Clothed in Christ: The Scriptural Journey from Eden’s Fig Leaves to Revelation’s Fine Linen – Part 1

[Study Aired June 10, 2025]

Introduction

Throughout Scripture, clothing is more than mere fabric—it is a profound theological design woven into the story of redemption. From the moment nakedness came to light in Genesis to the triumphant marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation, garments serve as tangible symbols of spiritual realities. They represent covering sin and righteousness gained, shame and salvation, defilement and glory. In the Bible’s grand narrative, to be clothed or unclothed signifies one’s spiritual state before God. As we trace the progressive use of garments from Genesis to Revelation, a consistent message emerges: God Himself provides the necessary covering for sin, ultimately clothing His people in the righteousness of Christ. We will explore that redemptive journey—beginning with the fig leaves Adam and Eve wore (Genesis 3:7) and culminating in Christ’s royal vesture bearing the title “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16). Along the way, we will examine key transitions in this framework: the holy garments of Israel’s priesthood, the filthy garments of Joshua in Zechariah’s vision, Isaiah’s promise of salvation as a robe of righteousness, the radiant clothing of Christ at the Transfiguration, the poignant details of Jesus’ crucifixion garments. In doing so, we will consider the original Hebrew and Greek terms (such as kĕthoneth H3801 and endúō G1746) that deepen our understanding of these texts. The goal is to gain spiritual understanding of garments—showing that to be “clothed in Christ” is the ultimate fulfillment of this biblical theme.

Eden’s Coats of Skins: The First Redemptive Covering

Humanity’s story of clothing opens in the Garden of Eden with a dust-formed pair whose nature was natural— “of the dust, earthy” (1 Corinthians 15:4549)—and therefore subject to shame, mortality, and sin. When Adam and Eve became conscious of their condition, they instinctively tried to mask it: “They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons” (Genesis 3:7). Throughout Scripture, fig leaves represent every flesh-driven attempt to hide sin—external, fragile, and fruitlessness (cf. Jesus’ judgment on the leafy yet barren fig tree, Matthew 21:19).

Throughout Scripture, fig leaves become the Bible’s shorthand for do-it-yourself righteousness. Their broad, pliable shape allows for a quick makeshift covering, yet they wilt within hours—an apt picture of the flesh’s short-lived solutions to guilt. Jesus highlights the symbol when He approaches a leafy fig tree hungry for fruit; finding none, He condemns its false display: “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever” (Matthew 21:19; cf. Mark 11:13–14). Though it was not the season for ripe figs, a fig tree in full leaf should have borne early fruit; its leaves falsely advertised life while offering nothing of substance. This living parable exposed the spiritual hypocrisy of those who appeared righteous outwardly but bore no fruit of repentance or faith—mirroring Adam and Eve’s fig-leaf covering that could not hide their sin (Genesis 3:7). The curse was not merely on the tree but on what it represented: self-righteous religion void of the spirit’s work. As the tree withered from the roots, so too would the lifeless system of outward show without inward transformation. It was a solemn warning that only the righteousness provided by God—Christ Himself—can truly clothe the soul and bear fruit unto life.

The prophets strike the same note: Micah laments that he searches the fig tree for early figs but finds only leaves (Micah 7:1), while Hosea likens Israel’s idolatry to fleeting first fruit that disappoints (Hosea 9:10). In every case, abundant foliage without fruit represents outward religion, rituals, moral effort—that looks promising yet cannot nourish or remove sin. Adam and Eve’s leafy aprons are therefore the Bible’s earliest example of self-manufactured cover-ups, and the rest of Scripture exposes the futility of such flesh-sewn garments.

God immediately exposed the futility of such self-coverings by providing a radically different garment: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). The Hebrew kĕthoneth (כְּתֹנֶת, H3801) denotes a tunic covering the whole body and later refers to priestly linen (e.g., Exodus 28:4). Its root means “to cover,” declaring that only a God-given covering can address dust-man’s shame.

From fig leaves to skins—three spiritual lessons

These contrasting garments teach three intertwined truths. First, self-effort is inadequate: fig leaves wither quickly, just as any righteousness stitched together by the flesh (Isaiah 64:6) “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Second, atonement requires life: although Genesis 3:21 mentioned above does not detail it, the verse presupposes the death of an innocent creature, foreshadowing Christ, who “condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). Third, covering anticipates transformation: the provisional skins look ahead to the day when dust will be “clothed upon with our house from heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:24) “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”

Every subsequent God-given garment—priestly linen, prophetic mantle, white raiment—extends this pattern of atonement, mediation, and promised spirit-clothing, culminating in the fine linen granted to the Bride of Christ.

Holy Garments of the Priesthood: Glory and Beauty Set Apart

Moving forward in history, we encounter another significant set of garments: the holy vestments of the Levitical priesthood. Under the Old Covenant, God established an entire system of sacrifices and mediators (the priests) to deal with Israel’s sin, and He was exceedingly specific that those priests be properly attired. “And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). These priestly garments—described in detail in Exodus chapters 28 and 29 were not optional or merely ornamental; they were sacred attire symbolizing the sanctity required to approach a holy God. Aaron the high priest wore a richly decorated ephod, a breastplate with precious stones (engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel), a mitre with a gold plate inscribed “HOLINESS TO THE LORD,” and underneath it all, a fine linen tunic (a kĕthoneth) and fine linen undergarments (Exodus 28:4, 39-43). Each piece carried meaning. For instance, the mitre’s golden plate signified that Aaron bore Israel’s guilt and needed holiness on his forehead so the people would be accepted. “And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre, it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.” (Exodus 28:36–38) The bells on the hem of his robe signalled his movement in the Holy Place “that he die not” (Exodus 28:35), underscoring the peril of approaching God without due preparation. Every garment proclaimed that set-apartness and purity were required in God’s service.

Not only did these vestments convey consecration they foreshadow the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ. All the garments worn by the Old Testament priests were symbolic of being set apart for God’s work of atoning for sin. Compliance with this God-ordained “dress code” was mandatory: “Aaron and his sons must wear [the garments] … so that they will not incur guilt and die” (Exodus 28:43). The elaborate and beautiful nature of the high priest’s attire taught Israel that the work of mediation was glorious, and that the mediator needed to be holy. At the same time, the very need for special garments spoke of humanity’s separation from God—sinful man cannot walk into God’s presence “as he is,” but must be clothed in holiness not his own. The Israelites, seeing their priests robed in white linen and gold, carrying sacrificial blood, had a continual visual reminder of the cost and necessity of atonement. Hebrews 4:14 calls Jesus our “great high priest”, and unlike Aaron, Christ is perfectly holy and needed no sacrifice for Himself. Yet on the cross He fulfilled all that the priestly garments signified, carrying out God’s plan of atonement. These garments symbolized the complete holiness God requires of His mediators.

The material of the priestly clothes is significant as well—fine linen, especially for the tunic and mitre. Linen in Scripture symbolizes purity and righteousness. (Rev 19:8) “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints”. The tunic of fine linen (again a kĕthoneth) was a reminder that God’s servants must be clothed in purity to minister before Him. In fact, the Hebrew word for fine linen (shesh H8336) is used for the splendid white garments of kings and priests. The continuity of symbolism is striking what began as God covering Adam with a kĕthoneth continues as God clothes His priests with kĕthoneth tunics of linen. The same covering scheme threads forward, now in the formal worship life of Israel. Thus, the priestly garments stand as an early instalment in the “the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10) that God is preparing for His people. They point both backward (to Eden’s skins) and forward (to the perfect righteousness in which believers will be clothed). God used these distinctive garments to set His spiritual leaders apart, instilling reverence and depicting, in a tangible way, the holiness without which none can see the Lord. Every time a priest donned his ephod, or a high priest dressed in his full ceremonial dress on the Day of Atonement, it was a living parable of the Gospel: sin requires a covering, holiness is needed to draw near, and God Himself provides what is necessary for atonement.

Filthy Rags Exchanged: Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah 3

Moving from the law to the prophets, the vision of Joshua the high priest in Zechariah 3 provides a dramatic illustration of God’s redemptive undressing and dressing of a sinner. Zechariah, a post-Babylonian prophet, was shown the current high priest Joshua standing before the Angel of the Lord in the heavenly court—except Joshua was utterly defiled. “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel” (Zechariah 3:3). This scene is startling: the very person who represents the people before God is dressed in filthy clothes. The Hebrew term for “filthy” (צֹאִים, tsō’îm H6674) is extremely strong, indicating utter vileness; indeed, it implies garments fouled with excrement. The high priest’s robes, meant to be clean and holy, are instead depicted as nauseatingly unclean. Satan stands at Joshua’s right hand to accuse him (Zechariah 3:1) “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.”, pointing to the glaring fact of his defilement. Here is Israel’s sin vividly portrayed—their mediator is unfit; their sins have left even their priest in squalor. All hope would seem lost were it not for the mercy and authority of God revealed next.

In the vision, the Angel of the Lord rebukes Satan and then issues a gracious command: “Take away the filthy garments from him.” To Joshua the Angel says, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment” (Zechariah 3:4). This is a gospel moment in the Old Testament. The filthy clothes are removed—symbolically, Joshua’s iniquity is taken away—and he is clothed anew with pure vestments. The text goes on to describe a “fair mitre” set on Joshua’s head and the Angel of the Lord standing by, signifying divine approval (Zechariah 3:5) “And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So, they set a fair mitre upon his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.” We have here an enacted parable of justification: God removes the sinner’s filth and clothes him in righteousness not his own. Joshua could do nothing to clean himself; God had to command the cleansing. The “change of raiment” given to the high priest represents forgiveness and a restored state of purity, allowing him once again to minister before God. It is worth noting that this is not merely individual but representative—Joshua’s cleansing signifies God’s grace to Israel, preparing them for service after the exile. Nonetheless, on an individual level, it powerfully prefigures how every believer is saved: we stand in filthy rags until God, by chastening grace, removes our sin and clothes us in righteousness.

The significance of dirty clothes was not new to Zechariah’s audience. Isaiah had earlier declared, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Humanly speaking, even our best deeds are defiled. But Isaiah also prophesied a solution (as we will see in the next section): God providing garments of salvation. Zechariah’s vision picks up that promise and dramatizes it. One cannot help but see in Joshua’s stripping and re-clothing a foreshadowing of the work of Christ. When Jesus died and rose again, He took away our iniquity and provided for us the garments of salvation—His own righteousness credited to us, often spoken of in the New Testament as a robe or clothing (e.g., Matthew 22:11-12; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ takes our sin upon Himself and in return clothes us with His perfect righteousness, a thought consistent with Zechariah’s imagery. The significance of Joshua standing there in filthy clothes is that he could not serve God in that state; similarly, we cannot stand before God clothed in the soiled garb of our sin. But God’s response — “I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee” — is the essence of the Gospel. Zechariah 3 thus stands as a pinnacle of Old Testament hope: sin removed, and new attire given by the Lord’s decree. It anticipates the time when everyone, once dressed in muck, will be clothed with righteousness.

