Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

In this study we will concentrate on how “the last enemy… death, is destroyed.” We will begin by demonstrating who and what “the Israel of God” is. “The Israel of God” is His instrument for the destruction of death.

Revelation 7 and Revelation 14 tell us that “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” consist of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The identity of who the 144,000 are totally relates to the destruction of death and hell, and who will and who will not be in the lake of fire.

Rev 7:4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Rev 7:5  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. [etc.]

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

These verses have led many to believe that God’s elect are indeed physical Jews. After all, chapter 7 names the 12 tribes, each contributing 12,000 “servants of our God” (Rev 7:3):

Rev 7:3  Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

It is that very phrase, “the servants of our God” in Revelation 7:3 which will help us to understand who these 12 tribes truly signify. They signify “the servants of our God”, and that manifestly excludes the physical nation of Israel which has rejected their own Savior.

Who then is “the Israel of God”? If we can demonstrate that being an ‘Israelite’, from the Lord’s perspective, has nothing at all to do with being physically descended from Abraham, and instead it has everything to do with being one of the “servants of our God”, and that being a servant of God is now a spiritual matter only, then we will know who the Israel of God is.

The first New Testament revelation that being an Israelite is not necessarily connected to being a physical descendant of Abraham comes to us from John the Baptist when he says this to the Israelites of his day:

Luk 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

If indeed ‘stones’ can be used by the Lord to become “children unto Abraham” then it would be no problem at all for the Lord to “raise up children unto Abraham” out of “those who are called uncircumcision by those who are called the circumcision”, which is exactly what the apostle Paul tells us He is doing, as we will soon see (Eph 2:11-22).

Before we look at who the holy spirit reveals to be the true “commonwealth of Israel”, let’s first look at whom the Lord Himself reveals to be His true ‘servants’ (Rev 7:3) and who He considers to be a true ‘spiritual’ Jew and a true ‘spiritual’ Israelite. This is what Christ Himself told a Gentile, Samaritan woman about who He was seeking to be His true servants:

Joh 4:5  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Joh 4:6  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Joh 4:7  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Joh 4:8  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Joh 4:9  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Samaritans were apostates who had intermarried with Gentiles brought from Babylon. Samaritans were therefore considered to be worse than Gentiles. Therefore it was Christ who first took the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter was the first of the twelve to preach the gospel to the Gentiles when Peter was made to speak to the Gentiles in the home of Cornelius, the Roman centurion. Shortly thereafter Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus. Christ had preached the gospel to the entire Samaritan city of Sychar many years before either Peter or Paul.

It is here in John 4 that the gospel was first preached to the Gentiles:

Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Joh 4:12  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Joh 4:15  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Joh 4:16  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
Joh 4:17  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
Joh 4:18  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
Joh 4:19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [“The Jews” of Romans 2:28-29 as the next verse makes clear]
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers [true Jews, (Rom 2:28-29)] shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit [God is not descended from Abraham]: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Joh 4:27  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

It would be years later before these very apostles would be given the strength and spiritual maturity to follow Christ’s example and “call no man common or unclean.”

Act 10:25  And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
Act 10:26  But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
Act 10:27  And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
Act 10:28  And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Joh 4:28  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
Joh 4:29  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Joh 4:30  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
Joh 4:31  In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
Joh 4:32  But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye [with your carnal mind] know not of.
Joh 4:33  Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Joh 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me [to save the world, (Joh 3:17)], and to finish his work.
Joh 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Joh 4:36  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Joh 4:37  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
Joh 4:39  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
Joh 4:40  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Joh 4:41  And many more believed because of his own word;
Joh 4:42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

What both John the Baptist and Christ are telling us is that the day is coming, and is now here, where physical pedigree is no longer a factor in determining who is and who is not the seed of Abraham. As we said, John the Baptist told the Israelites of his day:

Luk 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Christ told the Samaritan woman:

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Now we will add one more to our list of New Testament “replacement theologians.” ‘Replacement theologians’ is an epithet given by the ministers of Babylon to those who fear and tremble at The Word of God. ‘Replacement theologians fear and tremble at these inspiried Words of God:

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

Being a ‘Jew’ is now in Christ no longer a matter of physical pedigree. Rather in Christ being a ‘Jew’ is now “of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter” and “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly”!

