah and Aholibah] saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family [“few chosen”], and I will bring you to Zion:

This is an important spiritual message for us as we struggle to be found pleasing to our own ‘husband, our Lord. “Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God”. Do not think you or I can cleanse ourselves, because we cannot. Neither should we think we can defile our Lord, our Husband to whom we are married, because we cannot, and that is why He tells us:

Eze 23:36  The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;

2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

As Jacob, who stole his brother’s blessing, as King David, who stole another man’s wife, and as the weak apostles of our Lord who “all forsook Him”, we do not appear to this world to be any different from any other ordinary sinner. The Lord Himself appeared very ordinary to the world of His time. The chief priests and the elders had to pay Judas to point Christ out to them because He looked so very ordinary:

Mat 26:14  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
Mat 26:15  And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Mat 26:16  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

Contrary to the doctrines of the great harlot, Christ or His elect did not have a visible halo over their heads. The Lord’s elect are always considered to be “ignorant and unlearned” by the leaders and peoples of this world:

Act 4:8  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
Act 4:9  If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Act 4:10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Act 4:11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Act 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Act 4:14  And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

While the world cannot see or recognize the Lord’s elect or His doctrine, we certainly are aware that they hate His doctrine and anyone who lives by that doctrine. It is the Lord’s doctrines which are in the hearts and minds of His chosen few elect. It is by those doctrines we are “marked”. Israel of old was marked in their right hand and in their foreheads by the Lord’s doctrine in their minds and in their hearts.

Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes [forehead].

We are unrecognized by this world, but we know each other as those who are spiritually ‘marked [in] our hands and in our foreheads’:

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.

Being given eyes that can see this “mark” is just another way of saying  we  have been given “eyes that see and ears that hear” the voice of our Shepherd, Christ. It takes ‘Christ’ to know Christ, and to recognize His “voice”:

Jer 3:15  And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

The Lord has done just that for each of us, and we all “feed [the Lord’s] sheep with knowledge and understanding” if we are given to know His voice.

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

If we know His ‘voice’, we are given to “sup with [Him]” on the words of His doctrines:

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

If we are given to know His “New Testament” doctrine, then we will never return to the old doctrine, because we will not be one of the many who say, “The old is better.” Instead, we will be one of the few who say ‘the new is better’:

Luk 5:36  And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
Luk 5:37  And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
Luk 5:38  But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
Luk 5:39  No man also having drunk old wine [the Old Testament] straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

When we are given to see that the new is actually better than the old, then we will be given to understand how Aholah and Aholibah will now both be made “one new man, so making peace” and “the stick of Judah will be made one with the stick of Israel:

Eze 37:15  The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Eze 37:16  Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
Eze 37:17  And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
Eze 37:18  And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
Eze 37:19  Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
Eze 37:20  And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
Eze 37:21  And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
Eze 37:22  And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
Eze 37:23  Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
Eze 37:24  And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

Here is this exact same message in the New Testament:

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

We are “builded together for an habitation of God through the spirit” was prophesied to come to pass here in Jeremiah 3:

Jer 3:16  And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

The physical ‘ark of the covenant’ with the two tablets of the ten commandments for the lawless and disobedient (1Ti 1:12), the golden pot which had manna and Aaron’s rod within it, was prophesied to become obsolete way in the prophecy of Jeremiah. In Christ we will never again return to our self-righteousness which we had while we were under the law.

Deu 6:24  And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
Deu 6:25  And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

Luk 18:18  And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 18:19  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luk 18:20  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luk 18:21  And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Luk 18:22  Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luk 18:23  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

This “ruler” was “rich” in two ways. He was both physically rich and rich in his own works. He was a type of Job, and Job typified this ruler and each of us.

In Christ we take credit for nothing and proclaim only that our righteousness is now of Christ and of Him alone:

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.

The reference to “those days” in Jeremiah 3:16 have arrived within us in ‘earnest’ and in down-payment form because we have been made to see and acknowledge that we have indeed been Aholibah, the “chief of sinners” whose whoredoms have exceeded the sins we committed while living under the “carnal commandments” of the law of Moses and the law of the Gentiles, which are one and the same:

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

Heb 7:16  Who [“Christ in us” (Col 1:27)] is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment [the law of Moses], but after the power of an endless life.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law [of the spirit] might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

We have all to a greater or lesser degree committed spiritual adultery exceeding Aholah, our older sister, by turning the precious gift of grace which brought us out of Aholah into self-righteous lasciviousness, and we have thereby exceeded her in her adulteries:

Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude would not need to mention this to us if we were not guilty of doing this. If we “only acknowledge [our] iniquity, that we have transgressed against the Lord” more treacherously than our elder sister Aholah, then in spite of our gross sins and self-righteous iniquities, we will be His tent where He will dwell:

Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

This sounds like a request, but when we put the sum of the Lord’s words together, we realize that these verses are a prophecy that our sovereign Lord, who “works all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph 1:11) is working within us:

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?
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.

