Ezekiel 38:1-23 Prophesy Against Gog

[Study Aired December 2, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

In Today’s study, we turn our attention to Gog, who is described as a leader of a great army, whose kingdom is called Magog, whom the Lord is going to use to attack the people of Israel who had come back to their land from captivity and are living peacefully and unsuspectingly at the time.

Apart from the fact that Magog appears as grandson of Noah, there are limited references to Gog and Magog in the Bible. They appear only in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 and Revelation chapter 20. In order for us to understand Today’s study and the subsequent one, we need to know what Gog represents spiritually. From the Book of Ezekiel, we can deduce that Gog and his kingdom Magog represents a formidable challenge to the Lord’s elect (the people of Israel) after they have come back from captivity and are living without walls in Israel.

Eze 38:10  Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
Eze 38:11  And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
Eze 38:12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

In the Book of Revelation chapter 20, Gog and Magog again poses a threat to the reign of the Lord’s elect over the kingdoms of this world.

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

As we have learnt in the study of the word of the Lord, there is past, present and future application of the word of the Lord. The present reality of the word of the Lord is the “is” part of the word of the Lord and the future application is the “will be” part of the word. Since Jesus Christ represents the word of the Lord, “Jesus today” is the “is” part and “Jesus forever” is the future application part.

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.  

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

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

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

With this in mind, let’s see how the study of Ezekiel chapter 38 today applies to us now. In this chapter and chapter 39, there is no mention of Satan. However, in the Book of Revelation, we are given additional information that it is Satan who will deceive the people of the world to engage the Lord and His elect in a battle. In other words, the chief prince, Gog, represents Satan. In today’s and the next study, there are references in the two chapters (38 and 39) which confirm this assertion that Satan represents Gog, who uses the people of this world (many nations) as His great army to fight the Lord’s elect. The Lord calls this invasion of Gog and his great army against the Lord’s elect, a great shaking in the land of the people of Israel.

Eze 38:19  For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 

This great shaking is the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh using Satan or the devil as His instrument that blows the coals in the fire.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

Here in this study, we shall see the Lord using the tools of His four sore judgements – every man’s sword being against his brother, and pestilence to destroy the old man or flesh within us. This destruction implies the ruin of the influence of the devil or Gog in our lives.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
Eze 38:22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

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

Ezekiel chapter 38 comes right after the Lord had brought to life the dry bones and is gathering us, His elect from the four corners of the earth. Today’s study therefore shows us the present danger – the devil (Gog), who can derail our restful life in Christ. As the Lord’s elect, we need to be watchful of the devices of the devil.

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

Our protection is therefore to put on the full armor of the Lord, so that we can be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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;

We also need to know the future application of Today’s study which is consistent with that of Revelation chapter 20. After the symbolic thousand year reign with Christ over the kingdoms of this world, all humanity shall be deceived by the devil to rebel against the Lord and His elect, which will cause the Lord to destroy all flesh or human beings living at that time by His fire from heaven. That is how death shall be destroyed.

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Having this understanding that Gog represents the devil and Magog, the people of this world whom Satan has blinded and therefore uses them against the Lord’s elect, our study today becomes easier to understand.

Eze 38:1  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 38:2  Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 
Eze 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 

As indicated in previous studies, the word of the Lord coming to Ezekiel signifies our Lord Jesus coming with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to His elect. It is in this coming that we are gradually given the keys of the kingdom of the Lord to understand its mysteries.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
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 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

In verse 2, we are introduced to Gog as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, ruling over the land of Magog. Gog means ‘mountain’. In other words, Gog signifies a formidable opposition that the Lord has raised against His elect. Magog means ‘the land of Gog’ or ‘the kingdom of Gog’. The Jewish historian Josephus recognized Magog as the Scythians, known for their destructive warfare. In the subsequent verses, the army of Gog encompasses several nations. In the Book of Revelation, we can easily infer that the leader who is playing the role of Gog to gather together the armies of the whole world (the kingdom of Magog) against the Lord and His elect, is Satan. Gog is therefore a symbol of Satan, whom the Lord has fashioned as the waster to destroy.

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Gog, being the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal is significant. Meshech means ‘drawing out’ and Tubal signifies ‘thou shall be brought’. The devil’s role is to draw out or bring out sin in our lives. As we can remember, before the devil showed up, Adam and Eve did not know their state as sinful beings. That is what it means to be naked and not know it. However, the devil coming to the scene exposed their nakedness.

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Gen 3:9  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Gen 3:11  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

In verse 3, the Lord is telling us that He is against the adversary, the devil. Being against the devil means our Lord opposes or resists the devil. As the Lord’s representatives here on earth, we are therefore called to resist the devil and we can only do it when we first submit to Christ our Lord.

Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Eze 38:4  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 
Eze 38:5  Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 
Eze 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 

Turning Gog back and putting hooks into Gog’s jaws in verse 4 signify that  the Lord controls all that the devil does. As we are aware, in this world, we go through an experience of evil orchestrated by the devil. However, all that the devil does is in accordance with the counsel of the Lord’s will. The fact that the devil comes with an army of horses and horsemen, clothed with all sorts of armor implies that we, His elect are in a spiritual warfare against the devil and his cohorts. This is described as follows:

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.