Do the scriptures teach the same principle concerning who is now counted as “part of the commonwealth of Israel”, the twelve tribes of Israel? Yes, as a matter of fact that is exactly what the scriptures teach, and it matters not how many Rabbis and ministers are upset with these words concerning who is part of “the commonwealth of Israel.”

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God.

“This principle” is the principle which states that being an Israelite “doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.” This is such an important principle to the doctrine of Christ that He repeats this principle using the phrase “commonwealth of Israel” in:

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

Someone will surely ask, if all this is true, then why go to the trouble of naming all the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7? The answer to that question is that Israel was composed of twelve tribes for the purpose of becoming the foundation of the Lord’s physical kingdom on this earth. Read the study on the number 12: The Number Twelve

The Lord wants us to know that the spiritual foundation of His kingdom which will rule over “the kingdoms of this world… for a thousand years” is not connected to anything in this physical realm. Nevertheless, that kingdom is founded on the twelve spiritual tribes who are “the Israel of God… walking according to this rule [that] neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” avails as now becoming the twelve spiritual tribes of “the commonwealth of… the Israel of God”:

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

This next point was made by the Lord Himself at the time of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding the colt of an ass. Remember as we read of these events that the Lord calls Israel “My fig tree” in the Old Testament:

Hos 9:10  I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Joe 1:7  He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

As Christ was making His entry into Jerusalem the people “spread their garments in the way… and cut down branches of the trees and strawed them in the way”:

Mar 11:9  And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Mar 11:10  Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
Mar 11:11  And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

The next day as Christ was returning to Jerusalem from Bethany, even though it was not yet time for a fig tree to have figs, Christ approached a fig tree and cursed it:

Mar 11:12  And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14  And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

This story signifies the fact that from that moment on the Lord was seeking only those who would worship Him in spirit and in Truth:

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the [spiritual] Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. [Rom 2:28-29]

Immediately after cursing the fig tree Christ enters into the temple and cleanses it of the “den of thieves” physical Israel had become.

Mar 11:15  And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
Mar 11:16  And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye [“My fig tree”, (Joel 1:7)] have made it a den of thieves.
Mar 11:18  And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
Mar 11:19  And when even was come, he went out of the city.
Mar 11:20  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Mar 11:21  And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain [physical, natural Israel where Christ stood], Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith [Rom 2:28-29].

This fig tree was completely withered… “dried up from the roots”. The branches, the leaves, “the fig tree dried up from the roots.” Christ is both “the branch” and “the root.” He is “the root” of His fig tree. This “dried up from the roots” signifies the He has rejected “[His] fig tree” (Joel 1:7). This tree, signifying physical Israel, has no root of Christ in it.

Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Rom 15:12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Notice that Isaiah does not say “to it shall Israel seek”, nor “In Him shall Israel trust.” To the contrary, this is what He says will happen to “Israel… according to the flesh.”

Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

That is one of the most overlooked verses in all of the Bible. When we put that verse together with what Paul tells us in Romans 11, then we will know when “all Israel shall be saved.”

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

The sins of the Jews who believed on Christ and yet wanted to kill Him will be taken away only “when Sodom… returns to her former estate” at the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death when all men of all time are resurrected to be judged:

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The phrase, “the second death” has nothing to do with anyone dying for a second time. “It is appointed unto [all] men once to die.”

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

God’s elect are the first to ‘die daily’ in this age even as they live in these dying vessels of clay:

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

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

God’s elect are the first to be judged in this present time:

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

It is the Lord’s elect who will be the first to be raised up in “the resurrection of life” as our Lord tells us:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good [by dying daily in this present time], unto the [first] resurrection of life; and they that have done evil [did not die to their old man in this present time], unto the [second] resurrection of damnation [Greek ‘krisis’, judgment, the great white throne judgment/ lake of fire/ second death].

It is that fact, the fact that natural, physical Israel will not return to her former estate until Sodom returns to her former estate, that explains how death and hell are cast into  the lake of fire at the time of the second death. That ‘fire’ is the Word of God in the mouths of “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:15-16 GWV).