Garments of Salvation and the Robe of Righteousness: Isaiah’s Prophecy

The Book of Isaiah provides some of Scripture’s most beautiful clothing imagery, explicitly linking garments with salvation and righteousness. Writing about a century before Zechariah, the prophet Isaiah looked forward to the restoration God would bring to His people. In Isaiah 61, a chapter heralding the mission of the Messiah and the restoration of Israel, the prophet exults in God’s saving work using the language of being clothed. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10). Here is a clear statement that salvation is something God puts on us—He clothes us with it. The parallelism in this verse equates “garments of salvation” with “robe of righteousness,” reinforcing that to be saved is to be made righteous in God’s sight, and this is depicted as a comfortable, beautiful garment given to the redeemed. Isaiah 61:10 further illustrates it with bridal imagery: “as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels”. Isaiah uses this picture to convey the glory and joy of being arrayed in God’s salvation. Just as a wedding garment is a source of joy and honor, so the righteousness God bestows is precious and splendid.

Isaiah 61:10 resonates deeply as a description of imputed righteousness—the doctrine that God covers believers in the righteousness of Christ, like a pure white robe. The Hebrew word for “clothed” (labash H3847) and “covered” (ya’at H3271) in this verse are strong terms indicating that God Himself is wrapping the individual in these garments. One does not clothe oneself here; “He hath clothed me… He hath covered me.” Earlier in Isaiah, there is a promise that “He hath covered me in the shadow of His hand” (Isaiah 49:2) and an invitation to “put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem” (Isaiah 52:1). The idea is consistent: God provides the clothing of redemption, and His people are to receive it with joy. Isaiah 61:3 also famously speaks of “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,” another exchange God grants to the brokenhearted. All these instances convey a divine transaction: God giving something to cover, to beautify, to transform. The robe of righteousness imagery in Isaiah 61:10 directly prefigures the New Testament revelation that our righteousness is not from works but from God through faith. Philippians 3:9 echoes this desire “to be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness (filthy rags), which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness (Bridal garment) which is of God by faith.” It is as if Paul is saying: “I took off my filthy self-righteous rags and now I’m dressed in the righteousness God gives.”

Significantly, Isaiah’s use of bridal imagery (“as a bride adorns herself”) connects to the final book of Scripture, Revelation, where the Bride of Christ is arrayed in fine linen (we will come to that in our next study). Isaiah’s prophecy stands as a bridge between the old and new, law and gospel. It assures us that joy and rejoicing come when God clothes us in salvation. No longer naked and ashamed as in Eden, no longer in filthy rags as in our sin, we can exult: “He has covered me!” There is almost a sigh of relief in Isaiah’s voice, as if he’s saying, “Despite my unworthiness, look what God has done—He dressed me in the radiant garments of His saving grace.” It’s a far cry from Adam hiding in the bushes with fig leaves; it’s the prodigal son wearing the best robe the father could bring out (Luke 15:22). Thus, Isaiah 61 prepares us for the New Covenant reality: to put on Christ’s righteousness as a garment. When we read this verse in the light of Christ, we understand that the garments of salvation are nothing less than the righteousness of Jesus applied to us, and the robe of righteousness is in fact the Lord Himself whom we “put on.” Small wonder that Isaiah begins, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord” — for being clothed by God’s grace is our greatest joy and the essence of the gospel.

[Click here for part 2.]

Dan 9:1-27 Seventy Years in the Desolations of Jerusalem

[Study Aired April 25, 2024]

Dan 9:1  In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
Dan 9:2  In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 
Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 
Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 
Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 
Dan 9:7  O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 
Dan 9:8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 
Dan 9:9  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 
Dan 9:11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
Dan 9:12  And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 
Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 
Dan 9:14  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
Dan 9:15  And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 
Dan 9:16  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
Dan 9:17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 
Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 
Dan 9:19  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. 
Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Dan 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 
Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 
Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 
Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 
Dan 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 
Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

There are only two main sections to this ninth chapter of Daniel and two main points being made that we need to consider. The first section, which is the bulk of the chapter, is found in Daniel 9:1-23 which reveals what the power of prayer (Dan 9:3) can accomplish in our lives (Dan 9:3, Jas 5:16, Luk 2:37, Php 1:19). When we draw close to God, we are reminded that He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, and “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psa 46:1-2).

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

Luk 2:37  And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day [Act 5:42].

Php 1:19  For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Daniel’s prayer came from a heartfelt, contrite, and broken spirit (Isa 66:2, Psa 51:17) and it was because of what he understood to be the condition of the nation that such a sighing and crying (Eze 9:4) to the Lord was made. It was “In the first year of his reign [King Darius] I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”  It is in the day of the Lord, typified by the “first year” in this sentence, we recognize that judgment is upon us, the chastening and scourging by which every son of God is received (Heb 12:6), and it is accomplished in seventy years, a number that is connected to the plagues that must be poured out upon us (7×10=70) if we are going to enter into the temple of God (Rev 15:8).

The understanding and the effect on Daniel regarding what he read typifies for God’s elect how His word will be received in our lives (Rev 1:3) at this time of the end, when judgment is upon us, as we see a dying world around us where evil men are waxing worse and worse, causing us to sigh and cry for the abominations of this world, being vexed in our spirit (2Ti 3:13, 2Pe 2:7). We’ve become convinced that there is none righteous only one (Col 1:27, Rom 8:9, Php 1:11, Gal 2:20-21), and that what we see happening in this world tells us what would become of all of us except for the grace of God and the faith of Christ that makes it possible for us to remain undefiled from this world, ‘keeping our garments’ (Rev 3:4, Rev 16:15).

Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Rev 16:15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

The last section of Daniel chapter 9 has to do with how God is going to completely bring an end to our sins and make reconciliation for our iniquities, meaning us as the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) who are first judged in this life (1Pe 4:17). The confession of Daniel’s sins for himself and for the nation precede the judgment that is then revealed to him with prophetic words explaining how God plans to bring a complete and total end to sin in our lives, and in the lives of all mankind in time (2Sa 14:14). That is the principle point being made – the temple must be cleansed of the abomination that makes desolate, and that cleansing begins with the house of God: “that he would accomplish seventy years [complete and total] in the desolations of Jerusalem [Jerusalem typifying God’s people the Israel of God].”

Bringing an end to sin can only be accomplished by being buried into Christ’s death (Rom 6:3). Then through being raised in heavenly places (Joh 11:25-26, Eph 2:6), we can focus on our head, Jesus Christ (Heb 12:1-2, Rom 12:1-2) who is the way, the truth and the life to whom God has granted us to be dragged (Joh 6:44) in this age so we can be assured that we can overcome and endure to the end (Mat 10:22). 

Dan 9:1  In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 
Dan 9:2  In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 
Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 
Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

We must set our face toward the Lord God (I set my face unto the Lord God) and seek Him with all our heart, mind and strength. In doing so we are reassured that we will find Him who is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Jer 29:13, Heb 11:6, Mat 6:33).

Our identifying with the reality that we are being judged in this age is being typified by Daniel who is now reading books that Jeremiah the prophet was inspired to write, and it is in the first year of king Darius’ reign that this occurs as a type of the day of the Lord unfolding in Daniel’s life.

As a type of the elect, Daniel is motivated like Noah and is moving with fear setting his ‘face unto the Lord God’, seeking him “by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.”

If we abase ourselves, it will be by God’s power as typified by the two witnesses who also are in “sackcloth” (Rev 11:3) and presenting their whole lives to God as a living sacrifice, which is what an acceptable fast is to God (Isa 58:5-7). With those actions unfolding in our lives, our “prayer and supplications” will be coming from a place of sincerity and from a foundation of good works that are laid up against the time to come (1Ti 6:19) and bear witness to our souls that we are His children being sacrificed for this world (Rom 8:16).

That prayer included a confession (Rom 2:4) and acknowledgement of God being “great and dreadful” and able to keep “the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments.” The keeping of the commandments is what the nation has not been doing. However, after God is done judging all nations, the “great and dreadful” God will accomplish what He has set out to do, and that is to save every soul through judgment (1Co 15:22, Isa 26:9).

Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

This section of scripture reminds us we serve a merciful God who forgives us for our sinful condition which commits iniquity and acts wickedly and departs “from thy precepts and from thy judgments.” This is our former conversation (Eph 2:3) that needs to be repented of and ruled over the rest of our lives through Christ. God is just showing us what is true for all who don’t have a new fleshly heart that has been written upon by our Lord (Eze 36:26). We will just naturally without the mind of Christ be those who have not “hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”  Not listening to those whom God has given His word, like prophets of old or people in positions of authority, is expressed in these new covenant verses, and also typified for us in Moses’ life with Korah’s rebellion and all the congregation’s rebellion (2Pe 2:10-11, Num 16:3).

2Pe 2:10  But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 
2Pe 2:11  Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption [unless God grants repentance (1Ti 1:13)].

Num 16:3  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

Dan 9:7  O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
Dan 9:8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 
Dan 9:9  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

All of mankind is being indicted with this sentence, “to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee“, and it is only the righteousness of Christ that can wash away all our guilt and sinful condition setting us free from this state of “confusion of faces, as at this day.” No one is excluded from this state of mind described as “to us belongeth confusion of face“; not our kings, our princes or our fathers, “because we have sinned against thee” (Rom 3:23, Rom 6:23, Rom 5:12). The good news is “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.“

Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 
Dan 9:11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
Dan 9:12  And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 

Daniel’s prayer is a universal confession that applies to all of mankind’s marred condition that naturally does not obey the voice of the LORD our God, or walk in His laws, or listen to the servants, the prophets (Jer 18:4).

Moses is introduced at this point in Daniel’s prayer because all of Israel, who represents the world, have transgressed the law and not obeyed the voice of Moses whose law and voice are a type of Christ’s law (Gal 6:2). As a result, “the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.” The carnal “law of Moses” (Heb 7:16) makes evident to us that we are marred in the Potter’s hand and in need of a savior to give us the power we need to keep “the law of the spirit of life” (Rom 7:7, Rom 7:13, Rom 8:2-3).

Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Rom 7:13  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 

We are corrected for not being able to keep the law, “And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem“, which from a carnal perspective causes us to question God’s motives (Rom 9:19-20.

Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? [yes we will until we don’t, little and by little]

Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 
Dan 9:14  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
Dan 9:15  And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

If we only confess our iniquities, God will forgive us (1Jn 1:9, Lev 26:40). However, as we’re reading here, we don’t naturally even see our own iniquity let alone confess our faults to the Lord. It takes Aaron in us who is a type of Christ to “lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel” (Lev 16:21). God brings evil upon us for not obeying His voice and then declares “for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth.“ God is not unaware of our sinful state in other words and causes our sins knowing that we will need deliverance from “Egypt with a mighty hand” (Lev 16:21). He is glorified by the victory He gives to us over sin, not the other way around. “And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.“

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Lev 26:40  If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 

Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness [It is through our wilderness experience where we completely fall seven times (Pro 24:16) where God shows mercy to us so that we in turn will be able to extend that same mercy to the rest of the world (Rom 11:31, Rom 2:4)]: 

Dan 9:16  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
Dan 9:17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 
Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 

The same point is reiterated here that “we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies“. What we do is cry out to God (Dan 9:16-17) and are heard in that we fear him (Heb 5:7-8, 1Jn 4:17).

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

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

Dan 9:19  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. 
Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; 
Dan 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 
Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 
Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

This verse is confirmation that our fervent prayers will avail much, and have availed, and are availing even with groanings that can’t be uttered (Rom 8:26-27), and all of this because of the strength of the Lord within us which gives us the ability to cry out and persevere in prayer (Col 4:2-6). 

Col 4:2  Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Col 4:3  Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 
Col 4:4  That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 
Col 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time [Mat 10:16]. 
Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

God’s elect are called “by thy name” and Daniel confessing his sins and the sins of his people is typical of our confessing our faults in this age and covering a multitude of sins by being concerned and desirous of judging ourselves and showing love toward one another that will cover a multitude of sins (Jas 5:20). That multitude of sins, in the long run, is not just the sins of the body of Christ, but in time is the sins of the innumerable multitude (Rev 7:9) which will be covered by means God has devised to accomplish this through Christ and His elect (1Pe 4:8, Jas 5:20, 2Sa 14:14, Lev 16:21).

Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 
Dan 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Clearly the emphasis on this chapter of Daniel 9 is not on this last section but rather on our prayerful relationship with our Father in heaven and the need to confess our faults and remain in a spirit of humility (Mic 6:8) acknowledging His hand as the Sovereign force in every single detail of every life (Eph 1:11, Rom 8:28). If we are granted to have that relationship with our Father and Christ in this age (Joh 17:3), then what will transpire in us is typified by this statement, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy“, but we can’t have one without the other!

Jerusalem within us must be restored as the bride that is being made ready (Rev 19:7, Rev 21:2) coming down from God and the cleansing process for the bride of Christ is expressed with this verse, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.“

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

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

In order for that work to be accomplished within the elect there must be much tribulation (Act 14:22) which is expressed in the next verse, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem [typifying Christ our Lord and savior who will also build the house (Psa 127:1) being the head of the church, Jerusalem above, the mother of us all (Gal 4:26)] unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times” (Dan 9:25). 

Regarding the numbers mentioned there are two principle points being made: one “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city” (Dan 9:24) a shadow of the complete [7×10=70] judgment that must come upon God’s elect in order to make the bride ready. 

The second part, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off” (Dan 9:26), explains how the bride will be made ready, through a process of judgment upon our flesh represented by the numbers threescore (3×20=60) that first comes upon Christ, and then adding the two weeks is a witness that it is Christ in us who is accomplishing this work of grace within the body of Christ today. It all adds up to [62 weeks] which is also a witness to that same point that God judges both the head Christ and his body (1Pe 4:17, 1Jn 4:17) while in these vessels of clay (the number of man (6) and the witness of God’s power (2) that accomplishes this work)

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. 

Christ is cut off in the middle of the week to remind us that there are still three and a half years of Christ’s ministry yet to be fulfilled in the lives of God’s elect who are witnesses of these things (Luk 24:48) expressed in these verses, thus completing His complete ministry of seven years, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: (Col 1:27) and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” (Mat 24:15)

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:)

Our forerunner and head Jesus Christ is the first to put off His flesh and it is for our sakes He does this, “but not for himself (Col 1:27).” It is in the 62nd week to remind us that Christ Himself could not have done this work without the holy spirit working within him (6 is the flesh of Christ, and 2 is the witness that of His own self He can do nothing, just as we can’t, except we abide in the Vine [Joh 5:30, Joh 15:5]).

As He is so are we in this world, and just as there were great tribulations in Christ’s life, it will be that way for His body (1Pe 4:12, Act 14:22) and especially at the end of the age, “and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” The prince that came at the end of Christ’s life was Satan who is a destroyer [Apollyon^G623 ] (Joh 10:10, Rev 9:11, Luk 22:53, Joh 14:30), contrasted with these verses 1Jn 1:5, Mat 5:14), and it will be Satan at the end of this age as well who will make war with the saints in a more pronounced way, but will not prevail, “and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Rev 12:12-17).  

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 
Rev 12:13  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 
Rev 12:15  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 
Rev 12:16  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 
Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

This last verse is sobering to say the least, but in nothing should we be terrified (Php 1:28-29) but rather rejoice that God can tell us these things in advance knowing that He can and will deliver His children through all the tribulation of this life (Rom 5:10) and bring this manchild to term, as He did the head of the body Jesus Christ (Rev 12:5). 

The wickedness of man is only going to get worse, “and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Dan 9:18) is what God has determined will be poured out upon “the desolate” (Eze 12:19, 1Co 15:50, Rom 3:10) who represent Christ and God’s elect (Joh 15:18-21). These verses in Ezekiel (Eze 12:19-28) are an admonition to God’s people to not say our Lord delays His coming (Joh 4:35, Heb 10:37-38, Joh 10:28, Rev 3:11).

Eze 12:19  And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. 
Eze 12:20  And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 

Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 

Joh 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Joh 15:21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me (Joh 20:21, Joh 3:16-17).

Confirming the covenant with many for one week is what Satan is given the power to do, and this covenant is not a holy covenant but rather a changing of times and rules that will be bent to the elect’s seeming disadvantage and possible imprisonment, and even martyrdom in some cases, nothing more than what any one one of us can bear, God has promised (1Co 10:13). 

In Christ’s life the confirmation of the covenant for one week resulted in Christ’s death, “he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” That worship of God is taken away and replaced by the abomination of desolation expressed this way, “and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate“.

Just prior to Christ warning His disciples of the impending trials they were going to face (Joh 15:18-21), He gave them this commandment, which is the way in which we are all going to overcome in this life (Joh 15:16-17). If we love one another, if we keep God’s commandments, He will take care of the rest of the details, and we don’t need to worry about a thing, not even what we will say in that hour (Mat 24:6,  Luk 21:18-19, Mar 13:11, Joh 10:28-30, Rom 8:35-39).

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit (Joh 20:21, Joh 3:16-17), and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 15:17  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Mar 13:11  But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost (Mat 5:37). 

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 
Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Heb 9:18-28 “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” -Part 6

[Study Aired December 31, 2020]

Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 
Heb 9:19  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 
Heb 9:20  Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 
Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 
Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 
Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 
Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 
Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 
Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 
Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 

The following verses in Luke 23:34-37 reveal how the carnal mind does not understand that Christ’s flesh had to die (Heb 2:14) in order to then bring judgment into the world which would begin at the house of God (Heb 9:27, 1Ti 2:5-6, 1Pe 4:17).

Luk 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted^G1266 his raiment, and cast lots.
Luk 23:35  And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God [Mat 22:14].
Luk 23:36  And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar
Luk 23:37  And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.

G1266
parted
diamerizō dee-am-er-id’-zo
From G1223 and G3307; to partition thoroughly (literally in distribution, figuratively in dissension): – cloven, divide, part.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die [each man in his own order at an appointed time], but after this the judgment:

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time [Heb 9:16 Christ and his Christ (Rev 11:3)].

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? [Rev 11:3, Heb 9:16, 2Co 4:10]

Christ suffered in his flesh as a man so that he could be a mediator between God and man, and tell the body of Christ that we have been called to suffer so we can reign with Him as saviours who will judge the world or mediate as part of God’s government (Php 1:29, 2Ti 2:12, Oba 1:21, 1Co 6:3).

Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

2Ti 2:11  It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

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.

1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

The timing of the words of our Lord are always significant as they are in this verse: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” even while He was being derided by the rulers that were with the crowd, and soldiers who were mocking him, coming to Him and offering Him vinegar, and saying, “If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself”. [a parable for us, soldiers here telling Christ preserve your flesh with this vinegar…]

Christ had been greatly humbled in His flesh and abased by this bruising He was enduring, and it is in our broken state, as Christ was, that we learn obedience by the things that we suffer (Heb 5:8). This most extreme circumstance on the cross was the climactic conclusion of Christ’s lifetime of learning obedience by the things He suffered as He witnessed to us the power of God that was able to deliver Him (Heb 5:8, 2Co 4:10, Rev 11:3, Rom 5:10, Heb 7:25). This is what pleased the Father so His power could be demonstrated through the lamb of God (Isa 53:10). This is how the God of all comfort was making a way for us through Christ to be able to be armed with his His mind in our hour of temptation and fiery trials so that we can now comfort others with the same comfort that we are comforted with (Rom 5:10, 2Co 1:4).

Just prior this happening: “And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others.” Christ said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” then “they parted^G1266 his raiment, and cast lots.”

While we are yet carnal in our thinking, we don’t know how to distribute the garments of Christ which represent His righteousness, as Joseph did in the correct manner to his brothers. God’s favour was upon Benjamin who represents the elect in this instance, being shown grace from Joseph who represents Christ, given 300 pieces of silver (the riches of his goodness expressed through this process of repentance that silver represents 3×100 – Rom 2:4) and five changes of raiment which represent God’s grace that is given to God’s elect in order to be received of the Father (Rev 19:8, Gen 45:22, Heb 12:6).

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

Gen 45:22  To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

We are anything but righteous (Rom 3:10) as we “cast lots” within ourselves, thinking we are in control of this situation and demanding that Christ take control and “save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.” Although we have this hope of glory within, we need to learn something about ourselves from this crowd and not demand anything of God, but say rather, “Lord willing we will do this or that” (Jas 4:15, Mat 5:33-37). Those unrighteous actions of the crowd against Christ were forgiven by our Lord as He recognized that all things were working according to the counsel of God’s will, including the casting of the lots that represents mankind’s lots which are cast into the lap without knowing “the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD” (Pro 16:33, Eph 1:11).

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Pro 16:33  The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

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:

Christ was being chastened and scourged for our sakes in order for us to be able to be received, and this section of scripture in Luke 23:34-37 brings to light the fact God knows our hearts and how we are going to dispose and reject Christ and His Christ. This is “marvellous in our eyes” because we know that this rejection from the world of our Lord was written for our sakes and ordained of God (Act 4:26-28) to remind us how we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Joh 15:13). Nothing can separate us from that love of God (Joh 18:9) which causes us to love our enemies, pray for those who falsely accuse us, and not resist evil (Psa 118:22, Joh 15:13-14, Rom 8:35-37, Mat 5:38-48).