It is instructive to note that in verse 4 this great army of Gog or the devil are all capable of handling the sword. The sword here refers to the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. This great army is Satan’s messengers of false apostles parading as angels of light.

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

In the Book of Revelation, this great army represents the locusts that come out of the bottomless pit.

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5  And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6  And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Rev 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

The countries mentioned who are part of the army included Persia, Ethiopia, Libya and Gomer. These four countries represent a significant portion of the world at that time and as we are aware, the number four symbolizes the whole of the issue at stake. Therefore, these countries represent the whole of the world and as we can see, later in the Book of Revelation, the army of Gog comes from the people of the whole world.

Eze 38:7  Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 
Eze 38:8  After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 
Eze 38:9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. 

It is instructive to note that the devil and his cohorts have been prepared for us, the Lord’s elect as shown in verse 7. As we come out of the churches of this world, or Babylon, and become part of the church of the firstborn or the Jerusalem above which is symbolized here in verse 8 as the mountains of Israel, that is when the Lord calls the evil one and his cohorts to service in verse 8, to be used as instruments of His judgement of our old man or flesh. The story of Job, a symbol of the Lord’s elect shows us how the Lord uses the devil (Gog) to administer His judgement of our flesh with the view of destroying it.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

The handing over of the man in the church in Corinth to the devil after sleeping with his father’s wife affirms how the Lord uses the devil for the destruction of our flesh.

1Co 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Verse 9 tells us that the coming of the evil one in our lives as an instrument of judgement is like a storm or a cloud that covers our land, representing our bodies. In the Book of Psalms, the Lord had vividly shown us what we go through when He raises a storm, through the agency of Gog or the devil.

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

When the devil comes with his cohorts as a cloud over our land, we barely can see the sun which is Christ during this period. Our Lord Jesus also went through this experience of the devil as a cloud covering Him when He said why had the Lord forsaken Him.

Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

In all of this evil experience that we go through, we are assured by the Lord that we shall come out victorious and that no weapon formed or fashioned against us shall prosper.

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Eze 38:10  Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 
Eze 38:11  And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 

Verses 10 and 11 are saying that a time shall come that ideas will enter Gog’s head and will make wicked plans of attacking the Lord’s elect who are at rest in the Lord after their exit from Babylon. We know from the word of the Lord that our thought process and what we settle on to execute in our lives all originates from the Lord. This also applies to Satan or Gog. As indicated in Ezekiel 38:4, it is the Lord that drags Satan to attack the Lord’s elect for the destruction of our flesh.

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

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

Eze 38:4  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

Eze 38:12  To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 
Eze 38:13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? 

In verses 12 and 13, we are told that the aim of the Lord dragging the devil to attack us is to take a spoil or prey. This spoil or prey is our old man or flesh which is the result of the Lord’s judgement.

1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

In verse 13, it is stated that Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish shall all conclude that Gog and his army have come to the people of Israel to take a spoil or prey. Sheba means ‘complete’, Dedan signifies ‘low country’ and Tarshish refers to ‘jasper’. What these names suggest is that we were like a low country (Dedan) that had been overrun by the Philistines which represents our flesh and as we mature spiritually or become complete in Him (Sheba), we come to see through the word of the Lord (jasper) that the judgement of our flesh is through the agency of the devil and that it is for the purpose of taking a prey or spoil of our flesh.

2Ch 28:18  The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.

Eze 38:14  Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 
Eze 38:15  And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: 
Eze 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. 

In verse 14, a rhetorical question was asked of Gog if he recognizes that the people of Israel are dwelling in safety. The answer of course is that the devil (Gog) knows when we are dwelling in safety. In the Book of Jeremiah, we are told what it means to dwell in safety, as follows:

Jer 32:37  Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:
Jer 32:38  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
Jer 32:39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

From these verses, we can see that dwelling in safety means being delivered from captivity (Babylon) and brought together to Jerusalem where we are given one heart as we all follow one way.  In other words, we have been delivered from the physical churches of this world or Babylon and brought together from every tribe and kindred to become the New Jerusalem. It is in the church of the firstborn that we dwell in safety.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

In verse 15, we are made aware that it is as we come to the New Jerusalem that the Lord drags the devil (Gog) to gather his forces from the north to attack us, His elect. It is instructive that the army of Gog comes from the north which means judgement. What this implies is that it is when we have come to the New Jerusalem that our judgement begins. As mentioned earlier and in verse 16, this army of Gog from the north comes against us like a cloud that covers our land or bodies. That is to say that during this period of our trials, we barely see Christ working all things according to the counsel of His will. However, the Lord has shown us in verse 16 that it is through our trials that He is sanctified. The Lord’s sanctification is our sanctification.

Jer 1:14  Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
Jer 1:15  For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set everyone his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
Jer 1:16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.  

Jer 10:22  The voice of tidings, behold, it cometh, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling-place of jackals. (ASV)

Eze 38:17  Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, that prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them? 

Verse 17 affirms to us that Gog is the old serpent who had been prophesied in old time by the servants of the Lord that he shall come against the Lord’s people or elect. That is why the devil is called an old serpent. Right in the beginning of the Lord’s creation, when the serpent deceived Eve we are warned by the Lord of the impending attacks of the devil against the Lord’s people.