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:

“The pride of life” is self-righteousness. That is the most insidious of sins, and that is the sin with which the entire book of Job concerns itself. It is the final of the three all-encompassing sins that are within every man:

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

It is just naturally impossible for us to acknowledge our self-righteous iniquity. Only “Christ in us” can humble us and give us the grace and mercy needed to overcome that proud wild beast which we all are by nature, and which we all are “in the Potter’s hand” (Jer 18:4).

Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

When we begin to overcome the pride of the great red dragon within us, then we will begin to be born into Jerusalem above, and we will begin to be  caught up to the throne of God to be seated with Him in the heavens:

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

“Even when we were dead in sins” reminds us of what we are when the Lord calls us:

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

God is demonstrating through us that He does not need us. He is demonstrating this by using the foolish, weak, base, and despised and people who are not capable of being kings and priests, and He is making us a nation of kings and priests to rule with Him over the nations of this world:

Jer 3:17  At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

That is our “new name” which is known only to those that have it. That is where the Lord dwells, and ‘Jerusalem’ is where He sits upon His throne in His temple:

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

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Only Christ can be ‘Christ’. Only He knows His new name, and only He knows His ‘voice’, and only He knows to flee from the ‘voice’ of a stranger:

Joh 10:1  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

We are blessed to know Christ and to know others who “know His voice”. We are “one body” with “one mind”, and we speak with one voice, the voice of the True Shepherd, the Word of God:

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

That is our study for today, and here are our verses for our next study. Our next study will confirm the doctrine of being “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” which will bring Israel and Judah to be one again in Christ. We will see what that entails in our next study.

Jer 3:18  In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
Jer 3:19  But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
Jer 3:20  Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:21  A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
Jer 3:22  Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
Jer 3:23  Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
Jer 3:24  For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Jer 3:25  We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.

]]> Synopsis of the Keys to the Kingdom https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/synopsis-of-the-keys-to-the-kingdom/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=synopsis-of-the-keys-to-the-kingdom Sun, 15 Nov 2020 04:40:10 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=21730 Keys to The Kingdom Synopsis
[Study Aired November 15, 2020]

Here is the link to the Keys to the Kingdom series.

This study is a synopsis of each of 12 Biblical principles used by the holy spirit to teach us spiritual things with these spiritual principles:

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Almost every seminary in the world teaches that the scriptures were written in a way that is intended to make them clearly understood by the least educated among us. Nothing could be further from the Truth. Christ’s parables are a perfect example of this spiritual Truth. While every Sunday school teacher will tell you that Christ taught in parables to make His meaning clear to shepherds and farmers, this is Christ’s own words concerning why He taught in parables:

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Christ does not say He spoke to the multitudes in parables to simplify His message. He says plainly that He spoke to them in parables because “to them it is not given… to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”.

It was only to His disciples that He said He would give the keys to understanding the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Part 1: The ability to loose and to bind, both things on the earth and in heaven.

It is interesting that the same keys that open to us the  mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are also capable of shutting up the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven:

Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind [“shut up”] on earth shall be bound [“shut up”] in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose [“open”] on earth shall be loosed [“opened”] in heaven.

These same keys are also called “the key of the house of David” in both the Old Testament and the New Testament:

Isa 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

“The key of the house of David” of Isaiah 22:22 is also “the key of David” which is mentioned in:

Rev 3:7  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

The word “open” in Isaiah 22:22, “…He shall open and none shall shut…” is H6605, ‘pathach’. This Hebrew word is also properly translated elsewhere as ‘loose’:

Psa 102:20  To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose [H6605: ‘pathach’] those that are appointed to death;

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose [H6605: ‘pathach’] the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

In Matthew 16:19 the ‘key of David’, which opens and no man can shut, is the miraculous ability to see and hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God. It is being given eyes that see and ears that hear what has been bound or loosed in the earth and what has been bound or loosed in heaven.

Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

We do not become the Head of the body or the head of Christ because we are given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. To the contrary, Matthew 16:19 is simply informing us that being given the keys to the kingdom of heaven means that we are being gifted with the same mind of Christ and His Father.

Here is a much better translation of that verse:

Mat 16:19 I will be giving you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound [by the Father] in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth, shall be those having been loosed [by the Father] in the heavens.”

When we pray as we are instructed to pray… “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven…” (Mat 6:10) what we are asking of our Father is that He will give us His mind… “the keys to the kingdom of heaven”.

One who is given the ability to open the gates to the kingdom of heaven, which is also called ‘the house of David’, must first be humbled and “become as [a] little child” in the sense of humbling himself and becoming teachable. That is a prerequisite to being given “the key of the house of David”, and “the keys to the kingdom of heaven”.

Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Part 2: The Sum of Thy Word Is Truth

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

Obviously “the key of the house of David” and “the key of David”, since they both perform the same function of opening and shutting, are one and the same.

It is only after we are brought to acknowledge our own blindness that our sins and our blindness are removed.

We are told clearly that Christ Himself is the only foundation of His church:

1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Matthew 18 tells us how the keys to the kingdom of heaven serve to keep His church of the same mind and free from the diseases He has placed upon all the ‘earth’, the type of those who do not have the keys to the kingdom of God (Jer 22:29). All the diseases of Egypt are the false doctrines of this world which the keys to the kingdom of God “bind [up]on the earth”:

Exo 15:26  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Clearly “all… the diseases of Egypt” are the fruit of dismissing the doctrines of Christ, and not doing what He says is the right thing to do. The diseases of Egypt are the fruit of listening to and being obedient to the false doctrines of this world and not ‘giving ear to [the Lord’s commandments, and keep[ing] all His statutes. When we simply believe and stand faithful to these words, then we have “bound on earth which has been bound in heaven.

Part 3: “Man Shall … Live By Every Word of God” (Mat 4:4 and Luk 4:4)

What we will be seeing as we discuss all these “keys to the kingdom of heaven” is that they are all really just one key. “The key of David is [also known as] “the key of knowledge, the key of the house of David, and the keys to the kingdom of heaven”. These are all nothing other than the mind of Christ and His Father as expressed in His Word. It is having the mind of Christ that gives us the keys to the kingdom of God, which keys simply open His word to make us to know what the Father has bound and loosed on earth what He has bound and loosed in heaven.

Christ made clear that we must “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

This statement happens to appear in scripture three times. Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 are quoted from:

Deu 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Christ made it clear that the manna of old was simply a symbol of His Words and His doctrines, and ‘living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’ is therefore something which we neither ourselves nor our fathers “knew not”, meaning we could never of ourselves understand how it is possible to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Isaiah helps us to understand how that is possible when He tells us:

Isa 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol.

Christ is actually telling us that we simply must come to see with “the eyes of [our] understanding” (Eph 1:18) that “as in Adam” (1Co 15:22) means that all that has happened since the creation of Adam and Eve is simply the result of what the Lord Himself had placed within our first father, and has kept it a secret “from the foundation of the world.” Not one Christian in a thousand knows that “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” were in our original parents before they ever touched the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. An equal number are aware that these three categories of sin encompass “all that is in the world”:

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, [1] the lust of the flesh, and [2] the lust of the eyes, and [3] the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

It is because these things are in every man that we are all guilty of all sins, “as  if” we had actually committed them all. For example:

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

The preceding verse also demonstrates the spiritual “as if” nature of every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord” when it informs us of our spiritual condition as a spiritual murderer:

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.

Part 4: This bring us to our fourth key to the kingdom of heaven: “all things are yours”

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;

Yes, “the world [and] death… are [ours]”, and because that is true we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”. We live by every word, including ‘death and the world’, first and if we are in the first resurrection, we lived ‘death and the world’ first and therefore we are “not hurt of the second death” (Rev 2:11 and Rev 20:6). To say otherwise is to say “the resurrection is already past”, and it is tantamount to denying that those who are judged first will reign with Christ a thousand years before the rest of the dead are resurrected to face their judgment and their own death to their carnal-minded “old man” for the first time. The word ‘second’ is an ordinal word, referring to the order in which those in it first experience the death of their carnal minded old man.

Christ made it clear that the food on His table is the doctrines which He came to give to us.

Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Paul, when admonishing the Corinthians and you and me, said:

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

That is our goal, and if we are given to achieve that goal it will be a gift from God.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The fact that every good gift is from God does not deny that “all things are [ours]”. The fact is that the scriptures very plainly teach that it is God who also sends evil spirits to trouble us, and He even “creates evil”.

1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

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

“All these things… are all ours].” The evil spirit in the wicked man, who is created for the day of evil, is within every one of us at our own appointed time, because “all things are [ours”].

Those who refuse and deny this key to the kingdom of heaven, this doctrine that “all things are [ours]” are actually “hindering” those who are entering into the kingdom of heaven.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; [“This generation” reading these words]
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Luk 11:52  Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in [into the mind of God, entering into His mind] ye hindered.

Part 5: Christ is His word, and He and His word “is… was… and will be”

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Rev 1:17  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Rev 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

This “Is, Was And Will Be” Nature of Christ and His Words… is our fifth key to the kingdom. Including the phrases “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last”, and acknowledging that these phrases include the present, we find that this is, was and will be characteristic of Christ and His Words is mentioned in the book of Revelation 12 times.