Psa 118:22  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
Psa 118:23  This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 
Heb 9:19  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

The outward actions of Moses typify what God’s elect will do during the thousand-year reign when the world will be as full of the knowledge of God as the oceans are with water (Hab 2:14). Instead of “the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people“, the elect with be used to water and plant God’s word for a period of time that is symbolized by the words ‘a thousand-year reign’ (Rev 20:6). The statement “Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood” is typical of the word that we will share with an unconverted world. God sees the whole lump as being holy and in need of going through a process, baptized with water, and then with fire (Rom 11:16, Mat 3:11, Joh 3:5).

Hab 2:14  For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Twice (witness) we see the phrase “all the people” in verse 19, which represents all of mankind that needs to be baptized with water and then with the spirit (Joh 3:5-6).

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

This witness is reiterated with the first half saying the same thing as the last half of this same verse:

First, we see that “Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law” akin to “the earth” being “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab 2:14).

The second half: “he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people“, is another symbol of the washing of the word that is only understood with outward ordinances until the holy spirit is given to the church so we can then identify all these things as something that Christ is doing within us (Isa 26:9, Jer 22:29, Joh 4:25).

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. [God’s judgements will be in the earth through the thousand years but will only be received on the surface of the sea; “cover the sea” (Hab 2:14)]

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

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.

In other words, Moses speaking to all the people foreshadows the Father speaking of the true witness, Jesus Christ, who represents all these sacrifices offered in Hebrews 9:19 (Mat 3:17).

Heb 9:20  Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 
Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 
Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

What Moses told and did for the congregation is again typical of what God will do with all the world – each man in their appointed time. What Moses said was, “This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you,” and what he did was “sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.” That blood typifies the life of Christ in us which enjoins us unto God and His son. That is what Moses stated, and we know that word will not return void because it is God’s word (Isa 55:11). It does not return void and will accomplish what God has ordained it to do, which is to sprinkle “the tabernacle” that we are, seven times, (Lev 4:15-17, Lev 14:51) and all the “vessels of the ministry”, meaning the words of God are also going through a purifying process within the earthen vessels we are (Psa 12:6).

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

Lev 4:15  And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
Lev 4:16  And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock’s blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
Lev 4:17  And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the vail.

Lev 14:51  And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:

Psa 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, [2Co 4:7] purified seven times.
Psa 12:7  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever [1Ti 2:15].

1Ti 2:15  Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

(God’s elect are this woman or church being preserved, or purified through the process of judgment – 9 months pregnant, and it is by continuing in “faith and charity and holiness with sobriety” by abiding in God’s word (Joh 8:31-32) that the manchild will come to maturation in the blessed and holy first resurrection.)

Again, “almost all things are by the law purged with blood”, meaning the word of God sanctifies us (Joh 17:17); but these early types of that sanctification also represent how the law of Moses required blood to be sprinkled only on the outside of “both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry“. Those services of the priest along with those who came to sacrifice in the temple was their way of dedicating their life unto God. This ceremonial way of serving God is what reserves the world until judgment. One day all that was done by those priests and the rich young rulers of the world (Luk 18:21-23) will be understood, when grace abounds through God’s holy spirit and the law convicts them of their need for a living sacrifice and saviour, Jesus Christ  (Rom 12:1, Heb 12:1-2).

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

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [this is the meaning of “purged with blood” for God’s elect today and is accomplished  when we look unto Jesus]
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The law that makes sin evident (Rom 5:20-21) is typified by the outward action of sprinkling blood on “both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry“, and just as those actions demonstrate, we can have the word of God in our midst or sprinkled on our tabernacle, but it requires the miracle of God’s goodness to convict our hearts of what that blood should mean to us (Rom 2:4, 1Pe 1:18-20).

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Our Adamic blood is shed when we die daily and are baptized into the death of Christ, typified by all the blood that was spilt of those beasts and sprinkled on the tabernacle and vessels. “Without shedding of blood is no remission” [our remission comes from Christ’s blood being poured out, His word which sanctifies us (Joh 17:17) as we are baptized into his death (Rom 6:1-3)]. We may read Hebrews 9:22 and think of Christ’s blood that is being shed for the remission of sins, and that is true, but it is also Christ’s body that is being shed for the remission of sins if we have the life of Christ in us (Rom 8:9, 1Jn 4:17, Col 1:24, Col 1:27).

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

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

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

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

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

God has mercifully given us all these patterns in the old covenant (1Co 10:11, 1Pe 1:12) that reveal in type and shadow how our minds, or our heavens, “should be purified with these”.

The “heavenly things themselves” are speaking of the body of Christ who are blessed to have the reality that all these shadows point to Jesus Christ in our heavens. He is the better sacrifice in our heavens who gives us the power to lay down our lives at the altar which is the cross, where we present ourselves through Christ, who makes it possible for us to be raised in heavenly places (Eph 2:6, Joh 14:20) as a “better sacrifice than these” being accepted in the beloved” (Rom 12:1, Eph 1:6, 1Jn 4:17).

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

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

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

To further drive this point home, the holy spirit inspired this section of scripture to say: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands“, meaning it does not take a brick and mortar church to come to know God, neither does it require the work of some mans hands, but rather God working in “heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us“. Being found with our own righteousness is just building another church in our minds that is independent of the body of Christ, which is the church (Php 3:9, Col 1:27).

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

“The figures of the true” are important inasmuch as they point to the reality of our Lord who is the one who can purge our minds of sin and set us free (Joh 8:36) as He enters into our heavens to do away with a lifetime of idolatrous worship of God (Mar 7:7-8) that is a result of having the man of perdition on the throne of our hearts (2Th 2:8). Christ tears down the old temple so we can see the new temple emerge (Joh 2:19). That new temple is a holy place where we can worship in spirit and in truth (Joh 4:24) and it is on that foundation, that can only be built by Christ (Psa 127:1), that we can “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Php 2:12-13).

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

Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mar 7:8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 
Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

More contrast is drawn with these verses to show us how there is no rest in the types and shadows. They only typify the rest that we can have in the Lord through labours that are being accomplished by our high priest who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Heb 4:11, Php 2:13). These priests of old “entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others“, but Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for the sins of the world and so we are told that this happened “once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself“. If we don’t see ourselves connected to this sacrifice, then the words “the end of the world” will have no significance to us. On the other hand, if we are a living sacrifice, dying daily and being baptized into Christ’s death, then we understand that this sacrifice is for us now, and occurring in an ongoing (aorist) manner in the lives of those who are being judged and having their “world” within judged, which brings about its “end” (1Jn 2:16-17, 1Jn 4:17) to “put away sin“.

The idea of being saviours is connected with the sacrifice of our lives which belong to God as we  believe and suffer for His name’s sake today (Php 1:29, Act 9:16, Mat 10:22), in order to share in bringing the entire world into a relationship of holiness with our Father, Christ and His body. “The end of the world” has come upon us for that reason, as God’s kind of first fruits (1Co 10:11, Jas 1:18).

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.

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 
Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 

Saying we are ‘dying daily’ today (1Co 15:31), or “dying you shall die” (Gen 2:17 [LITV]) or “once to die” of Hebrews 9:27 is all saying the same thing)

“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” is referring to the blessed few who are entering into the house of mourning where we are learning that it is more precious in God’s sight to die daily to self today (Ecc 7:2, Psa 116:15). In losing our life for Christ’s sake (Mat 10:39-40), we are finding life now that is abundant (Joh 10:10) which Life will be used to nourish the rest of God’s creation who, for the time being, are eating and drinking and giving in marriage, for tomorrow in the second resurrection, they will die to self, but not today (1Co 15:32, Luk 12:19).

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

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

Ecc 7:2  It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

Psa 116:15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Mat 10:40  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

1Co 15:32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die [Gal 3:1-4, Php 3:9].

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 [1Ti 6:12].

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation“, and God’s elect are being dragged to Christ (Joh 6:44) and believe and understand that He has appeared to us now in this earnest relationship (Eph 1:14) which we have, and has appeared this second time “without sin unto salvation” [He first appeared in sinful flesh]. That is good news for those who can receive it, because it confirms that we are being saved and can believe that salvation can only come through Christ alone who “was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Eph 1:4).

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:

Christ can and does bear our burdens and takes away the sin that can so easily beset us (Heb 12:1), as we are taken by the hand of a fit man (Christ – Lev 16:21) and carried through this life, filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake which is the church (Col 1:24). Christ is now appearing within us, and we are bearing each other’s burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ (Gal 6:2), which is not the law of Moses that only pointed to this living sacrifice which we are now becoming by the grace and faith that God has granted His elect in this age (Eph 2:8). This is God’s elect’s appointed time to die daily as we are judged (1Pe 4:17, 2Co 13:5).

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?

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

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Awesome Hands - part 103 Discussion

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Awesome Hands – part 103

“Hallowed priests”

August 3, 2016

Today we start a study which will start to show us how the Lord has established His church, and the membership within that church, for His glory and the kingdom of God.

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

As we know from scripture, the Lord does not change, and if we adhere to this scriptural truth, then we will be able to see that any time the Lord gives us examples of how He establishes His church, we can take that example, and it can be spiritually applied throughout all of the bible. This study will show several examples of that.

Last study we read through the garments that the priests had to wear in order to approach the Lord properly; so who are the priests that will be wearing the various garments.

The tribe of Levi

Anyone serving the temple in any capacity was from the tribe of Levi. The verses we are going to read today are going to show us who the priests were as they were first being established, but we need to realize that “the Levites” who served the tabernacle but couldn’t touch the holy things of the temple, are from the same tribe as the priests.

Gen 46:11  And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Exo 6:18  And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.

Exo 6:20  And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

Who then are Aaron and his sons, and why were they chosen as priests?

Exo 28:43  And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

Exo 29:1  And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

So, the Lord is going to establish Aaron and his sons as priests for the purpose of MINISTERING to God and His people by hallowing them for the job.

We are about to read the mechanics of this hallowing process, but what does it mean to be hallowed?

H6942

qâdash
kaw-dash'
A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), X wholly.
Total KJV occurrences: 171

H6942
qâdash
BDB Definition:
1) to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be set apart, be consecrated
1a2) to be hallowed
1a3) consecrated, tabooed
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to show oneself sacred or majestic
1b2) to be honoured, be treated as sacred
1b3) to be holy
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to set apart as sacred, consecrate, dedicate
1c2) to observe as holy, keep sacred
1c3) to honour as sacred, hallow
1c4) to consecrate
1d) (Pual)
1d1) to be consecrated
1d2) consecrated, dedicated
1e) (Hiphil)
1e1) to set apart, devote, consecrate
1e2) to regard or treat as sacred or hallow
1e3) to consecrate
1f) (Hithpael)
1f1) to keep oneself apart or separate
1f2) to cause Himself to be hallowed (of God)
1f3) to be observed as holy
1f4) to consecrate oneself
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1990

Now that we know that hallowing the priests is to set them apart and separate them we can ask ourselves if this is REALLY what the Lord does with His priests or is it simply that mankind desires to set up kings over themselves and this is just one man trying to control another?