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

Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Eze 38:18  And it shall come to pass in that day, when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, that my wrath shall come up into my nostrils. 
Eze 38:19  For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 
Eze 38:20  so that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

These verses show us that Gog, who signifies the devil, is the instrument that the Lord uses to judge our old man. Statements such as the Lord’s wrath coming up into his nostrils, the jealousy and the fire of the Lord’s wrath, and the great shaking in the land of Israel on that day, all signify the judgement of our old man, or flesh, through the agency of the devil or Satan.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

2Ki 22:13  Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

2Ch 12:12  And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.

In verse 20, we are shown what the wrath of the Lord or His judgement accomplishes. The fishes of the sea denote our lives dominated by our flesh, the birds of the heavens signifies the influence of the evil one on our hearts and mind, and the beasts of the field is our flesh. The creeping things upon the earth represent the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition which we imbibe or eat to defile ourselves.

Lev 11:41  And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

Lev 11:43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.

The statement that all men upon the face of the earth shall shake at the presence of the Lord means that all men shall be judged. Concerning the Lord’s elect, our judgement is meted out to us in this age. The rest of humanity shall be judged in the lake of fire age. At the end of the Lord’s judgement, all our mountains, the steep places and every wall that separates us from the Lord shall be destroyed.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 
Eze 38:22  And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 
Eze 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

The whole of the Lord’s tools for judging us are the sword, famine, pestilence and noisome beast.

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

In verses 21 and 22, we are shown some of the tools that the Lord uses to judge us and they are the sword and pestilence. The overflowing rain, hailstones, fire and brimstones that the Lord will rain on the devil and all his cohorts all relates to the truth of the Lord’s words which destroys the works and devices of the adversary in our lives.

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

In verse 23, we are shown the effects of the Lord’s judgement. The Lord shall be magnified and sanctified in our lives. The Lord’s sanctification is our sanctification. As the Lord is magnified and sanctified in us, we shall come to know Him intimately.

May the Lord continue His work of sanctification in us. Amen!!

Isa 30:26-33 - The Lord's Voice is Heard With The Flame of a Devouring Fire - Discussion

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Isa 30:26-33 - The Lord's Voice Is Heard With The Flame of A Devouring Fire

Isa 30:26  Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
Isa 30:27  Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
Isa 30:28  And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
Isa 30:29  Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.
Isa 30:30  And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.
Isa 30:31  For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.
Isa 30:32  And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.
Isa 30:33  For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

Our study today is on the last seven verses of Isaiah 30. The theme of this chapter is best demonstrated in this one verse:

Isa 30:25  And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

The first part of this verse sounds so positive, and the last part sounds so negative, but this is the gospel of Jesus Christ which teaches us that "it is through much tribulation" that we enter into the kingdom of God. That is the same as saying, "If we suffer with Him we shall also be glorified together with Him." Both of those verses are simply telling us, "You shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endures to the end shall be saved."

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

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

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

All of those verses are just some of the details of what must happen for "He [our new man] must increase but I [our old man] must decrease" to come to pass in our lives.

Joh 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease.

To introduce the message of these verses we need to remember, as with all scripture, the 'is' and the 'was' and the 'will be' character to the Word of God. In other words, all the prophecies of scripture are being fulfilled, were being fulfilled and will be fulfilled.

For example, the seed of the serpent, our old man, has been seeking to destroy the seed of the woman from "the foundation of the world", and he will continue to do so until the end of the ages.

Gen 3:13  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

These words have been true in every generation of men from 'the first man Adam' until today. Cain killed Abel, and Christ now makes this statement to all who are given to read and understand:

Luk 11:47  Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Luk 11:48  Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
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;
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.

In Matthew 24 the Lord continues to reveal to us that His words do not pass away and that they apply in principle in each and every generation.  Verse 15 is part of the same prophecy as the rest of the chapter. In other words, it is all addressed to "whoso readeth, let him understand":

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mat 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

These words come directly from the mouth of our Lord Himself, and so do the words of our study of Isaiah 30. They are all spiritual words which have an outward 'was' and 'will be' application to them. We can read of the physical details of the 'was' application, but we are specifically told that the Lord alone knows what the morrow holds:

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Jas 4:16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

So while we never deny the past or future application, it is not our primary focus. Our focus is always primarily on the present daily 'is' application of the spiritual words of scripture.

For the purpose of driving this point home, the Lord gives us these words about the fig tree:

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

"So likewise you" are words addressed to "whoso reads" these words in every generation of mankind. "Know it is near" is speaking primarily of the spiritual coming of Christ to destroy the man of sin, our old man, the seed of the serpent who sits on the throne of God within each of us in our own time.

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

We are made to know that "no man knows" that day and hour, but we are also told, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." The only person who can "be ready" is the person to whom He has already come as a thief in the night, and whose old man has been dethroned and who is now living every physical day as if it were his last day on this physical earth. We can only do this if we 'reckon ourselves already dead' with Christ and already resurrected with Christ.

But is that really what the scriptures teach? Let's all read it with our own eyes:

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [All three verbs in this verse are in the aorist tense.]
Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: ["have been" is second perfect and "shall be" is future tense]
Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ['Knowing' is present tense, 'crucified with Him' is 'aorist tense, 'the body of sin destroyed' is aorist, but 'not serve sin' is present tense, because "sin shall not have dominion over us - vs 14.]"
Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [being dead with Christ is aorist tense, but believing we shall live with Him is present tense]
Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [all three verbs, 'reckon', 'to be dead', and 'alive' are all in the present tense in this verse, because that is how we are to presently reckon, and see ourselves in Christ]

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ["Sin shall not" is future tense, but the reason for which "sin shall not have dominion over you" is present tense.]