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 [the lake of fire], and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies [in the lake of fire]: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Paul tells us that it is through the mercy of Gentile converts, the true ‘Israel of God’, that all apostate Israel will receive mercy:

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. [until “Sodom returns to her former estate” in the lake of fire]
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved [when Sodom is saved]: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins [at the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/ second death].

Rom 11:30  For as ye [Gentiles] in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their [physical Israel’s] unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed [physical Israel], that through your mercy [Gentiles, Romans, (Rom 1:13)] they also may obtain mercy.

Rom 1:13  Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

Lest anyone miss this fact that physical Israel is no longer the sole object of the Lord’s affections Paul and Barnabas told the Jews of Pisidian Antioch:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

It was not just the Sadducees who hated Christ and wanted Him dead, as some ministers and rabbis are falsely teaching. This false doctrine teaches that the Sadducees were nothing more than an arm of the Romans and that it was the Romans who wanted to kill Christ while Jews for the most part loved Christ. That is not at all what the New Testament teaches. John 8 tells us that it was “those Jews which believed on Him… [who] wanted to kill [Him]:”

Joh 8:30  As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Speaking to these same “Jews that believed on Him” Christ answers in the very next verse:

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

There is no mention of the Sadducees in John 8. Both John and Peter makes it clear that “Pilate would have let Him go”:

Joh 19:12  And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews [no mention of Sadducees] cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

Act 3:13  The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Placing the death of Christ upon any particular group alone is to miss the whole point of Christ’s death. The doctrine of both the Old and New Testaments is that He came to bear the sins of all men, and it is the sins of all men which put Christ to death. Natural, physical Israel served as the instrument to reject their own Savior. Their rejection signifies what all but a remnant of Christianity has done and is doing to Christ and His doctrine until this very day. Being that physical nation the Lord has chosen to signify what we have all done, it is expedient that natural Israel be rejected of God and that the gospel must go to the Gentile Christians who have also rejected Christ and His doctrines, except for a very small remnant:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

So the twelve thousand from each tribe simply signify “the foundation of the apostles and prophets of the New Testament times.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye [Gentile Christians] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In conclusion we see now that ‘the great white throne judgment’ is ‘white’ because it is a throne of mercy because “when [God’s] judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness”:

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

The judgments of the great white throne will be the ‘fire in the mouths’ of the Lord’s elect, which will judge every man according to his works and will burn up all the wood, hay and stubble in the lives of all men of all time, “but [they themselves] shall be saved yet so as by  fire.”

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [the lake of fire].

When “fire comes down from God out of heaven” and “devours… the nations in the four quarters of the earth”, then there will be no more flesh and blood to continue procreating more carnal-minded flesh and blood. The resurrection of all men of all time is the casting of death and hell, Greek, ‘hades’, the grave, into the lake of fire, which is the destruction of the last ememy… death (1Co 15:26):

Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire [to be judged]. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life [1,000 years earlier] was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:11-15 The Great White Throne, Part 1

[Study Aired July 4, 2025]

Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

In this study we will concentrate on who and what “the Israel of God” is. It totally relates to who will be and who will not be in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 7 and Revlation 14 tell us that “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” consist of “12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel:

Rev 7:4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Rev 7:5  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. [etc.]

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

These verses have led many to believe that God’s elect are indeed physical Jews. After all chapter 7 mentions twelve tribes, each contributing 12,000 “servants of our God” (Rev 7:3).

It is that very phrase in Revelation 7:3 which will help us to understand who these 12 tribes truly represent. They signify “the servants of our God”, and that manifestly excludes the physical nation of Israel which has rejected their own Savior.

Then who is “the Israel of God?” If we can demonstrate that being an ‘Israelite’, from the Lord’s perspective, has nothing at all to do with being physically descended from Abraham, and instead it has everything to do with being one of the “servants of our God”, and that being a servant of God is now a spiritual matter only, then we will know who the Israel of God is.

The first New Testament revelation that being an Israelite is not necessarily connected to being a physical descendant of Abraham comes to us from John the Baptist when he says this to the Israelites of his day:

Luk 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

If indeed ‘stones’ can be used by the Lord to become “children unto Abraham”, then it would be no problem at all for the Lord to “raise up children unto Abraham” out of “those who are called uncircumcision by those who are called the circumcision”, which is exactly what the apostle Paul tells us He is doing, as we will soon see (Eph 2:11-22).