Exo 29:1  And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,
Exo 29:2  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.
Exo 29:3  And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.
Exo 29:4  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

The priests are washed with water first just like anyone who is being dragged to service of the Lord is.

Then, they are going to perform some tasks that train them on how they will minister to the Lord in His tabernacle moving forward.

Exo 29:5  And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:
Exo 29:6  And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
Exo 29:7  Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
Exo 29:8  And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.
Exo 29:9  And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Exo 29:10  And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
Exo 29:11  And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The priests are washed with water first just like anyone who is being dragged to service of the Lord is.

As you can see, I have emphasized several verses. First, we notice that Aaron and his sons were washed at the door of the tabernacle, and then we see that Aaron is anointed with oil.

After they are consecrated they put their hands on the head of the bullock and kill the bullock. This is a procedural process that the Lord uses to show the congregation that the Lord has chosen and set aside some from the tribe of Levi to minister to Him in His tabernacle.

How is it the priests, who have been taken from out of the tribe of Levi, minister to the Lord? What is their purpose in ministry? We are not left to wonder.

Num 18:1  And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Num 18:2  And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3  And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4  And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
Num 18:5  And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be NO WRATH ANY MORE upon the children of Israel.
Num 18:6  And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 18:7  Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
Num 18:8  And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.

Now there are a couple very prominent points that I want to point out that will help us understand our service to the Lord collectively as a body and as a member in particular of the body.

This can very well offend some and no doubt will offend those who want to find fault with anyone who “boldly” claims, according to them, to be part of the chosen elect of God.

The priests of God were and are anointed so that they can be set aside and consecrated to SERVE the Lord, and by SERVING the Lord they are used so that NO MORE WRATH comes upon the children of Israel. That is the whole point of the priesthood and those who are given charge over the tabernacle.

If this is indeed the function of the priests, how does that apply to all of us today in a practical sense? After all, we are NOT making physical sacrifices any longer today.

Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Rev 5:11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

So, since we are all made kings and priests, how does being “anointed as a priest” work in a multi-membered body of Christ in our functions as a priest in ministry to God?

1Co 12:24  For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

The application of being a priest in the new testament is easy to understand when we look at the sum of the word that says we are given every gift in measure now and in down payment form.

In other words, we are ALL sons of God NOW but we are also sons of MEN now. We are all sons of God now, but we are all still male and female now.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

So, being a son of God NOW does not mean we do not have to deal with being sons of God now WHILE DEALING with being a son of MAN now. What do I mean by saying that? What am I getting at, and how does this apply to priests serving the temple?

You’ll often hear, and the teachers have many times over the years, that we are told we no longer have need that a MAN teach us without, of course, any accounting to the sum of the Word on this topic.

Here is the often quoted verse:

1Jn 2:26  These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
1Jn 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
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.

Paul goes on to say that he could not SPEAK SPIRITUALLY to the Corinthians, but what does that even mean?

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not SPEAK unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with MEAT: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

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

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

If Jesus Christ is judged by the same measure that “no man need teach you” then Jesus Christ would not be qualified to TEACH ANY of us! He said more times that He was the son of man than He said that He was Son of God. He came in the FLESH TEACHING what the WORDS of SPIRIT were, and that is EXACTLY what overseers of the flock do today.

If you read 1 Corinthians 12 above, God set some in the church in different functions with different gifts and that includes those that today fill the role of being chosen, anointed and given to “bear the iniquity of the sanctuary” being in service to “bear the iniquity of the priesthood”.

What is the iniquity of the priesthood?

Remember those spiritual WORDS we are to speak?

Act 26:24  And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
Act 26:25  But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.

1Co 14:19  Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

Teaching, being overseers, speaking the Truth about Life and the Way and pronouncing the commandments of God are all roles which are fulfilled by those given to fill the spiritual function of being a priest in the temple AND ministering to the people of God.

Yes, I said MINISTERING to the people.

Act 5:25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are STANDING IN THE TEMPLE, and TEACHING THE PEOPLE.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1Co 9:13  Do ye not know that they which MINISTER ABOUT THE HOLY THINGS live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
1Co 9:14  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

And here is what the priests of God, who have been ORDAINED by the Lord, speak and preach about the temple among other things:

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Having said all that, one of the main arguments about not having a man teach is that men are not the head or the ruler over others in the body of Christ, and I say AMEN to that! However, I also know that God uses the FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING to spread His Word and to confound those who are “wise in their own hearts”.

1Co 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Being saved is a continuous process just like preaching and teaching is.

“Spiritual priests” in this role are given to train up other kings and priests who will all be joined together in the fullness that is to come later after resurrection.

We are NOT rulers over anyone and certainly have no dominion of anyone’s faith. Here is what we do preach:

Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Heb 13:16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Heb 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Verse 17 is a horrible translation of the words 'rule' and 'obey', and those words better understood to “esteem or be persuaded by those who you respect and are leaders”.

This same concept can be found in Acts 20:

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Spiritual priests feed the church and declare, with the Words of God, the counsel of God to the FLOCK  of God, because they are overseers.

The iniquity of the priesthood falls on us all, to learn and be raised up as kings and priests. However, it is God, via the Holy Spirit, who anoints those in whom He would have serve the TEMPLE, the body of Christ, by being overseers NOW in this present age.

We no longer know no man after the flesh, and just as Christ was a son of man and the Son of God, we must recognize that the Lord still has us all living in temporary tabernacles that we must endure with the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is the Head and anyone following Him will always be pointing to Him in all things.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 102

“A work with no sweat”

July 27, 2016

Life can be amazing at times. If we were all able to pay close attention to everything around us 100% of the time, life would be amazing 100% of the time. However, it is only when we are caused by God to pay attention that we do.

In our study today, we are going to finish chapter 28 of Exodus and see the purpose behind the Lord clothing the priests of His tabernacle. When we understand how and why we are clothed, then we will find that we are ready to serve the Lord in the ways He tells us to serve Him and not in our own way of ministering or serving God.

Pomegranate and bells

I often harp upon the importance of realizing that the old testament types and shadows are important for us to learn from because they show us who we are. It is easy to mentally separate ourselves from those “old testament Jews” and various folks because then we can somehow become a little better than them in our minds even when we don’t realize that’s what we are doing. After all they had God, but we have Jesssssss-uuuuuuuus.

The Truth is that we are them. While that is easy to say, it is much harder to SEE with eyes that can SEE.

That’s because that concept is invisible to us. It is true that we “have Jesus” but what does that really mean to its core? Before I answer that, I will read from our verses today to set the foundation for the study.

In the last study we talked some about the ephod of God so we are going to pick up for there.

Exo 28:31  And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
Exo 28:32  And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.
Exo 28:33  And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
Exo 28:34  A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

We have a robe being commanded to be created which is of one piece and slides over the head. On the hem of it we have pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet and gold bells between each of the pomegranates.

These items were required so that Aaron did not die so that should be something that perks our ears a bit.

Why did the Lord choose pomegranates and golden bells? Nothing with the Lord is left to chance so this has to be full of purpose. I believe the sum of the Word will shed some light on this.

Pomegranates

Here is another set of verses where pomegranates are used.

Son 7:9  And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
Son 7:10  I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.
Son 7:11  Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
Son 7:12  Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.
Son 7:13  The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

We see from these verses that pomegranates and wine are connected together, so why is this important? Pomegranates and wine are linked to the “loves” being given.

Let us read another example of where pomegranates are found.

Num 20:1  Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
Num 20:2  And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Num 20:3  And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!
Num 20:4  And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
Num 20:5  And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; NEITHER is there any water to drink.
Num 20:6  And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

Here in Numbers we see that the people complained to Aaron and Moses that they were brought to the wilderness to die because this is not a place which can sustain them with seed, figs, wine or pomegranates NOR is there water.

The children of Israel were confessing that they were not happy with what God was doing in their lives. As a result, Moses was commanded by the Lord to sanctify the Lord by speaking to the rock to bring forth water.

Num 20:7  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 20:8  Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Num 20:9  And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
Num 20:10  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Num 20:11  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
Num 20:12  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

How is it we are to know that Moses did not BELIEVE the Lord? It was Moses’ ACTIONS that showed his belief. In other words, it was the WORKS accompanied with FAITH that mattered to the Lord.

Bringing this back around to the ephod that the priest is to wear, how are pomegranates and golden bells connected to approaching the Lord?

Here are how pomegranates are defined and used in scripture.

H7416
rimmôn
Total KJV Occurrences: 32
pomegranates, 22
Exo_28:33, Exo_39:24-25 (3), Num_13:23, Num_20:5, Deu_8:8, 1Ki_7:18, 1Ki_7:20, 1Ki_7:42 (2), 2Ki_25:17, 2Ch_3:16, 2Ch_4:13 (2), Son_4:13, Son_7:11-12 (2), Jer_52:22-23 (4)
pomegranate, 10
Exo_28:34 (2), Exo_39:26 (2), 1Sa_14:2, Son_4:3, Son_6:7, Son_8:2, Joe_1:12, Hag_2:19

H7416

rimmôn    rimmôn
rim-mone’, rim-mone’
From H7426; a pomegranate, the tree (from its upright growth) or the fruit (also an artificial ornament): – pomegranate.
Total KJV occurrences: 32

The root of pomegranates will reveal to us what pomegranates represent.
H7426

râmam
raw-mam’
A primitive root; to rise (literally or figuratively): – exalt, get [oneself] up, lift up (self), mount up.
Total KJV occurrences: 5
H7426
râmam
BDB Definition:
1) to be exalted, be lifted up
1a) (Qal) to be exalted
1b) (Niphal) to lift oneself
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2174

If you read the story in Numbers and don’t see the POWER OF GOD on full display, then you have missed it completely.

Moses was told to SPEAK to the rock the words of the Lord, not hit the rock two times. Moses did his OWN WORKS to sustain the children of Israel. Yes, they were given water, but that work by Moses, taking what God commanded Him to do and doing with it was he wanted, cost Moses the gift of going into the promised land.

Pomegranates are directly connected to the power of God and the power of God is represented by WINE in this type and shadow. Our next study will help show why this is the case and how NEW WINE is connected to this.

Here is another example.