We are to consider ourselves presently, at this very moment, to be dead to sin (vs 14). If we do not think of ourselves in that way, then we are not yet "dead to sin", and if sin is still reigning in our lives, then we will not have a part in that blessed and holy first resurrection. This is all aorist tense and present tense because we are already redeemed in earnest, and we can say "now are we the sons of God":

Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; [dying and death - 1Co 15:26]

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession [first resurrection], unto the praise of his glory.

This has been a long introduction, but with this 'is, was and will be' character of the Word of God firmly in mind, let's apply this principle to these words of God, and appreciate just how much the Lord is doing within us as He is preparing us to become "saviors upon Zion to judge the mount of Esau":

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.

This is what the Lord is doing to make us present day saviors:

Isa 30:26  Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

Who is all of this light which begins to shine down upon us?

Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Joh 12:46  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

If Christ is living His life within us, then this is also true:

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

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Eph 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

1Th 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

In the day that all of this light comes into our lives that is the day when Christ binds up the breach of us, His people and heals the stroke of [our] wound. This is what Christ tells us of His coming into our lives:

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Here is the description of what happens within us when all this light begins birthing our new man even as he, our old man, begins to be destroyed by that very same light:

2Th 2:4  Who [our old man within us] opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth [Greek: katechō, restrains] that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

It is our old man who restrains the coming of Christ until the appointed day when he is exposed and is seen to be sitting where he ought not. Then, at that very point, notice what the Lord does to the beast, the man of sin within us. It is not instantaneous, but the scriptures call it "a short work":

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:

Which simply fulfills this prophecy of many years earlier:

Isa 30:27  Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

We are "afar" from God when this process begins. Here is just how far we are:

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

We speak with our tongues. "His tongue" is His words, and where do the scriptures tell us the Lord's words are to be found? This is where we will find the Lord's "burning anger... indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire":

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

The apostle John tells  us the exact same thing:

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 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Isaiah tells us why we are so incredibly stubborn and rebellious, and exactly why the Lord's anger is so fierce upon the kingdom of our proud rebellious old man:

Isa 30:28  And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

And who does Isaiah tell us puts this "bridle in the jaws" of His own people? Isaiah knows who is in charge, and he knows who made His people to err from His ways. This is the only one who can make the Lord's own people to err from His ways, and this is who that one person is. This is a bombshell to the kingdom of our old man, which thinks that he is the captain of His own destiny:

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.

There it is! This is, "the light of the moon... as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun... sevenfold, as the light of seven days." This is, "the brightness of His coming" which "destroys the man of sin sitting in the temple of God."

This is all great cause for rejoicing in in all these trials which serve to destroy the kingdom of our old man within us:

Isa 30:29  Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.

This solemn rejoicing takes place even as we are witnessing the destruction of the kingdom of our old man within us:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Peter is not denying that we are already partakers of the joy of the Lord even as we suffer with Him. He just admonished us to do so. We have so much more we are promised as the "inheritance of the purchased possession" which we are yet hoping for even though we do not see it at this very moment.

Listen to what "the redemption of the purchased possession" is. It is also called the "mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ":

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Earlier in this same eighth chapter of Romans we were told that "the whole creation is waiting for... the redemption of our bodies", and that blessed and holy event is nothing less than "the manifestation of the sons of God" who will be the prophesied "saviors upon Mount Zion, to judge the Mount of Esau":

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

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

As I said at the beginning of this study, the inward 'is' application is our primary focus of the words of God. However, make no mistake, this down payment we have now is not "the redemption of the purchased possession" for which we now "hope" and "wait". The best by far is yet to come!

The present 'is' character of the Lord's words are primary to our daily lives. So is the future 'will be' component of the Word of God because we are told that "we are saved by hope" for that which we have not yet seen, and we are told that for that reason we must patiently "wait for" it.

We are even told that "if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable":

1Co 15:16  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
1Co 15:17  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1Co 15:18  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
1Co 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But we are not miserable because we know that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us".

It was given to Paul to give us a glimpse into what "the redemption of the purchased possession" is, for which there is so little appreciation from 'Esau' within us, who saw no value in looking to the future and being grateful for the promises of his birthright. This is what the holy spirit inspired the apostle Paul to relate to us to never give up our hope in Christ, and to inspire us to know that all of our suffering has a much greater recompense of reward if we are granted to "endure to the end" of the "much tribulation [through which] we must inherit the kingdom of God":

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ["Blessed us with all spiritual blessings" is aorist tense, but: "that we should be holy and without blame before Him" is present tense.]
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; ["Have redemption is in the present tense because the down payment makes it so]
Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. ["Which is the earnest of our inheritance" is in the present tense.]

Paul is inspired to give thanks to God that He has seen fit to enlighten the eyes of our understanding to know just what it is for which we are hoping and waiting:

Eph 1:15  Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Eph 1:16  Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Christ's inheritance is "in the saints", and the inheritance of the saints is in Christ. So it is a very symbiotic relationship we have with our Lord and our heavenly Father:

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in 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.