Before we look at who the holy spirit reveals to be the true “commonwealth of Isreal”, let’s first look at who the Lord Himself reveals to be His true ‘servants’ (Rev 7:3) and who He considers to be a true ‘spiritual’ Jew and a true ‘spiritual’ Israelite. This is what Christ Himself told a Gentile, Samaritan woman about who He was seeking to be His true servants:

Joh 4:5  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Joh 4:6  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Joh 4:7  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Joh 4:8  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Joh 4:9  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Samaritans were apostates who had intermarried with Gentiles brought from Babylon. Samaritans were therefore considered to be worse than Gentiles. Therefore it was Christ who first took the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter was the first of the twelve to preach the gospel to the Gentiles when he was made to speak to the Gentiles in the home of Cornelius the Roman centurion. Shortly thereafter Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus. Christ had preached the gospel to the entire Samaritan city of Sychar many years before either Peter or Paul.

It is here in John 4 that the gospel was first preached to the Gentiles:

Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Joh 4:12  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Joh 4:15  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Joh 4:16  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
Joh 4:17  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
Joh 4:18  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
Joh 4:19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [“The Jews” of Romans 2:28-29 as the next verse makes clear]
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers [true Jews, Rom 2:28-29] shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit [God is not descended from Abraham]: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Joh 4:27  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

It would be years later before these very apostles would be given the strength and spiritual maturity to follow Christ’s example and “call no man common or unclean”.

Act 10:25  And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
Act 10:26  But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
Act 10:27  And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
Act 10:28  And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Joh 4:28  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
Joh 4:29  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Joh 4:30  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
Joh 4:31  In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
Joh 4:32  But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye [with your carnal mind] know not of.
Joh 4:33  Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Joh 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me [to save the world, (Joh 3:17)], and to finish his work.
Joh 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Joh 4:36  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Joh 4:37  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
Joh 4:39  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
Joh 4:40  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Joh 4:41  And many more believed because of his own word;
Joh 4:42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

What both John the Baptist and Christ are telling us is that the day is coming, and is now here, where physical pedigree is no longer a factor in determining who is and who is not the seed of Abraham. As we said, John the Baptist told the Israelites of his day:

Luk 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Christ told the Samaritan woman:

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Now we will add one more to our list of New Testament “replacement theologians.” Those who have no fear of the word of God refers to those who tremble at His Words and who believe these words:

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

Being a ‘Jew’ is now no longer a matter of physical pedigree, rather in Christ being a ‘Jew’ is now “of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter” and “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly”!

Do the scriptures teach the same principle concerning who is now counted as “part of the commonwealth of Israel”? Yes, as a matter of fact that is exactly what the scriptures teach, and it matters not how many Rabbis and ministers are upset with these words concerning who is an ‘Israelite’:

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God.

“This principle” is the principle which states that being an Israelite “doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a “new creation.” This is such an important principle to the doctrine of Christ that He repeats it in:

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

Someone will surely ask, “If all this is true, then why go to the trouble of naming all the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7?” The answer to that question is that Israel was composed of twelve tribes for the purpose of becoming the foundation of the Lord’s physical kingdom on this earth. Read the study on The Number Twelve – The Number of Foundations.

The Lord wants us to know that the spiritual foundation of His kingdom which will rule over “the kingdoms of this world… for a thousand years” is not connected to anything in this physical realm. Nevertheless, that kingdom is founded on the twelve spiritual tribes who are “the Israel of God… walking according to this rule [that] neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” avails as now becoming the twelve spiritual tribes of “the Israel of God”:

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

This next point was made by the Lord Himself at the time of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding the colt of an ass. Remember as we read of these events that the Lord calls Israel “My fig tree” in the Old Testament:

Hos 9:10  I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Joe 1:7  He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

As Christ was making His entry into Jerusalem the people “spread their garments in the way… and cut down branches of the trees and strawed them in the way”:

Mar 11:9  And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Mar 11:10  Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
Mar 11:11  And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

The next day as Christ was returning to Jerusalem from Bethany, even though it was not yet time for a fig tree to have figs, Christ approached a fig tree and cursed it:

Mar 11:12  And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14  And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Immediately after cursing the fig tree Christ enters into the temple and cleanses it of the “den of thieves” it had become.