There is nothing emphasized more in the book of “the revelation of Jesus Christ” than this is, was and will be character of the words of this book. Christ has given us “the keys to the kingdom of heaven” if indeed we acknowledge that He and His words determined our past, how we are living today and that He will always dominate our lives.

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Part 6: If Ye Be Christ’s, Then Are Ye Abraham’s Seed is our 6th “key to the kingdom of God”.

As with all of our ‘keys’, this key is also hidden from the world, which is shut out of the kingdom of God and is still in spiritual prison:

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The apostle Paul was given by God to use this key to explain clearly who is, and who is not, God’s true chosen people, and the world is simply blinded to this statement:

Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. [The law of Moses “gender to bondage”, and very few believe this to be true]
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

The keys to the kingdom of heaven are not given to the natural man. The keys to the kingdom of heaven are given only to those who are granted to receive the things of the spirit. The whole world denies that “Jerusalem which now is …is in bondage with her children… and… shall not be made heir with the son of  the freewoman”. The churches of Babylon teach that the Lord has two “chosen people”, two “elect”, one natural, that being physical Israel, and on spiritual, that being the Christian churches of Babylon. The truth is that both are “the son of the bondwoman [who] will not be made heir with the son of the freewoman”.

Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Part 7: Our seventh key to the kingdom of God is the knowledge of who is “The First Man Adam… The Last Adam”

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Another way of expressing this point is the process of “put[ting] off… the old man… [and the] put[ting] on [of] the new man.” To understand this key of the kingdom of God, it is important to note that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life both come up out of the ground.

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The fact that here in the second chapter of Genesis we are informed that the tree of life was “made to grow… out of the ground” is for those who are given “the key of knowledge… the keys to the kingdom of God”, a prophecy of the coming of Christ as “the seed of Abraham”. Christ makes clear that He is the One we must “eat” and He is also this ‘tree of life’:

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

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

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

Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in [with the keys to the kingdom] through the gates into the city.

Both trees were placed by Christ Himself right in the middle of the Garden of Eden. It is also very important we notice that both of these trees come “out of the ground”. What this tells us is that it is in the earth where God begins His ultimate work of placing the crown jewel of His creation in His garden “paradise”.

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

It is only after we make this final break with our “father the devil’s” house, our ‘old man’s’ house, that the heavens begin to open up to us, and we are granted to see much more of the Lord’s plan for us:

Gen 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward,and southward, and eastward, and westward:

There are in scripture many types of the old man and the new man: First Adam – Last Adam; Cain and Abel; Abraham and Lot; Ishmael and Isaac; Jacob and Esau; King Saul and King David. The “last Adam… Abel… Isaac, Jacob, and King David, are all types of the true spiritual “seed of Abraham”, meaning those who are in Christ.

Part 8: “The Words I Speak Unto You, They Are Spirit.”

We have referred to this verse several times already, but without demonstrating how all pervasive this principle is upon all the rest of scripture:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

When we are taught by the holy spirit, it will not be “in words which man’s wisdom teaches.”

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
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:

The Lord teaches us “with the spirit and with power”, which is simply saying the same thing twice, because it is the word of God which is spirit and which is powerful:

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick [Greek: zaō, life giving], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The “two witnesses” of Revelation 11 are those in every generation who witness to “the word of the Lord”. The gift of “the discerning of spirits” and the knowing and the understanding the doctrine of Christ comes only to those who are given to love God with all their hearts and who are by God’s sovereignty granted to see the doctrine of Christ with their eyes, hear it with their ears and be obedient to His doctrine from their hearts.

It is through the understanding of “the things of the spirit” that “the holy spirit teaches [us by] comparing spiritual things with spiritual”:

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

“The holy spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual”. But it uses the things that are made to do that. “The things that are freely given to us of God [are] the things of the spirit” and the world simply cannot appreciate nor value “the things of the spirit”:

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It is because “we have this treasure in earthen vessels” that God has determined that the invisible things of the spirit are to be understood by the things that are made…”

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Part 9: The Positive and The Negative Application of Every Word.

This key to the kingdom is another witness to the fact that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”.

Those who have been given the keys to the kingom of God will see this spiritual principle revealed in these words about our Lord who is “the Word” (John 1:1).

Exo 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

Not understanding that all scripture has both a positive and a negative application has served to keep the keys to the kingdom of heaven hidden from those to whom those keys have not been given (Mat 13:9-15).

What this key to the kingdom reveals in practice is that there is a positive and a negative application to every word of God and every man lives out both of those applications, all the blessings and all the curses that have proceeded out of the mouth of God, including the very dark, negative words like:

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

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

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Part 10: “The Dream Is One”

Gen 41:25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

In this story of Joseph we are given a vital key to the kingdom of heaven. That key is the revelation which Joseph gives the Pharaoh that both his dreams have one message. As different as seven cows are from seven stalks with seven ears, still we are told they are both saying the same thing.