We are never to think that our calling gives us any occasion to sit back and rest on our laurels or to ever say "let us eat drink and be merry" in the material things of this age.

Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

This is the attitude which the knowledge we have been given should produce within us if we are truly humbled by our calling:

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

If we are "thus minded", then we will recognize the Lord's voice coming to us through our brothers and sisters, and our trials and tribulations which are designed to destroy the proud kingdom of the man of sin within us:

Isa 30:30  And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

Isaiah himself tells us what these "hailstones" are. Strange as it may seem, the hailstones are the same thing as "the flame of a devouring fire".

Isa 28:15  Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
Isa 28:18  And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

There it is! The function of the hail and the waters is the same as the indignation of His anger... with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones". In other words, it is all symbolic of the fiery words of God which destroy and devastate all the lies we have been told. It is all nothing less than "the voice of the Lord [and] the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone" devouring everything that can be devoured by the fires of His fiery words:

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
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.

We all are guilty of defiling the Lord's temple and suffering "loss". Yet, "he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Isa 30:31  For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.
Isa 30:32  And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.
Isa 30:33  For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

"Tophet" is what Christ called "Gehenna", and both typify the lake of fire. It is "ordained of old" for the old man in all who are cast therein, but notice what it is that kindles it. "The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, does kindle it." The breath of the Lord is the words of the Lord. It certainly is not literal, physical flames.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will look into the revelation the Lord's fiery words are within His own people, who He tells us dwell in Zion and in Jerusalem:

Isa 31:1  Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
Isa 31:2  Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.
Isa 31:3  Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Isa 31:4  For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
Isa 31:5  As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.
Isa 31:6  Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.
Isa 31:7  For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.
Isa 31:8  Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.
Isa 31:9  And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

Foundational Themes in Genesis – Study 29

The foundation of earthy man was built on sand as God made it from “the dust of the ground”, which is a temporary dwelling for all in the first Adam (Gen 2:7, Mat 7:26-27). This Adam was given a body of sin and death which reflects the spiritual condition of “the wicked” on whom God will “rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest” because flesh in whatever form cannot enter the Lord’s holy temple (Rom 6:6, Rom 7:24, 1Co 15:50):

Psa 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Psa 11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
Psa 11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Psa 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

God’s righteous judgment will destroy “the wicked first man Adam” which is indeed a “horrible tempest” for him. The symbolic cup of our old man is first filled with all forms of iniquity from his creation when he was made “subject to vanity” and corruption “by reason of Him who has subjected the same in hope”:

Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

The punishments of Adam, Eve and the serpent as written down in Genesis 3 not only give us a type of the true spiritual judgment which will destroy all carnal minds, but it also gives us three different perspectives and also important aspects of this foundational theme of judgment. We already touched on a few of these aspects in our previous two discussions.

The natural man does neither accept, nor does he understand, the purpose of God’s judgments, and he thinks he can somehow avoid it by his own good works (Isa 28:15, Jer 25:27-29, Jer 49:12). This self-righteousness is represented by the fig leaves used by Adam and Eve as a covering for their nakedness, and also in the offering of the fruit of the ground by their firstborn son, Cain:

Pro 28:5 Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

God’s judgments are connected to His righteousness and mercy. Only through a process of judgment can anyone be taught the righteousness of God. It is not instantaneous as many falsely propagate (Psa 9:8, Psa 19:9, Psa 98:9, Isa 26:9).
Although God is causing every thought and action of His creatures, they still need to give an account of them. This accounting is seen by the natural man as if he is expected to inform or report to God about things of which God was supposedly unaware. The natural mind cannot see that God wrote all our thoughts and actions, both good and evil, in His book long before we were born in the flesh, and He is ‘working’ in us from start to finish (Php 2:12-13):

Psa 139:16 (CEV) but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.

God’s judgment is His “strange work” of saving grace which comes through His wrath on the old man in us (Isa 28:15-29). This wrath is therefore poured out on all ungodliness and worldly lusts in “all [who] have sinned” (Rom 3:23, Eph 2:1-3, Rev 14:7-11). This wrath of God has an appointed time period and only lasts until His goal is achieved, which is salvation:

1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s judgment brings about His righteousness to all, which includes all evil angelic creatures, also Satan, that old serpent. Satan’s carnal ‘meal’ is symbolized by dust, and this dust is turned into brimstone when God brings spiritual healing and purification through His fiery Word (Heb 12:29, Jer 5:14, Jer 23:29). This word ‘brimstone’ supplies the spiritual meaning of how this serpent, and all other serpents or seraphs around the throne of God, will eat dust “all the days” of their lives (Gen 3:14, Isa 6:1-3):

Isa 34:9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone [Greek: theion from the base theos which means God-like = His spiritual image], where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented [Greek: basanizo – to test for purity] day and night for ever and ever [the eons of the eons].