1Sa 14:1  Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.
1Sa 14:2  And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;
1Sa 14:3  And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
1Sa 14:4  And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
1Sa 14:5  The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah.
1Sa 14:6  And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will WORK FOR US: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.
1Sa 14:7  And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.
1Sa 14:8  Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
1Sa 14:9  If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.
1Sa 14:10  But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.
1Sa 14:11  And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
1Sa 14:12  And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
1Sa 14:13  And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him.
1Sa 14:14  And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.
1Sa 14:15  And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.
1Sa 14:16  And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.
1Sa 14:17  Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.
1Sa 14:18  And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
1Sa 14:19  And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.
1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
1Sa 14:21  Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.
1Sa 14:22  Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
1Sa 14:23  So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven.

So here we see Saul sitting under a pomegranate tree while Jonathan was guided and directed by the Lord to go and kill the philistines. At the end of all of this we are told ….THE LORD saved Israel that day.

When Jonathan tells his armour bearer what his plans are, he says they will know the Lord is with them or not and will work for them based on the response of the Philistines.

All in all, it was the Lord alone that did the works THROUGH a faithful servant named Jonathan.

Before reading this story I just said, “Pomegranates are directly connected to the power of God and the power of God is represented by WINE.”

Bringing the power of God and pomegranates back around to Exodus 28 we know that this power of God is mixed with “golden bells”, so how are these items connected?

Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

Why would Aaron die if the sound of bells were not heard as Aaron approached God? Could it be that the covering of the Lord, commanded to be made by Moses via the Israelites, must represent a covering that we must have before we approach the MERCY SEAT of God?

Here is the rest of Exodus 28 which will help to answer this question.

Exo 28:36  And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
Exo 28:37  And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
Exo 28:38  And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the INIQUITY of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
Exo 28:39  And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
Exo 28:40  And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.
Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exo 28:42  And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
Exo 28:43  And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

We do bear the iniquity of the holy things of God but we do not approach God without His coverings or we are bringing our OWN iniquities before God without His approved approach and coverings.

In New Testament terms, Jesus Christ is our covering and we know this from many scriptures. What are a part of the iniquities we can bring before God the Father in the new testament?
Could it be our works? Didn’t Saul try to call upon the ark of covenant in the story above, signifying his own works, before realizing that the Lord was ALREADY WINNING the battle with the work of the Lord through Jonathan?

Didn’t Moses take it upon himself to take the words of the Lord and do what He wanted to do with it? Out of his own mouth Moses was judged because he calls Israel REBELS.

If you take what I am saying at face value and agree with the premise that OUR WORKS are as filthy rags to the Lord, not the blood of the Lord but our OWN BLOOD/WORKS being represented in those rags, then what is the answer to how we approach God appropriately?

On a practical basis, how do we do this in our lives day to day? Did Jesus give us any examples? It so happens that His first miracle will give us a clue and it just so happens that water and wine are involved.

Joh 2:1  And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
Joh 2:2  And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
Joh 2:3  And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
Joh 2:4  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
Joh 2:5  His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Joh 2:6  And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Joh 2:7  Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
Joh 2:8  And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

We all know this famous story. We all know that Jesus turned water into wine. I’ve often wondered why this was Jesus’ first miracle. His first miracle wasn’t raising the dead or healing the blind and deaf. He didn’t tell anyone to rise upon their feet and walk when they were lame. He didn’t feed the hungry with fish and loaves of bread.

What He did was turn water into wine. When we know what water and wine represent this makes a ton of sense, but how did Mary KNOW that Jesus could help? If this was his first miracle, why did she tell Jesus in one statement and sentence, “they have no wine”.

More interesting than that, Jesus knew EXACTLY what Mary meant with her statement because He told her His time has NOT YET COME. Yet, He did perform a miracle!

The power of God was made from WATER. Jesus took what was presented to Him, that which was BEFORE Him and in front of Him, and He applied the POWER OF GOD to it.

In other words, Jesus performed the work of God, NOT OF HIS OWN WORKS for He said, “my time is not yet come”, but through Mary and God the Father working in Mary, Jesus reacted and performed the miracle that was needed to show us all just how important wine from water really is.

When the Lord comes to us, He comes to us when we are going along with a plan in our lives, and then all of a sudden, we hit a 4-way stop. We are on this narrow way, we are on this path to Life, yet it seems at every corner we have a stop sign, and why are we always presented with stop signs?

It is when we CEASE from our own works that God is able to cause us to pay attention. Jesus knew He was the Son of God even at this wedding or He wouldn’t be able to say His time was not yet come.

Jesus knew He was the Son of God when He was 12 years old going about His Father’s business in the temple. Yet, we don’t know what Jesus’ life was like between 12 and 30 before he comes onto the scene and is baptized.

Jesus was baptized and very quickly takes that type of baptism and THEN brings the POWER of God out of it.

I stated earlier and then asked, “Bringing the power of God and pomegranates back around to Exodus 28 we know that this power of God is mixed with “golden bells”, so how are these items connected?”

How does the chief musician answer this question?

Psa 51:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and BE CLEAR WHEN THOU JUDGEST.
Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Here is why and how we live, “his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not”:

Psa 107:4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Psa 107:5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Psa 107:6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psa 107:11  Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Psa 107:12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

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.

When we know and confess our transgresses before the Lord, we are able to approach Him because our linen covering in Christ covers our nakedness. We are able to call out in our distressed and bear the holy things of the tabernacle because we acknowledge that ALL IS OF THE LORD, the trial and the deliverance alike.

When we have a 4-way stop come into our plans, which seems to happen on a daily basis, we are being shown by the Lord that we must STOP, PAUSE and LOOK around us to see what the Lord has put in our surroundings in order for us to continue moving forward.

We MUST acknowledge always the Will of God in our Lives and NOT just self-righteously move forward with our owns plans while IGNORING whatever it is we have learned and know to be how the Lord has told us to handle various situations.

We do so at our own perils otherwise.

When is it we are able to approach the Lord? In our distresses! How are we delivered form those distresses? We try out to the Lord in our troubles not to condemn and blame the Lord for CAUSING it in our LIVES but to recognize this is how we APPROCH HIM with HIS POWER.

Here then is the ROOT of the sound which allows us to approach the MERCY SEAT as kings and priests of the Lord.

H6472
pa‛ămôn
Total KJV Occurrences: 7
bell, 4
Exo_28:34 (2), Exo_39:26 (2)
bells, 3
Exo_28:33, Exo_39:25 (2)

H6472
pa‛ămôn
pah-am-one’
From H6471; a bell (as struck): – bell.
Total KJV occurrences: 7

H6471

pa‛am    pa‛ămâh
pah’-am, pah-am-aw’
From H6470; a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications): – anvil, corner, foot (-step), going, [hundred-] fold, X now, (this) + once, order, rank, step, + thrice, [often-], second, this, two) time (-s), twice, wheel.
Total KJV occurrences: 118

H6470

pâ‛am
paw-am’
A primitive root; to tap, that is, beat regularly; hence (generally) to impel or agitate: – move, trouble.
Total KJV occurrences: 5

H6470
pâ‛am
Total KJV Occurrences: 5
troubled, 4
Gen_41:8, Psa_77:4, Dan_2:1, Dan_2:3
move, 1
Jdg_13:25

Here is the ROOT of “golden bells”:

Gen 41:7  And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Psa 77:2  In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
Psa 77:3  I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
Psa 77:4  Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

Jdg 13:25  And the Spirit of the LORD began to MOVE him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Pharaoh was troubled by the Lord but instead when to the WORLD of WISE MEN to solve his troubled spirit. Nebuchadnezzar’s spirit was troubled and he too called on the WORLD of magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans to solve this for him yet there was no relief.

Samson was TROUBLED and MOVED which caused him to seek our Timnath instead of going to God’s people for his bride and look how that turned out.

We must approach God with His commanded and provided covering, Jesus Christ, if we at all expect to be delivered from our troubles. When the Lord puts a stop sign in your path, KNOW that the Lord is NOW working with you and imploring you to LISTEN to His will for YOU.

It is when we are moving along SMOOTH SAILING that the Lord is answering us according to the idol of our own hearts and the work of our own iniquitous hands.

We must wear the linen clothing of the Work of the Lord when we approach Him and heed the Work of His awesome hands. This is truly a work with not sweat that we are blessed to partake of.

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Awesome Hands – Part 101

“Garments of Consecration”

July 8, 2016

Ministering to God and His will is a calling we have all been given.

In Exodus 28 we are going to see the establishment of God’s tabernacle concerning the priests and their offices and how the Lord commanded the “children of Israel” to approach ministering to Him via His tabernacle.

There are many gifts within the body of Christ and it is important that we be able to recognize and emphasis each of them for their importance to the collective body.

In our verses today, we are going to see the start of the priesthood being setup for the benefit of the tabernacle and for ministry towards the Lord.

Our verses for today are found in Exodus 28:1-29.

Exo 28:1  And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
Exo 28:2  And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

The first thing to notice is that Aaron and his sons are taken from the children of Israel so that they can minister to the Lord. Of course, their ministering to the tabernacle is a direct way for them to minister to the people of God.

The next thing told to Moses is that he, Moses, will make holy garments for Aaron for glory and beauty. When considering that Moses was made a god to Pharaoh and Aaron was his prophet, then considering this type and shadow as applying here, we can see it is a type of Jesus Christ making holy garments for His prophets so that they, too, can be used to show the glory and beauty of the work of the Lord.

Exo 7:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Exo 7:2  Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
Exo 7:3  And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

This point is important to remember as we go through this study because the Lord uses His prophets to speak AGAINST whatever the “Pharaoh’s heart” says concerning the commandments that the Lord brings to his attention. We must all continually weigh the heart of the old man in us against the Word of God.

Continuing, we read:

Exo 28:3  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

Another important aspect to point out is that in verse 2 the Lord tells Moses that Moses will be the one to make holy garments for Aaron, but now we learn how it is Moses will ORCHESTRATE the making of these items which will allow Aaron and his sons to minister to Him in the tabernacle.

Moses will do the making by “speaking to the wise hearted who have the spirit of wisdom” so that they can make these garments of consecration.

Right about now you may be asking yourself why I am pointing out the things we just read, and the answer to that is that it is incumbent for us to realize that it is the children of Israel filled with wisdom (wisdom being Jesus Christ when we consider the sum of the Word), who have prophets pulled out from among them AND who are also used to create these items necessary for the ministering of the tabernacle.

This will make a lot of sense moving forward in this study, but for now we are going to be told what items are to be created.

Exo 28:4  And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
Exo 28:5  And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

Notice that the items to be made are made out of the same materials from which the tabernacle is made because “the dream is one.” Everything we read about in the old testament tabernacle is going to see connected to us today in very striking ways as the Lord reveals it to us.

Starting in this study today we are going to give general descriptions to the various garments worn by the priests. Then we are going to get a little more specific with each item.

We won’t get to them all today, but we will cover a few of them.