This principle explains how Christ can speak of an unjust steward and yet commend him for his resourcefulness. It explains how He can liken Himself and His crucifixion to a serpent being placed on a pole. It explains how “the last man Adam” is still called Adam.

The ultimate lesson for us in this key to the kingdom of heaven is that all scripture has but one message, and that one message is that God is through Christ reconciling all men of all time to Himself:

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.

As we are coming to understand, the keys to the kingdom of heaven are the principles we are given to help us to understand how God Himself thinks, how He expresses His thoughts and how He carries out those thoughts.

The principle of “the dream is one helps us to understand how “all things come alike to all”… to our old man and to our new man, both must “groan together in pain until now…”:

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

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.

This key to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven reveals that the messages of “all the prophets… have written” is one message, and that message concerns Christ and how all will one day be in Him.

Luk 24:27  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Act 3:24  Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

Act 10:43  To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Part 11: The Inward Versus The Outward

This principle is given to us in its clearest sense in the book of Romans:

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

It is the kingdom which is inward now, in this age… “this present time” (Rom 8:18), which will rule over the kingdoms of this world outwardly in the coming age. Only if we are given the gift of submitting ourselves to every ordinance of man in this present time, in this age, will we be given to rule over the kingdoms of this world and administer the Lord’s revenge upon our enemies of this age:

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of [inward] strong holds.
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
2Co 10:7  Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

We have seen that the key to the house of David is the same as the keys to the kingdom of heaven because both give us the power to bind on earth that which has been bound in heaven and to loose on earth that which has been loosed in heaven.

While being ready to physically and outwardly be “your servant”, the inward intent of these words is revealed beyond doubt with these words:

Act 6:2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God [our spiritual inward table], and serve [outward physical] tables.

This is the inward spiritual table at which God’s ministers serve continually:

1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

In this series of studies we have seen that the ‘keys to the kingdom of heaven’ are simply the keys to understanding the mind of Christ and the mind of His Father, which are, of course, one and the same mind. Therefore the elders within the body of Christ, who have been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, will never lord it over the Lord’s heritage, inwardly or outwardly. What they will do is remain faithful to every word of God and thereby persuade “God’s heritage” to also be obedient and faithful to His Words.

This particular key to the mind of Christ and His Father is the Biblical principle of seeing that there is both an inward and an outward application to Christ and His Words. We are “a spiritual house”:

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Having the key of understanding that there is both and inward and an outward application to the Word of God, we can also understand how these words are also true  of us:

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

If we “cleanse first that which is within” then, and only then, “the outside of them may be clean also.

Part 12: Who Is The Lord’s Christ?

Before we can answer this question we must be made aware of who Christ is to His Father, and this is what we are told:

Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

We must also remember what Christ says of us:

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.

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

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

In other words we are, as we read in our previous ‘key’, the “flesh and bones” of Christ to this world.

Truly ‘as He is so are we in this world’:

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

In accord with Christ’s statement that He is sending us “as His Father has sent Him… that the world through Him might be saved” (Joh 3:17), we find that the Lord also has “His Christ”:

Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

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

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

In Luke 17:20-21 we are told, “the kingdom of God is within you.” In Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 we are told that we are given the keys to that kingdom, and that with those keys we can bind on earth what has been bound in heaven, and we can loose on earth what has been loosed in heaven. That is exactly what Christ does for His Father:

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

Christ tells us that He is the door, and He also tells us:

Joh 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

‘Entering by the door’ symbolizes strict fidelity to the doctrine of Christ, who is “the door”. Anyone who is flippant about the doctrine of Christ has not yet entered by the Door, which is Christ and His doctrine.

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

Mat 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

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.

All sacrifices must be presented to God at the altar, and the altar is the Old Testament symbol of the cross. What we are being told is to place ourselves on the cross with Christ if we count ourselves to be His.

The life of every animal offered to God had to be slain at the altar which was before the temple. If we are the Lord’s Christ, His scapegoat, we are very special to Him. We are of ourselves no better than anyone else, but still chosen by Him and of Him and not of anything we have done to be in that blessed and holy first resurrection to judge this world  throughout the thousand-year reign of Christ, to be followed by continued judgment of angels in the lake of fire.

There is really no end to the number of keys to the kingdom of God, because each key reveals to us more about the knowledge of God and His Son. Coming to know them is an inexhaustible endeavor as “the things that are made” (Rom 1:20) demonstrate for us by the limitless physical heavens.