Mar 11:15  And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
Mar 11:16  And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye [“My fig tree”, (Joel 1:7)] have made it a den of thieves.
Mar 11:18  And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
Mar 11:19  And when even was come, he went out of the city.
Mar 11:20  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Mar 11:21  And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

This fig tree was completely withered. The branches, the leaves, “the fig tree dried up from the roots.” Christ is both “the branch” and “the root.” He is “the root” of His fig tree, signifying “[His] fig tree” (Joel 1:7). This tree, signifying physical Israel, had no root of Christ in it.

Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Rom 15:12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Notice that Isaiah does not say “to it shall Israel seek”, nor “In Him shall Israel trust.” To the contrary this is what He says will happen to “Israel… according to the flesh”:

Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

Paul tells us that it is through the mercy of Gentile converts that Israel will receive mercy:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their [Israel’s] unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy [Gentile Romans, (Rom 1:13)] they also may obtain mercy.

Rom 1:13  Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

Lest anyone miss this fact that physical Israel is no longer the sole object of the Lord’s affections Paul and Barnabas told the Jews of Pisidian Antioch:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

It was not just the Sadducees who hated Christ and wanted Him dead, as some ministers and rabbis are teaching. This false doctrine teaches that the Sadducees were nothing more than an arm of the Romans and that it was the Romans who wanted to kill Christ while Jews for the most part loved Christ. However, that is not what the New Testament teaches. John 8 tells us that it was “those Jews which believed on Him… wanted to kill [Him]:

Joh 8:30  As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Speaking to these same “Jews that believed on Him” Christ answers:

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

There is no mention of the Sadducees in John 8. Both John and Peter makes it clear that “Pilate would have let Him go.”

Joh 19:12  And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews [no mention of Sadducees] cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

Act 3:13  The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Placing the death of Christ upon any particular group alone is to miss the whole point of Christ’s death. The doctrine of both the Old and New Testaments is that He came to bear the sins of all men, and it is the sins of all men which put Christ to death. Natural, physical Israel served as the instrument to reject their own Savior. Their rejection signifies what all but a remnant of Christianity has done and is doing to Christ and His doctrine until this very day. Being that physical nation the Lord has chosen to signify what we have all done, it is expedient that natural Israel be rejected by God and that the gospel must go to the Gentile Christians who have also rejected Christ and His doctrines, except for a very small remnant:

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

So the twelve thousand from each tribe simply signify “the foundation of the apostles and prophets of the New Testament times.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye [Gentile Christians] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In our next study we will see how critical to the Lord’s goal of the destruction of death this great white throne is.

Proverbs 2:1-22 – Paths of Judgment, of the Righteous, of Life

[Study Aired Nov 7, 2024]

In order for the body of Christ to increase and John the baptist within us to decrease, we must needs be judged in this life, which judgement is given to the body of Christ (1Pe 4:17) so that the mind of Christ can be formed within us (Joh 3:30, 1Co 2:16).

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

1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

When we are received of God, we are chastened of him and scourged; we are judged in other words (Heb 12:6-7) and told not to despise this process that His precious first fruit workmanship (Eph 2:10) is called unto (Heb 12:5).

We are promised that the judgement that God is executing on the body of Christ is going to preserve us in this life (1Co 11:31-32, Joh 8:36, Rom 8:31-37) so we don’t have to experience the second death, in the process of dying in this life by being given the power to fulfill God’s will and purpose (Rom 8:28). God’s will can only be fulfilled by our being given to be witnesses of these things (Act 5:32), “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Rev 20:14, 1Jn 2:16-17, Php 2:12-13, Rev 11:3, Zec 4:6).

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away [1Co 15:50], and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

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

These verses in (Luk 13:4-7) lead up to and explain what we must go through as the unproductive fig tree that will only begin to be productive as a result of judgement in our lives that is typified by this statement, “till I shall dig about it, and dung it”. The growth or increase we experience from the digging and dunging process is a gift of God that is given to the elect in this age (1Co 3:6, Eph 2:8).