God’s judgment reveals the impassable distinction between the light and the darkness and the “great gulf fixed” between the children of light and the children of darkness (Gen 1:2-3, Luk 16:26). This also reveals how we first start off as children of darkness to eventually be translated into His true Light, Jesus Christ, who is the exact or “express image” of the “Father of lights” (Eph 5:8, 1Th 5:5, Jas 1:17):

Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

God’s judgment also reveals to us that the froward mind-set of carnality always thinks God is changing His mind because of the thoughts and actions of His creatures. The thoughts and actions of creatures are never the cause of anything, especially changing the plan and purposes of God. God is the only Cause, or Creator, of both good and evil in every aspect and operation of this creation (Isa 45:7). God also approaches the carnal mind on the level He deceives it, and that is also revealed in the way the Scriptures are written (Eze 14:1-10, Jer 4:10, 1Ki 22:22, 2Th 2:11, Isa 46:10):

Psa 18:26 b …. with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

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 [inconstancy; fickleness; unsteadiness], neither shadow of turning.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Judgment clarifies that all in the first Adam are appointed by God to first experience this state of spiritual death, before the final judgment is brought on us when this eon of death is completely destroyed. ALL death (all carnal minds) will be destroyed and consumed by the life and mind of Christ. With everything God does He has a good purpose (an end goal) in mind and that also applies to judgment. This truth brings so much comfort and joy (1Pe 4:12-14):

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

We naturally do not honor God’s spiritual order as we do not wait on God but walk ‘uncovered’ in the flesh as Eve did when she “prophesied with her head uncovered” and in the process “dishonored her head” (Adam) when she addressed the serpent instead of Adam (Gen 3:1-5, 1Co 11:3-5). Eve represents our own flesh and carnal reasoning when we naturally do not listen to His commandments and think we can help God through our own zealousness and false sincerity, as Abraham did who listened to Sarah’s wrong advice when she thought that the promised seed will come through Hagar. This is also typified in the sacrifice which king Saul offered in his disobedience and impatience. King David’s ignorance in the way the ark of God was supposed to be moved, and Saul (later Paul) persecuting the church helps us to see why judgment is so important for us to see the right perspectives (Psa 27:14, 2Co 11:3, 1Co 11:3, Gen 16:1-3, 1Sa 13:7-9, 1Ch 13, Act 9:5).

Eve’s punishment included “sorrow and conception” and this is a type of the real spiritual process of conception in and through Christ and His body (Rom 8:21-25, Rom 11:30-31):

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
1Co 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

Continuing with this theme of judgment mentioned as a type in Genesis chapter 3, we see that the punishment of Adam in the garden of Eden also confirms all these truths and also adds more insight to this foundational theme in Genesis:

Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened [listened or obeyed] unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

It is not recorded in Scripture that Eve spoke to Adam to eat of the tree, but only that she gave him of the tree, and he also ate. That is how Adam “hearkened unto the voice” of Eve:

Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

The word ‘voice’ is not limited to audible words, but also to following another person’s walk or directives. We follow either the spirit of God through listening to His Word and also doing what He said, or we follow the “voice” of strangers in their words and their actions (Mat 7:24-27, Gal 2:20, Eph 2:2-3, Gal 5:19-23, Jas 2:18-26, Rev 1:3):

Joh 10:4 And when he [the good shepherd] 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.

Eve was “beguiled by the serpent” as she followed the ‘voice’ of the serpent and Adam also followed that same ‘voice’ revealed in his actions (2Co 11:3). Adam was initially unaware of many things, including his own status and nakedness. Like Eve, he also had no clue what good and evil were, among all the other earthy things in and around them. Again it appears to the natural mind that God was now redirecting or changing His plan with the ground (“cursed is the ground”). Anything earthy, including the ground, was made marred and corrupt from the hand of the Potter (Jer 18:4, Rom 8:20, 1Co 15:42-43, Rom 9:21). Everything “of the ground” refers to temporary and carnal things. This also is reflected in the outward things which God created within the six days of the physical creation. Nothing in this physical creation is ‘good’ in itself, but only good for the purpose God will use it, including all evil (Gen 50:20, Isa 5:20, Pro 16:4):

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

This godly principle that evil and darkness were there (inwardly and outwardly) long before we become aware of it, is also typified in the other punishments of Adam:

… in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Thorns and thistles were all created on the third day of the six day creation but were revealed to Adam and Eve now for the first time. “All things are full of labour” as the sensual perceptions of mankind always find ‘new’ knowledge which is actually only new to the carnal observer (Ecc 1:18):

Ecc 1:8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Ecc 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecc 1:10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

The “thorns and thistles” also refer to spiritual perspectives in the natural heart of our first man, which the judgments of God mercifully reveal to us as being false doctrines in a reprobate mind (Rom 1:28). This is when we are limited to a spiritual diet of herbs and we are spiritually weak with immature or untested knowledge (1Co 8:1, 1Th 5:19-21, 1Co 14:29, 1Jn 4:1, Rom 12:1, Heb 10:24-25, Pro 27:17):

Rom 14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

Being in this weak state spiritually, we ‘sweat’ as we cannot judge properly and do our works in the flesh to gain healing and salvation for flesh and spirit through natural means:

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

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.

Through His judgments these thorns and thistles/briars are burned out of us progressively until the day death is totally destroyed in us:

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Jos 23:13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

Adam’s returning to dust was preordained by God because flesh and blood will never, and has never been in the spiritual kingdom of God. The body of flesh is “the body of this death” and that is also how “sin entered into the world”:

Rom 5:12 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:

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Next week, God willing, we will continue our discussion in this foundational theme of judgment as typified in Genesis.

[The writer may be reached at glgroenewald@gmail .com for questions or comments.]