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

]]> The Book of Hebrews – Heb 4:1, Part 1 “Today if ye Will Hear His Voice, Harden not Your Hearts” https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-book-of-hebrews-heb-41-part-1-today-if-ye-will-hear-his-voice-harden-not-your-hearts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-book-of-hebrews-heb-41-part-1-today-if-ye-will-hear-his-voice-harden-not-your-hearts Thu, 09 Jul 2020 23:12:04 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=21094 The Book of Hebrews – Heb 4:1, Part 1 “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts”
[Study Aired July 9, 2020]

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

The first verse of our study in Hebrews chapter 4 is akin to what Paul says in Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”.

It is the fear of God that is a gift from God which will keep us presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonableG3050 serviceG2999, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” This “reasonableG3050 serviceG2999” spoken of in Romans 12:1 is better translated ‘a divine service’ unfolding in a predestined priesthood of which Christ is the head, and is fulfilling God’s purpose through each member who has been called and chosen to endure to the end as His workmanship created in Christ (1Pe 2:9, Mat 24:13, Rom 8:28).

“reasonable”: G3050 logikos log-ik-os’  From G3056; rational (“logical”): – reasonable, of the word.

G3056 logos log’-os  From G3004; something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension a computation; specifically (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (that is, Christ): – account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say (-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.

“service”: G2999 latreia  lat-ri’-ah  From G3000; ministration of God, that is, worship: – (divine) service.

G3000  latreuō  lat-ryoo’-o   From latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), that is, render religious homage: – serve, do the service, worship (-per).

Heb 9:1  ThenG3767 verilyG3303 theG3588 firstG4413 covenant hadG2192 alsoG2532 ordinancesG1345 of divine service G2999, andG5037 a worldlyG2886 sanctuary.G39 

We are accepted in the beloved, and it is the beloved Jesus Christ who is working that fear within us both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure (Php 2:13) as we are dragged to the altar as God’s children (Joh 6:44) who were predestined to this adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace (Eph 2:8), wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (Eph 1:5-7).

The reason God is making us accepted in the beloved is brought out for us in the book of Hebrews where we have discussed the “Kingship and Priesthood” (the title of our 3-part study with chapter 1) of which we are part (1Pe 2:9), and how “we ought to give the more earnest heed” (the title of our 4-part study with chapter 2) today if we are hearing the voice of the true shepherd, meaning many are hearing a voice of another Jesus. The message Christ is bringing to us is a hard message, an impossible message for the flesh to accept, and therefore we must “Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (the title of part I of chapter 3) in order to live these words which happen to be the title of our studies from both this week (Chapter 4 part 1) and last week (Chapter 3 part 2): “Today If You Will Hear His Voice, Harden Not Your Hearts“.

We are labouring to enter into Christ and are called to continue to fight a good fight of faith together as a many-membered body that is going through a spiritual battle which requires us to put on the whole suit of armour God is making available for us through our Lord (Eph 6:10-18).

The fiery darts of the adversary can make us grow weary in well doing, but if God will grant us the ability to wear this complete suit of armour, then we will learn and grow in our confidence that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, and that those giants against whom we do battle will in fact nourish us as they were intended (Num 14:9).

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

We are not to harden our hearts but to be strong in the Lord (2Sa 3:1) and Lord willing we will continue to do that as His mercy abounds toward us for the sake of others (Rom 11:30-36). 

2Sa 3:1  Now there was long war between the house of Saul [our flesh] and the house of David [Christ]: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. 

2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak [“house of Saul”], then am I strong [house of David].

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Before we start this section of Hebrews, let’s read this section of God’s word in Ephesians 6 remembering that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities and the rulers of the darkness of this age (Eph 6:12), and how it is only through Christ through whom we are accepted that we will be able to be equipped to overcome those powers and principalities which our Lord is far above in our heavens where this dying daily process is occuring in each member of the body of Christ (Eph 1:21).

What we are told in this section of Ephesians 6 is first what we must do to enter into God’s rest (verses 1-9), and then after those verses we are told to be strong in “the power of his might”(verse 10-18), a might that makes it possible for us to overcome in this age as we look to the author and finisher of our faith (Zec 4:6, Heb 12:2). 

This is what is required of us:

Eph 6:1  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 
Eph 6:3  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 
Eph 6:4  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
Eph 6:5  Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 
Eph 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 
Eph 6:7  With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 
Eph 6:8  Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Eph 6:9  And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. 

This is how it is going to be accomplished:

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 
Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 

These weapons of spiritual warfare described in Ephesians 6 are a gift given to the elect. Christ is going to bless us to be able to be armed with his mind so we can fulfill our Father’s will (1Pe 4:1-2) which is another way of saying we wear the whole suit of armour so that we can continue to look to the joy that has been set before us in Him (Heb 12:1-3).