Luk 13:4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? [Do we think they were the chief of sinners or the apostle Paul only, or anyone else, (1Ti 1:15) or are we in agreement with what Paul quoted, in (Rom 3:10, Mat 23:29-30, Mat 24:34?]
Luk 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent (Rom 2:4), ye shall all likewise perish [and come up in the great white throne judgement (Rev 20:11)].

These first five verse are the important context that set the stage for how God creates the circumstances in our life so that we are repentant, “except ye repent“.

Luk 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. [The ‘certain man’ is Christ.]
Luk 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years (symbolizing our time in Babylon where judgement did not convert our souls (Jer 22:29), no fruit was borne, regardless of physical miracles, and overcoming vices in the flesh (2Th 2:9, Rev 13:13, Co 11:14-15, Joh 14:12-14) I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? [rhetorical question by Christ, he knows why we must experience this exile in Babylon where we bear no spiritual fruit for a symbolic three years]
Luk 13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also (this year symbolizing the Day of the Lord “judgment – digging and dunging”) , till I shall dig about it, and dung it (Act 20:28-31).

Paul was called to dig and dung the fig tree in hopes that some fruit would be borne, becoming a true “dresser of his vineyard” who was once a blasphemer (1Ti 1:13).The churches of Babylon are represented by Paul at that time in his life, and like Paul, one day they will obtain mercy, because all their actions were done ignorantly and in unbelief (Gen 45:8).

1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Gen 45:8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

In this second chapter of Proverbs, we are admonished to not neglect this high calling (Heb 2:3) that we’ve been given as we seek the Lord with all our hearts, being promised that we will find him as a result of that pursuit that is being accomplished by the power of God’s holy spirit working within our lives both to will and do of His good pleasure (Deu 4:29, Php 2:12-13).

The dunging part of the analogy is very instructive as it typifies for us the dead and dying old man that is used as fertilizer to set the stage for our growth. The digging is also important to keep in mind as it symbolizes the labour that we are called unto so that we can enter into His rest (Heb 4:1-11, Tit 3:8).

Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

The land rest that occurred every seven years back in old covenant times (Deu 15:1) was needful to enrich the land for future yield in the field. The symbolism is not telling us we just sit back and do nothing during that year of rest (Tit 3:8), rather that we must labour to enter into it, as we read in (Heb 4:11). The fruit that is borne out of a wholehearted pursuit of seeking the kingdom first and His righteousness is that we will be spiritually preserved with all that we need in this life in order to endure until the end (Mat 6:33). This is what the elect have been called unto and need to remain focused on all of their lives (1Co 15:57-58, Heb 11:6, Rom 7:24-25).

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

After we have acknowledged this high calling and made our profession of faith (Php 3:14, Heb 4:13-14) and understand the need to dig and dung this fig tree, our direction and mindset must be singular as Paul stated, forgetting what is behind us and staying in the light (1Jn 1:7-9) with the hope that Christ will cleanse the inside of the cup and bring us unto perfection on the third day as the author and finisher of our faith (Php 3:8).

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens [our hearts and minds Col 1:27], Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

This parable we have looked at in chapter thirteen of Luke is very connected to this second chapter of Proverbs, that admonishes us to receive God’s words and hide them like precious treasure in earthen vessels. Christ is our wisdom and we have this gift of his mind in these earthen vessels in this life (Col 3:3, 2Co 4:7). What we are to do with this mind of Christ is to not neglect it, as these proverbs will clearly state (Heb 2:3). Stirring up the spirit of God (1Ti 4:14) happens as result of our search that God promises us will result in our finding him (Heb 11:6). The fruit of that search will bring us to understand the fear of the Lord that we know is the “beginning of knowledge” (Pro 1:7).

A great deal of this second chapter also explains how Godly wisdom and our pursuit of it will keep us safe from the many lies and falsehoods in Babylon. There is a reward awaiting those who are given to lose their life today in pursuit of a right relationship with our husband Jesus Christ (Mar 10:28-31).