We see mentioned 6 different items: A breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a broidered coat, a mitre and a girdle.

Breastplate

H2833
chôshen
Total KJV Occurrences: 25
breastplate, 25
Exo_25:7, Exo_28:4, Exo_28:15, Exo_28:22-24 (4), Exo_28:26, Exo_28:28-30 (4), Exo_29:5, Exo_35:9, Exo_35:27, Exo_39:8-9 (2), Exo_39:15-17 (3), Exo_39:19, Exo_39:21 (2), Lev_8:8 (2)

H2833

chôshen
kho'-shen
From an unused root probably meaning to contain or sparkle; perhaps a pocket (as holding the Urim and Thummim), or rich (as containing gems), used only of the gorget of the highpriest: - breastplate.
Total KJV occurrences: 25

H2833
chôshen
BDB Definition:
1) breastplate, breastpiece
1a) sacred pouch of the high priest designed to hold the Urim and Thummim
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an unused root probably meaning to contain or sparkle
Same Word by TWOT Number: 772a

The main function of the breastplate is that the one speaking on behalf of God, Aaron, was speaking from a place of judgment because judgment is always on the heart of Aaron.

Exo 28:15  And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

Exo 28:29  And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.
Exo 28:30  And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

Urim and Thummim were used to know the judgment of the Lord via working through the hands of the one holding the Urim and Thummim. There are many scholarly endeavors to try to figure out the meaning of these two items and how exactly they were used, but the most accepted explanation is that they were used for yes and no questions or guilt versus innocence.

This would make biblical sense as well given that Christ tells us be mindful to let communication be yay or nay.

Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Why would it be important that the high priest always have the judgment of the Lord on his heart? Simply put, the Lord has made His priests overseers of the flock of Israel, and we know who are the true Jews to our Lord.

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.

The overseers of the Lord will always be looking out for the flock while guarding against wolves in sheep’s clothing and also ministering to the tabernacle. In fact, they are one in the same thing.

Ephod

The second item we are going to see mentioned is the ephod.

Exo 28:6  And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.
Exo 28:7  It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

We now have the shoulder piece being mentioned which has several interesting characteristics.

H646
'êphôd
Total KJV Occurrences: 49
ephod, 49
Exo_25:7, Exo_28:4, Exo_28:6, Exo_28:12, Exo_28:15, Exo_28:25-28 (7), Exo_28:31, Exo_29:5 (3), Exo_35:9, Exo_35:27, Exo_39:2, Exo_39:7-8 (2), Exo_39:18-22 (8), Lev_8:7 (2), Jdg_8:27, Jdg_17:5, Jdg_18:14, Jdg_18:17-18 (2), Jdg_18:20, 1Sa_2:18, 1Sa_2:28, 1Sa_14:3, 1Sa_21:9, 1Sa_22:18, 1Sa_23:6, 1Sa_23:9, 1Sa_30:7 (2), 2Sa_6:14, 1Ch_15:27, Hos_3:4

H646

'êphôd    'êphôd
ay-fode', ay-fode'
Second form is a rare form; probably of foreign derivation; a girdle; specifically the ephod or high priest’s shoulder piece; also generally an image: - ephod.
Total KJV occurrences: 49

H646
'êphôd
BDB Definition:
1) ephod
1a) priestly garment, shoulder-cape or mantle, outer garment
1a1) worn by an ordinary priest and made of white stuff
1a2) worn by the high priest - more costly, woven of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and linen threads provided with shoulder-pieces and a breast piece of like material, ornamented with gems and gold
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: probably of foreign derivation
Same Word by TWOT Number: 142.1a

Here is what the ephod looked like.

Exo 28:8  And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
Exo 28:9  And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:
Exo 28:10  Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.
Exo 28:11  With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.
Exo 28:12  And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

Here is what the breastplate looked like. This is in the ESV translation.

Exo 28:15  "You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it--of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it.
Exo 28:16  It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth.
Exo 28:17  You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row;
Exo 28:18  and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;
Exo 28:19  and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
Exo 28:20  and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree.
Exo 28:21  There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.
Exo 28:22  You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.
Exo 28:23  And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.
Exo 28:24  And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.
Exo 28:25  The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.
Exo 28:26  You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
Exo 28:27  And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
Exo 28:28  And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.
Exo 28:29  So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD.

Essentially you have 4 rows of stones with each row having 3 stones. Each stone represents one of the tribes of Israel. The breastplate hangs from the ephod, the shoulder piece, which also has two onyx stones. Each onyx stone has six of the tribes engraved on it with one being on one shoulder and the other stone on the opposite shoulder.

Literally, the high priest bares the weight of Israel on his shoulders as he also kept them close to his heart.

Exo 28:12  And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

Exo 28:29  And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

High priest

Heb 3:1  (ESV) Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

Heb 3:1  (KJV) Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Mentioning all of these items that the children of Israel, filled with wisdom, made for the high priest, helps us understanding our connection to the high priest.

Understanding this connection always entails knowing how the high priest is chosen.

Heb 5:1  For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Heb 5:2  Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
Heb 5:3  And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Heb 5:4  And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Heb 5:5  So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

Why do I mention these things? I think it will be more easily understood if I use examples from scripture to explain.

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

When we take Jesus at His words here, the natural and literal interpretation of what we just read will be utter foolishness.

How can a “house” have “many mansions”? Houses have rooms, but how can they CONTAIN whole mansions?

Well, looking at it in a literal way will not allow us to see the meaning behind Jesus’ words. Likewise, understanding our connection to Jesus the Christ with Jesus being the Head and the church being the body is a similar example.

Specifically, the body is made up of “many members in particular” as the KJV puts it. Those members are given gifts, not of themselves but given by God.

1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
1Co 12:31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

1Co 13:8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

The entire tabernacle is representative of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the tabernacle of God is representative of the Head and the body. The body cannot be separated from the Head without both dying and being of no use.

In particular to this study, the reason God chose out Aaron and his sons was so that they could minister to the tabernacle. In our day and age as Christians this is represented in various gifts and appointments that God has ordained to happen.

Like with Moses, God uses those with wisdom to ordain His ministers.

Exo 28:3  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate^H6942 him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

Exo 28:40  And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.
Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon^{H3847 (H853) (H853)} Aaron^H175 thy brother,^H251 and his sons^H1121 with^H854 him; and shalt anoint^H4886 them, and consecrate^{H4390 (H853) H3027} them, and sanctify^H6942 them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.^H3547

What does it mean to be anointed, consecrated and sanctified in the priest’s office?

Anoint

H4886

mâshach
maw-shakh'
A primitive root; to rub with oil, that is, to anoint; by implication to consecrate; also to paint: - anoint, paint.
Total KJV occurrences: 71

Consecrate

H4390 with H3027
mâlê'  /  mâlâ'
BDB Definition:
1) to fill, be full
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be full
1a1a) fulness, abundance (participle)
1a1b) to be full, be accomplished, be ended
1a2) to consecrate, fill the hand
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be filled, be armed, be satisfied
1b2) to be accomplished, be ended
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to fill
1c2) to satisfy
1c3) to fulfil, accomplish, complete
1c4) to confirm
1d) (Pual) to be filled
1e) (Hithpael) to mass themselves against
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1195

From dictionary.com:

verb (used with object), consecrated, consecrating.
1. to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of adeity to consecrate a new church building.
2. to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow:
a custom consecrated by time.
3. to devote or dedicate to some purpose:
a life consecrated to science.
4.to admit or ordain to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate (bishop).
5. to change (bread and wine) into the Eucharist.
adjective
6. consecrated; sacred.

Sanctify

H6942

qâdash
kaw-dash'
A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), X wholly.
Total KJV occurrences: 171

There are a few things I’ll mention about consecration because it is very informative and important to understand.

We see the English word consecration used a few times in Exodus 28, but one time it actually is the same Hebrew word meaning sanctify (verse 3). The other time it is used in conjunction with “yad”, H3027, meaning hand.

The very first appointments to any office with God in His tabernacle was done with the laying on of hands of Moses to Aaron and his sons.

For us as Christians, this has a spiritual meaning, but the Hebrew example and definition you read above is the combination of two words that equal the concept of consecration.

Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon^{H3847 (H853) (H853)} Aaron^H175 thy brother,^H251 and his sons^H1121 with^H854 him; and shalt anoint^H4886 them, and consecrate^{H4390 (H853) H3027} them, and sanctify^H6942 them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.^H3547

Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate^{H4390 (H853) H3027} them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

Here are a few other examples found in Exodus 29, Leviticus 16 and Ezekiel 43. There are others, but these will suffice as examples.

Exo 29:33  And they shall eat^H398 those things wherewith^H834 the atonement was made,^H3722 to consecrate^{H4390 (H853) H3027} and to sanctify^H6942 them: but a stranger^H2114 shall not^H3808 eat^H398 thereof, because^H3588 they^H1992 are holy.^H6944

Lev 16:32  And the priest,^H3548 whom^H834 he shall anoint,^H4886 and whom^H834 he shall consecrate^{H4390 (H853) H3027} to minister in the priest's office^H3547 in his father's stead,^{H8478 H1} shall make the atonement,^H3722 and shall put on^{H3847 (H853)} the linen^H906 clothes,^H899 even the holy^H6944 garments:^H899

Eze 43:26  Seven^H7651 days^H3117 shall they purge^{H3722 (H853)} the altar^H4196 and purify^H2891 it; and they shall consecrate^{H4390 H3027} themselves.

The example of this having a spiritual meaning for us as Christians is found in 1 Timothy.

1Ti 5:17  Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
1Ti 5:18  For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
1Ti 5:19  Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
1Ti 5:20  Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
1Ti 5:21  I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
1Ti 5:22  Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

The Hebrew concept of consecration is to “fill the hands” with the one on whom you are placing yours hands. In other words, in order to ordain anyone to an office of the Lord, one must give their full confidence to the one being appointed and also recognize that by doing so they, too, will have their “hands full” and be able to lay hands on others.

Conclusion

With the conclusion of this study I will explain how and why this all comes together and why it is important and also how to build upon it as we do the next few studies.

The tabernacle in the old testament is the physical example of the spiritual tabernacle of Jesus the Christ in the new testament.

The priests have been ordained by God and clothed with items that the children of Israel were used to create to give God all the glory. The priests and people are used together for the plan of God and you cannot separate one from the other.

Just like physical Israelites must visit the tabernacle and be ministered to by the priests for things such as the sacrifices for their sins, so, too, must the spiritual Jews come together to represent all the many-membered functions and gifts of the body of Christ.

If a member of the body of Christ isolates himself from the rest of the body, then he will be swallowed up by the sea of humanity and the doctrines they possess.