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

We are labouring to enter into that rest, and are told that our efforts are not in vain in Christ (1Co 15:58), and that our coming together often (Heb 10:25) and the message of hope that we preach is not in vain, but is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom 1:16-17 , Joh 6:29) even while it is despised and hated by all men as we will be (2Th 2:10-11 , Mat 10:22-28). 

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.

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. 
Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

In order to endure that hatred and rejection until the end, that the flesh cannot go toward unless we are dragged (Joh 6:44 , Joh 21:18), the Lord in his mercy must fully equipped us through every joint that does, has and will supply as He give us fiery trials of our faith (1Pe 4:12, 1Pe 1:7) that will mature us in our discerning of good and evil so we can overcome the spiritual warfare in our heavens (Heb 5:14) with that whole suit of armour that represents the mind of Christ.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the workG2041 of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the workG2041 of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

“the work” G2041 ergon  er’-gon  From ergō (a primary but obsolete word; to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act: – deed, doing, labour, work.

Thayer Definition:

1) business, employment, that which any one is occupied
1a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking
2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind
3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

If we don’t fear God it will lead to an adulterous heart in matters of the spirit and so we read these verses in Proverbs how that lack of fear and reverence to the true bread of life that Christ’s words are, leads us to the stolen waters that are sweet, or pleasant bread eaten in secret that leads to the depths of hell (Pro 9:10-18).

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. 
Pro 9:11  For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. 
Pro 9:12  If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. 
Pro 9:13  A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. 
Pro 9:14  For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, 
Pro 9:15  To call passengers who go right on their ways: 
Pro 9:16  Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, 
Pro 9:17  Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. 
Pro 9:18  But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. 

The bride of Christ is not “clamorous, simple and knows nothing”. She is bright-eyed as Rachel was unto Jacob and by the grace of God she does not “seem to come short of it“, “it” being entering into his rest, because she is industrious in her spiritual relationship toward her husband and is laying up a good foundation of works against the evil days that are before us (Pro 31:9-29 , 1Ti 6:19).

Pro 31:9  Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. 
Pro 31:10  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 
Pro 31:11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 
Pro 31:12  She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 
Pro 31:13  She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 
Pro 31:14  She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 
Pro 31:15  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 
Pro 31:16  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 
Pro 31:17  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. 
Pro 31:18  She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. 
Pro 31:19  She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 
Pro 31:20  She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 
Pro 31:21  She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 
Pro 31:22  She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 

Pro 31:29  Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 
Pro 31:30  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 
Pro 31:31  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. [Eph 1:4 , Rom 8:29, 2Ti 1:9]

These two sections of Proverbs demonstrate for us how we must move with fear to the saving of our own spiritual house as Noah did to the saving of his own family that represent the church (Heb 11:7). 

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

The bride of Christ represented by this Proverbs 31 woman continues to fight a good fight of faith and labours just as the one body of Christ does for the meat that shall not perish. And this meat that shall not perish is symbolized in this proverb by tapestrys, silk and purple, and wool and flax amongst many other endeavours that typify her love of Christ (1Ti 6:12). 

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

We are fighting for a great reward, the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ, and must be about our Father’s business with confidence and with faith and with an industrious obedience to His word that goes with us everywhere we are just as this woman in Proverbs 31: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (Php 3:14, Luk 2:49, Luk 22:42)

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at how the Lord has allowed the world to be deceived and not profited by the word spoken to them because it was not mixed with faith. Conversely it is because of the faith of Christ given to the elect that we can believe and labour to enter into His rest through a lifetime of overcoming and enduring to the end through Jesus Christ (Mat 24:13):

Heb 3:12  Be taking heed, brethren, lest at any time, there shall be in any one of you, a wicked heart of unbelief, in revolting from a Living God. 
Heb 3:13  But be exhorting one another, on each successive day,—while the To-day is being named! lest any from among you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 
Heb 3:14  For, partners of the Christ, have we become,—if, at least, the beginning of the confidence, throughout, firm, we hold fast: 
Heb 3:15  So long as it is said—To-day, if, unto his voice, ye would hearken, do not harden your hearts,—as in the embitterment. 
Heb 3:16  For, who, though they heard, caused embitterment? Nay, indeed! did not all who come forth out of Egypt through Moses? 
Heb 3:17  But, with whom, was be sore vexed forty years? Was it not with them who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the desert? 
Heb 3:18  But, unto whom, sware he, that they should not enter into his rest,—save unto them who were obstinate? 
Heb 3:19  And we see, that they were not able to enter, because of unbelief.