Mar 10:28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee [all the sins of the world (1Jn 2:16-17)].
Mar 10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
Mar 10:30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Mar 10:31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Pro 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
Pro 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Pro 2:3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
Pro 2:4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
Pro 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness…

(who receive my words, and hide my commandments, and incline your ear to wisdom, a doer of the word who is justified, crying after knowledge, lifting your voice with strong tears and are heard in that you fear God (Heb 5:7, Eph 5:30), who seek her first as silver and hid treasure, as silver representing the sanctification process that comes with the word of God being unearthed within us)

(Mat 5:6 , 2Co 11:27) because “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God“.

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

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

Pro 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Pro 2:7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
Pro 2:8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
Pro 2:9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above (Jas 1:17), and it is the LORD who is giving us the wisdom and knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous and that wisdom is a buckler to those who walk uprightly, being led of the spirit of God (Rom 8:14). He leads us by still waters, he keeps the paths of judgement, and preserves the way of the saints through that judgement. If all of these affirming events are happening to us in this life through the faith of Christ (Php 2:12-13, Gal 2:20), “Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path“, and the spirit will bear witness of this along the way (Rom 8:15-16).

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Pro 2:10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
Pro 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Christ is the author and finisher of our faith who we look to (Heb 12:2), and the comforter leads us into all truth; that is how “wisdom entereth into thine heart“, and because we know it is the Lord working this in our lives (Php 2:12-13), we have great joy in knowing that we are his little flock (Luk 12:32 , Php 4:4), his workmanship, and this relationship is “pleasant unto thy soul“.

The fruit of this blessed relationship with Christ is that “Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee“.

Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. [understanding the sum of God’s word old covenant and new covenant, how both can be profitable to the maturing Christian is what “both are preserved” means (2Ti 3:15)]

1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

Jud 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father (Joh 17:17), and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Pro 2:12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
Pro 2:13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
Pro 2:14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
Pro 2:15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

When we seek the Lord and his wisdom, He leads us not into temptation (Mat 6:13) and we are delivered from evil, from the man that speaks froward things. By God’s grace we develop the ability to try the spirits whether they are of the Lord (1Jn 4:1) and we are preserved by the discretion and understanding that God gives his children. We foresee the evil and hide ourselves (Pro 27:12), we grow to truly understand what an enemy of the cross looks like, as those whose fruit identify them as such (Luk 6:43-45, 1Jn 3:7),”Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths“

Luk 6:43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Luk 6:44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

Pro 2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
Pro 2:17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
Pro 2:18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
Pro 2:19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

We are also delivered “from the strange woman” who represents Babylon, and we are kept safe “from the stranger which flattereth with her words“, again representing those who peddle the word of God and make merchandise of the many called (Mat 22:14). It is in Babylon that we “forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God” and don’t realize that in this state of captivity we are in a house that “inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead“. None that go unto her return again, unless they are dragged out of her and given to “ponder the path of life”(Pro 5:5-8), otherwise we could never” take hold of the paths of life that are found through Christ (Joh 6:44).

Pro 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. 
Pro 5:6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
Pro 5:7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Pro 5:8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Pro 2:20  That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
Pro 2:21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
Pro 2:22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. [another digging and dunging reference – those transgressors and the wicked within us, Lord willing, being rooted out in this life]

We have to go back to the statement found in verse ten (Pro 2:10), “When wisdom [Christ] entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul“, telling us that when God’s holy spirit is within us, Christ who is our wisdom, we can “walk in the way of good and keep the paths of the righteous“. It is only Christ who can be Christ (Col 1:27, Rom 8:9), who makes it possible for those that He dwells in to be “the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it“(Joh 8:31-32).

The elect remain in the land, “But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it“, first within us but also revealing that the elect are being talked about in these parables (Mat 24:40-51) that tell us some are taken and others remain in the earth. The ones remaining represent the elect who inherit the land, because we have been blessed to conquer the land within in this age, by the grace and faith of Christ (Eph 2:8).

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.

Our searching for wisdom and knowledge is not in vain (1Co 15:58). Christ is the tree of life who we are being dragged unto, to “lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her” (Pro 3:18).

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 (Col 1:27) 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. [Pro 24:3, Psa 127:1]
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (Mat 25:4-8)
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.