The very image of the items given to the priests to wear and what they represent tells us that God takes His judgments seriously, and those that have been ordained to keep judgment close to their heart at all times, are the ones God tells us we MUST be willing to visit especially concerning doctrine.

Likewise, we should never forget that out of the very first priests that God ordained to be His priests, two of them (Nadab and Abihu) offered strange fire to the Lord and were killed. They offered STRANGE DOCTRINE, in other words, if we want to see the spiritual equivalent of their actions because our words are as fire.

Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

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.

Just because two of those ordained priests of God were killed for false doctrine/strange fire, that does not mean that the rest of the priests have false doctrine.

We all as the body of Christ must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, and we must remain true to His doctrine, and I hope that will be shown as we continue to examine the various offices of the tabernacle and how they were filled.

Just like Peter who was called out by Christ to walk on the sea/water, we, too, will sink if we do not keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. However, Jesus Christ is a head and body, and we MUST be as watchmen and keep our eyes ever watching over the city of the tabernacle, else we will sink into the doctrines of the sea of humanity.

In our next study, we are going to continue to look at the other items mentioned as being created and placed on the priests.

The robe, broidered coat, mitre and girdle all have very important meanings for our lives as Christians and will all coalesce around how we use them to be in the world but not of the world …. just as the tabernacle of the Jews was in type and shadow in the old testament.

Rev 1:14 – Why is Christ Both “White As Snow” and also “As a Flame of Fire?”

[Updated September 22, 2023]

Rev 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

What does this verse have to do with you and me? Isn’t this simply a description of what we can expect to see when the day comes that we finally get to meet and be with Christ? How do we “keep what is written therein” in this verse?

I hope by this time you have come to see that whatever we read about the revelation of Jesus Christ is something you and I should recognize as being within each of us, and not as an ‘out there’, ‘over there,’ ‘in the past,’ or ‘in the future.’ “For the time is at hand” and it is in us now in “this generation” that we “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” This verse is no exception to that principle. If we do not see this verse as “Christ in us… now,” then we will not benefit from what is being said. If on the other hand we see Christ in us and we see “His head and his hairs… white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes… as a flame of fire;”  and if we know what that means, then we will have “kept the things that are written therein…” as we are instructed, because we realize “the time is at hand.”

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.

So how do we “keep this 14th verse of Revelation one?  “… Because as he is, so are we in this world.”

In our study of verse 13 of this chapter we saw some of the depth of the truth of this verse of scripture:

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

Knowing Christ’s lot is our lot gives us boldness when we are being judged, and just like Christ, we are “learning obedience by the things which we suffer.”

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 [Greek: ek, out of] death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

If Christ “learned obedience by the things which He suffered” as the Son of God, who are we to expect anything less?

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

Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above [his] master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more [shall they call] them of his household?
Mat 10:26  Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

Luk 6:40  The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

Christ tells us that He has sent us just as His Father has sent Him:

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

What did the Father send Christ to accomplish:

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

Christ is the One who tells us that we are Him:

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

His Father sent Him to save the world and we are Him therefore we must fill up in our bodies what is behind of His afflictions for His body’s sake, which is the church:

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

We are Christ. Therefore we, too, must die for the sins of the world by dying daily, being crucified with Christ, and offering our bodies as a living sacrifice:

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.

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

That is how plural “saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the house 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.

Christ tells us He came preaching the kingdom of God, and He tells us that the kingdom of God is “at hand.”

Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mar 1:14  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Does that sound like Christ was speaking of something that was 2000 years away? No, of course not, and the reason He said “the kingdom of God is at hand” is that the king of that kingdom was, is and will always be here within us, ruling “the kingdom of God [which] is at hand… within you.”

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

So the king of the kingdom of God within us has “hairs of His head, white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes… [are] as a flame of fire” within us. What are we being told about the Christ who lives in us? Why do we need to know this about Him?

His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow

What does the holy spirit have in mind when it tells us that our “head,” the Christ within us, is “white like wool as white as snow?” Who better to tell us than the spirit itself. Here is what the spirit has in mind when it inspired our fellow servant John to use this phrase:

Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Remember the filthy garments of Joshua the high priest in Zechariah from our study of last week?

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

There it is in Isaiah 1, both phrases, “white like wool” and “white as snow” are found there being contrasted, not with the color black, though that certainly is a scriptural contrast, but being contrasted with the color red, or “red like crimson.” The phrase “red like crimson” is the same as “filthy garments,” and the phrase “as wool… white as snow” is the same as “change of raiment.” Just as Christ gave up His “corruptible flesh” for His “body of incorruption,” so must we take on that same “seal of the spirit,” the earnest [down-payment] of our [incorruptible] inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession” [That blessed and holy first resurrection of Revelation 20:6).

Here is how we have this “head and hairs… white as snow” living within us:

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 [Greek: arrhabōn, down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Why the resurrected Christ is contrasted with the color red

The ‘white wool’ and the ‘white snow’ signify Christ’s righteousness in us.  Why is our resurrected Lord being contrasted with the color red? Because red in scripture, in its negative application, is “sinful flesh and blood.” We have covered this in depth in our series on colors in scripture. Be sure to read The Spiritual Significance of The Color Red. As always, God’s Word is counterintuitive to the mind of the natural man. Sinful flesh and blood is red, but what happens, according to the scripture, if we “wash our robes in the blood of the lamb?” What does that do for our robes? Does it make them red like flesh and blood? What does the counterintuitive word of God say?

Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The raiment or the clothing of all of God’s messengers is “white as snow”, and in that sense is always contrasted with the red of sinful flesh and blood:

Mat 28:1  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
Mat 28:2  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
Mat 28:3  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

All of Christ’s messengers have “raiment white as snow…”

Mar 9:3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

“His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow.” Nothing “on earth can [so] white them.” Here we have, in Matthew and in Mark, both Christ and His messengers dressed in white raiment as white as snow. That is the contrast which the holy spirit makes between the resurrected life and life of Christ in us with a life dominated by sinful flesh and blood “on the earth.” That is the contrast between living “in the spirit of life” and “living in the flesh.”

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Rom 7:4  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Rom 7:5  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

Rom 8:1  [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Does “walking after the flesh” or “walking after the spirit” have anything to do with our supposed “free will?”

Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
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 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
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.

Where in all of scripture does, Christ, or Paul, or any other of Christ’s apostles teach the doctrine of “free moral agency??? Paul emphatically declares that our sins are not the result of our choices, but of “sin that dwells in us… that is in our flesh.” What does that say about those who declare that flesh is not of itself sin?

Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good.
Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it [no free will], but sin that dwelleth in me.

The beast and the man of sin say it is you and me who decide to sin or choose not to sin, but what does the word of God say? “It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Flesh is sin and “sin dwells in me, that is in my flesh” and in all flesh. We are flesh, and it is not we who sin, but sin that dwells in us. That is what the scriptures teach. We are what we are “in the Potter’s hand.” It is He who makes us, first marred vessels of clay, and it is He again who makes us a new vessel, “conformed to the image of His Son.”

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

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

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.

Our will and our actions are ‘both the work of God in us’. If we are ever cleansed of our sins it will be ‘God working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure’:

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

It is all a work of God. Our new raiment is white as snow, because our sins which are in our flesh are given a change of raiment, and our filthy garments are “made white in the blood of the lamb.”

Why are Christ’s eyes “as a flame of fire?”

What does this have to do with us?

Isa 66:15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
Isa 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.

Let’s look at the whole of verse 14 again:

Rev 1:14  His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire;

All of Christ’s messengers are “flames of fire.”

Act 7:30  And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

Heb 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

There it is! All of Christ’s ministers are “a flame of fire… [with] eyes as a flame of fire,” because “as He is, so are we in this world.”

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

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12  His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13  And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Just like us, Christ’s clothes are “dipped in blood.” Christ’s own flesh had to be sacrificed for the lives of us all. Now we, too, must “fill up in our bodies what is behind of His afflictions”, because we are “his body… His flesh and… His bones”:

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

Christ is “the ancient of days” of:

Dan 7:9  I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

Why are Christ’s eyes in us “as a flame of fire?”

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

What do “seven eyes” have to do with “eyes like fire?” What are ‘the lamb’s seven eyes’? Here is what those seven eyes are.

Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

So there it is: “here a little and there a little” (Isa 28:10-13). The Lamb’s “seven eyes are the seven spirits of God,” and “seven lamps of fire are the seven Spirits of God.” What are the spirits of God which are “seven lamps of fire?” What is the fire of scripture? Here it what “sees all things and makes all things naked before Him.” Here is what burns up all the “wood, hay and stubble” in our lives:

Deu 33:2  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp [of fire] unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

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.

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

It is only “by fire” that we are “saved”:

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.

What is the fire that destroys the enemies of the two witnesses? It is the same fire that is in the eyes of Christ and His Christ. It is the Word of God.

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 seven spirits of God and the seven lamps of fire are “the words that I speak unto you, which are spirit.” All three are one and the same. They are the fiery word of God, spoken by all who can see that the Lamb with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, [which is also the] seven lamps of fire [which are also called] “the seven spirits of God.”

Now we know what John the baptist meant when He said that Christ would baptize us in fire:

Luk 3:16  John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Now we know what Christ meant when He said He had come to bring ‘fire’:

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

Luk 12:50  But I have a baptism [“with fire”] to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

“Eyes… as a flame of fire” can see and hear and live by fiery words which are fiery spirit:

2Sa 22:9  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Whether it is in His eyes or His mouth, the ‘fire’ of scripture is the Word of God which devours all that will burn:

Rev 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

What do “seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God” have to do with “eyes like fire”? Here is how these same “seven spirits of God” are described in chapter four:

Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Conclusion

Rev 1:14  His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire;

We have seen once again, that “as He is so are we in this world” is the truth of the revelation of Jesus Christ. We have seen that the principle “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” is just as applicable to Christ and “His body, which is the church” ” as it is to Christ and His Father:

Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

As we see the Father in seeing Christ we also see Christ in His Christ:

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

What we should see in this 14th verse is that as our Head and His hairs are described as being ‘white as wool, as white as snow’ as His body, which is the church, we also in Him are “whiter than any fuller on earth can white [us],” only because Christ in us has died to our “red like crimson” sinful flesh and blood, and has been “made white in the blood of the lamb.” The truth will always be counterintuitive to the natural man, but it will be “hidden words of wisdom” as “the holy spirit teaches comparing spiritual with spiritual.”

Finally, we have seen that “His eyes were as a flame of fire” is speaking of the seven eyes of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world and the seven lamps of fire, burning before the throne; both of which we are told “are the seven spirits of God” which are “the words that I speak unto you” (Joh 6:63), which are “My words in your mouth as fire” (Jer 5:14 and Rev 11:5).

In the next study we will, Lord willing, see why Christ’s feet are said to be “like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace” and why His voice is “as the sound of many waters.”

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.