[Detailed studies and emails written relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the www. iswasandwillbe. com website, including:
The Head of Christ is God
The Sum of Thy Word
What is Life Aionois?
After the Counsel of His Own Will

Video Links

Job 18:11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.
Job 18:12 His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.
Job 18:13 It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.
Job 18:14 His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.
Job 18:15 It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.
Job 18:16 His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.
Job 18:17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.
Job 18:18 He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.
Job 18:19 He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.
Job 18:20 They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.
Job 18:21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

Introduction

In our study this week, Bildad continues to look down his nose at the suffering of his friend, Job. As we read his words, let us remember that while he is accusing Job, these words are inspired of the holy spirit, and they are intended to be applied to all men of all time.

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.

Since Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar are all attacking the very person we are told was their friend, and since these words “are written for our admonition”, what we are being told is that their actions are our own actions and reactions to this particular situation where we all, at some time witness a friend who is being destroyed before our eyes.

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.

Another way of expressing what it is that we are being admonished is that while we all understand that wicked men are predestined to be destroyed, we never see ourselves as being “that wicked”.
Remember just how self- righteously King David reacted to what he was confronted with what he thought was another man’s sin:

2Sa 12:5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
2Sa 12:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

The lesson is that there is a self- centered beast on the throne of the heart of every man, and every man must must live by all these words which have proceeded out of the mouth of God.
Second Th 2 tells us what the book of Job is all about in this verse:

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:

“That wicked” refers to “that man of sin” of verse 3:

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Those who have been given “ears to hear” will understand that the book of Job is the Old Testament type and shadow of how the seven last plagues are fulfilled in the lives of all who are granted to enter into the temple of God in this age.

Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Being God’s temple and entering into His temple are one and the same thing. Just as Christ says we are ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, and yet we are told that we must be ‘in Christ’, so too, we are called “the temple of God”, and yet we are also told that we must “enter into the temple”.

Act 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The “old things [ which] are passed away” is primarily our “old man”. This is the message of this entire book of Job.

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

‘Crucifying… destroying… and putting off’ are all the destruction of our old man. It is only through his death and destruction that we are able to “put on the new man”.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

“After the image of Him that created him” proves that “the first man, Adam” was not the finished product. It is only “the new man which is… after the image of Him that created him”.

Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

It is only “the new man, which… is created in righteousness and true holiness”.
This “smoke from the glory of God” which fills the temple of God until the seven plagues of the seven angels is fulfilled is generated by the fire that is His Word. Those fiery words will always be burning the “wood, hay, and stubble… grass [ and] trees” of this “earth” as it is found in “the mouth” of His elect.

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
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 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

The number ‘two’ in scripture is the number of ‘witness’. These are our Lord’s words so they “never pass away”.

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

They were true in the generation when our Lord was walking this earth in a body of flesh and blood, and they are just as true to this very day.
Job and his “miserable comforters” knew that God’s Words were a consuming fire in the lives of the wicked:

Job 15:34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

Job 20:26 All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.
Job 22:20 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.

These fiery words of Truth are the ‘fire’ of “the fiery trials” of God’s elect (1Pe 4:12), who Job prefigures. It is Christ’s Words which are burning out all of the self- righteous mountains and principalities within the hearts and minds of His saints, who have been given “ears to hear” and are blessed to have these seven last plagues which “fill up the wrath of God… fulfilled” in this age. It is Job’s firm belief that his flesh does not need to have God’s wrath in His temple, which furnishes the fuel, the wood, hay and stubble, that must be burned out of all of God elect in this age.

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

The Old Testament prophets, in type and shadow, reveal that we must be the first to know the fire of God’s wrath in our lives:

Psa 85:2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
Psa 85:3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

Why would God “take away all His wrath” from His servant, King David, if it had never been there? What is the result of a forgiven, truly repentant heart? We are told in the very next verses:

Psa 85:4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

We were told clearly in Revelation chapters 13 and 14 that being overcome by the beast and the fulfilling of the seven plagues upon the beast within our life “is the patience and faith of the saints”.

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

These verses, Rev 13:1-10 and Rev 14:9-12 are the New Testament fulfillment of “the patience of Job”.

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Jas 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

“The patience of Job” is the Old Testament type of “the patience and faith of the saints… they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”. It is Jesus who commands us to “keep the things which are written therein”.

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

Rev 13:10 and Rev 14:9-12 are both “things which are written therein”.
Just as the experience of Job losing all his earthly possessions, including his seven sons and three daughters, his enduring the boils from his head to his feet and his torment at the hands of his accusers were all essential to demonstrate “that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercies”, so also is the enduring of the wrath of God which is filled up in those seven last plagues, essential to demonstrate “the patience and faith of the saints… [ who] keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”.
Once again, we must conclude:

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

Once again we must conclude that all mankind will ‘live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’, and that this is all “common to man”:

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.
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.

So if the scriptures are true and ‘all things are ours – the world, life, death things present, and things to come’ – then these words of Bildad are also ours, and are in truth, “common to man”.

Job 18:11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.
Job 18:12 His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.

There is no spiritual change without the terrors of God causing the beast within us, “that man of sin”, unable to enjoy rest until he is given to see himself as “vile”. The most insidious means of hiding that Truth and the corruption of our flesh is our own self- righteousness.