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest at any time, although there is left behind a promise of entering into his rest,—any one from amongst you should be deemed, to have come short; 
Heb 4:2  For we have had delivered to us the joyful message, just as even, they; but the word which was heard did not profit them, they not having been blended, by faith, with the things heard.  [Rotherham]
Heb 4:3  For we, the ones believing, enter into the rest, even as He said, “As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter into My rest,” though the works had come into being from the foundation of the world. LXX-Psa 94:11; MT-Psa. 95:11 
Heb 4:4  For He has spoken somewhere about the seventh day this way, “And God rested from all His works in the seventh day.” Gen. 2:2 
Heb 4:5  And in this again, “They shall not enter into My rest.” MT-Psalm 95:11 
Heb 4:6  Therefore, since it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly had the gospel preached did not enter in on account of disobedience, 
Heb 4:7  He again marks out a certain day, saying in David, Today (after so long a time, according as He has said), “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” MT-Psalm 95:7, 8  [LITV]

]]> What Is the Distinction Between the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ? https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/what-is-the-distinction-between-the-bride-of-christ-and-the-body-of-christ/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-is-the-distinction-between-the-bride-of-christ-and-the-body-of-christ Mon, 01 Jun 2020 17:51:46 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=20914 What Is the Distinction Between the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ, and God’s Called, Chosen and Elect?​

Hi, H​____,

Thank you for your e-mail and your questions.

You ask:

I remember well learning with my Wigram’s Englishman’s Greek Concordance that the Greek word translated as ‘chosen’ is the exact same Greek word which is also translated as “elect” as in “the very elect”. Here is a cut and paste from my e-sword, which will demonstrate what I just told you:

G1588
ἐκλεκτός
eklektos
Total KJV Occurrences: 23
elect, 13
Mat_24:24, Mat_24:31, Mar_13:22, Mar_13:27, Luk_18:7, Rom_8:33, Col_3:12, 1Ti_5:21, Tit_1:1, 1Pe_1:2, 1Pe_2:6, 2Jo_1:1, 2Jo_1:13
chosen, 7
Mat_20:16, Mat_22:14, Luk_23:35, Rom_16:13, 1Pe_2:4, 1Pe_2:9, Rev_17:14
elect’s, 3
Mat_24:22, Mar_13:20, 2Ti_2:10

So God’s chosen and His elect are on​e​ and the same. His elect are chosen out of the many called, and that is why we are told, “Many are called but few are chosen [elect].”

Mat 22:14  For many are called,G2822 but few are chosen.G1588

Notice, that these two words are used here in this verse being contrasted with each other. Here is the definition of the Greek word translated as ‘called’:

G2822
κλητός
klētos
klay-tos’
From the same as G2821; invited, that is, appointed, or (specifically) a saint: – called.
Total KJV occurrences: 11

Here is where this word appears in the New Testament:

G2822
κλητός
klētos
Total KJV Occurrences: 11
called, 11
Mat_20:16, Mat_22:14, Rom_1:1, Rom_1:6-7 (2), Rom_8:28, 1Co_1:1-2 (2), 1Co_1:24, Jud_1:1, Rev_17:14

Now here is the definition of the Greek word translated as ‘chosen’ or ‘elect’:

G1588
ἐκλεκτός
eklektos
ek-lek-tos’
From G1586; select; by implication favorite: – chosen, elect.
Total KJV occurrences: 23

Here is where this word appears in the New Testament:

G1588
ἐκλεκτός
eklektos
Total KJV Occurrences: 23
elect, 13
Mat_24:24, Mat_24:31, Mar_13:22, Mar_13:27, Luk_18:7, Rom_8:33, Col_3:12, 1Ti_5:21, Tit_1:1, 1Pe_1:2, 1Pe_2:6, 2Jo_1:1, 2Jo_1:13
chosen, 7
Mat_20:16, Mat_22:14, Luk_23:35, Rom_16:13, 1Pe_2:4, 1Pe_2:9, Rev_17:14
elect’s, 3
Mat_24:22, Mar_13:20, 2Ti_2:10

I hope this all helps you to see that ‘klaytos’ means called, and that ‘out of’ , Greek, ‘ek’, the ‘klaytos’ few are ‘eklektos’, elected or chosen.

Your next question is:

I will again point you to:

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:

I am not going into this question in this e-mail. I have answered this question already in great depth in an article which is in the Essential Reading section on the home page. Here is a link to that article which answers this question in great Biblical detail:
After the Counsel of His Own Will

Read that article, and if you still have any questions on this subject then feel free to get back to me.

You are certainly correct in deducing that the Lord led you to the web site. As I just pointed out, He is the One who is “working all things after the counsel of His own will”:

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:

I hope I demonstrated for you there is no difference between the body of Christ and His bride:

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

If we are Christ’s elect and if we are granted by Him to be faithful to the end of our lives, then we are Christ’s bride and His wife:

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Paul tells us clearly “the body” is the church, so this is not really a subject for debate if we take Paul’s words as the words of God.

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:

I pray I have answered your questions to your satisfaction. Let me know if I can be of further service to you in understanding the Lord’s mind on these questions.

YbiC, Mike

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