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 agrees with Bildad that God terrorizes “that wicked” within us:

Job 24:17 For the morning is to them [ the wicked, “those which have sinned… all have sinned”, verse 19] even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
Job 24:18 He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.
Job 24:19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.
Job 27:20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

The Hebrew word translated ‘hungerbitten’ in verse 12 is everywhere else translated simply as ‘hunger’. This is how hunger affects the strength of the wicked:

Lam 4:9 They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

“Destruction shall be ready at his side” is the predestined fate of these clay vessels.

2Pe 2:12 But these [“our old man”, Rom 6:6], as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

It is because we have all first been “brute beasts”, that we are all “made to be taken and destroyed” as such “brute beasts”, so that a “new man” can be brought forth out of the darkness of that “brute beast”.
Job wishes the grave would consume him, but it does not do so. Job is, in type, living and keeping these words:

Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

We are not given the exact length of the time of Job’s terror and his torment, but we are told that it lasted for “months”, and we are also told that Job wanted to die.

Job 7:3 So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.
Job 7:21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, butI shall not be.

Job is forced to acknowledge that he must be guilty of some sort of transgression and iniquity, but being the type of all of us who at first think so highly of ourselves, Job thinks God is holding the sins of his youth against him:

Job 13:26 For thou [ God] writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

But God’s wrath is poured out upon our self- righteousness, as well as our other beastly sins. The seven last plagues of God’s wrath are poured out upon the kingdom of the beast within us and upon Babylon within us.

Rev 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

Job truly believes that he is in the light and does not need God’s wrath doing its work in his life. He is what Christ has to say of such a self- righteous attitude:

Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

When we are worshiping our beast, thinking he is so righteous that he need not fulfill the seven plagues in his life, we truly believe that we are living in the light of God’s Word. We are in total darkness, but we are totally unaware of that fact. We are worshiping the beast and the dragon while thinking we are serving God. That is why God is intent upon the destruction of our beast. So the very worst possible position to be in is to think that our old man, our flesh, is living in the light and is above needing to be destroyed, because he, like Job, is too good to be destroyed.

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.

Such an attitude causes us to “possess the iniquities” of our own self- righteousness until that man of sin is revealed as ‘the son of perdition’ sitting in the temple of God showing himself to be God. Until that revelation comes, we remain under the wrath of the Truth of these words:

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

It is the wrath of God which fulfills: “destruction shall be ready at his side.”

Job 18:13 It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.
Job 18:14 His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.

Terrors accompany the destruction and consumption of our old man:

Psa 73:19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

“The king of terrors” is referred to as “so great a death” by the apostle Paul:

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

It simply cannot be otherwise when we incriminate ourselves:

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

Job 18:15 It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.
Job 18:16 His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.

How can sin “dwell in his tabernacle” and still be “none of his”? Paul answers that question for us if we are granted eyes that see and ears that hear:

Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

“Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off” simply because there will be nothing in which the sinful flesh of our old man will be able to glory before God.

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 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

‘Brimstone’ burns very hot and is used to purify because of the high temperatures it produces. God uses brimstone as the symbol of how His word burns so hot to purify Sodom and Gomorrah within His elect:

Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, Babylon the great, and the first man Adam, are one and all just different symbols for our old man, whose destruction is the catalyst for the birth of our new man. So Bildad’s words are true:

Job 18:17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.
Job 18:18 He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.

That is right! We are driven to forsake our Lord and His Word. We are “driven from light into darkness”, and it is God who does so:

Psa 90:3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

Isa 63:17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

Here are God’s words to all who truly think, as Job and his miserable comforters thought, and as we all first do, that we need never drink of the wine of His wrath, nor fulfill the seven plagues of the seven angels in our lives:

Job 18:19 He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.
Job 18:20 They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.
Job 18:21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

“… Such are the dwellings of the wicked… this is the place of Him that knows not God”. Job, at this point does not know God. Job, at this point, is like the old man within us all, who denies that he must fulfill the seven plagues of the seven angels, before he can enter into the temple of God. That is not the mind of the God of Scripture. In other words, the man who thinks like our old man thinks, will simply be completely destroyed and never again brought to remembrance. Here is God’s own solemn warning to us all against such a foolish doctrine which would dare to teach that God’s wrath is never upon God’s elect’:

Jer 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
Jer 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.

“He shall have neither son nor nephew among his people” is speaking of our old man, “the first man Adam”. This book, is the record of the fact that God’s elect are who Job foreshadows. “Ye shall surely drink” specifically refers to the cup of the wine of God’s wrath:

Jer 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:

Just as Peter told us in 1Pe 4:17, God begins the judgment of the seven plagues, which fill up His wrath, at his own house:

Jer 25:18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

It is our own old man who is first judged and destroyed by the fire of God’s wrath.
Next week, if the Lord wills we will see Job telling us plainly that this book concerns God’s wrath against him, as the Old Testament type of each of us as we endure the seven plagues of the seven angels, which “fill up the wrath of God” (Rev 15:2).

Job 19:1 Then Job answered and said,
Job 19:2 How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?
Job 19:3 These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.
Job 19:4 And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.
Job 19:5 If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:
Job 19:6 Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.
Job 19:7 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
Job 19:8 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and hehath set darkness in my paths.
Job 19:9 He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.
Job 19:10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.
Job 19:11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.
Job 19:12 His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.
Job 19:13 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.
Job 19:14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.